Aria Pro II CBS-380 Cardinal Series

Nothing that hasn't been mentioned before. Mid scale neck, huge playability, great if you have small hands like me. Limited a bit in sound, but put through the right amplification can compete with all mid-range equvalents, even those that cost 4 times as much.

The sound is as good as your amplifier as I mentioned before. I put this puppy through a Carlsboro Cobra and it sounds like a hardcore/punk band. On the flip side, I put it through my PC for recording and its sounds as sweet as Fender Jazz through a Bassman.

The action on this rocks. I have owned one for 10 years and still find it beats the hell out of my other basses (Ricky now, P-Bass sold, Stingray sold). Finish is still reasonable after all this time, but I gues my bass has been round the mill somewhat.

This bass will last forever in my opinion. Still absolutely solid even though it might be as much as 25 years old. Incredible build, I have been playing it for 10 years and never done so much as change the strings on it when needed.

To be honest, if this bass looked better and had a more flexible sound, the likes of Musicman, Fender, Warwick and Rickenbacker would be literally pooping themselves. Like the japanese cars, this baby will live forever. Man, at least 20 years old and the pots are like new on this one, amazing. If they'd have added another pickup, this would have been a difficult puppy to knock to be honest. I don't gig with this any more, but I still use it for recording all my tracks.

I had one of these a CSB350 when it was new and I sold it after a few years to paty for a cooker or something and have regretted it ever since.

The sound was good the neck was medium scale so easy to play.
If anyone has one to get rid of I may well be interested.

Shape was sort of SG like the Hondos that were around at the same time but better than the Hondo.

The bass was fantastic right out of the box. The finish was a bit thin but it looke lovely.

Uncomplicated electrics. Shaler machineheads and it came with a hard case.

features? we don't need no stinkin' features!

I give it a 6 as it has just what it needs - nothing more nothing less (oh yeah and a nice quick change bridge)

Ultra basic bass (feature wise but not quality wise) simple but not dumb
1983 model
mid scale 34 standard frets
single "soapbar" pickup but wired like a Fender P bass (split coil humbucker)
simple tone+volume knobs nothing fancy here
body is probably "basswood"
solid cast eye/hook quick change bridge which is counter sunk in to body (nice job to)
closed small profile tuners
Light weight, small body, very thin neck

very basic tone similar to a Fender P but not as deap growling tones.
mid scale, thin neck and light body means it lacks in sustain but not as much as you'd think as it has a solid cast bridge (which is actually counter sunk in to the body so is quite massive)

Good all round tone but nothing flash you could call it "flat" but it's not a dead tone.
EQ it right (+some bass and + a fair bit of treble) it does a good classic UK mid late 70's punk/mod. And is nice and woody enough for old school 60's R&B and blues rock (does a really nice Motown sound and that ain't no bad thing).

I give it an 8 but I'm comparing it against a '78 Aria SB1000 so maybe that's not fair?
Despite not being a Masumoko made Aria it's quality is on the whole very very good.
Briliant neck - this is were it shines - like a good Fender Jazz neck... but better much much better. Very fast, slick and comfortable.
Finish is mostly excellent apart from a very slight gap in the neck fitting on one side and some frets being cut about a millimeter too short - neither affect playability though.
The translucent cherry red stain and lacquer finish is deep lucious and accentuates the wood grain very nicely, the lacquer and paint job is very good quality my bass has many knocks and dings in its body yet none have actually broken away the lacquer or the stain - it looks good enough to eat - serious - ask my kids they all say it looks like a candy apple :)

The tuners are OK - lower quality than the ones on the SB1000 (far enough though as the SB1000 cost more than 3 times the cost of this model).
Has a plastic nut rather than the brass of the high end 70/80's Arias.
Bridge is solid cast job.
Volume and tone knobs are basic and look a bit daggy at first bu grow on you.

So basic there realy isn't anything to go wrong. Give it a 9 as the thin neck, like Jazz basses is always going to meen you need to care a bit more than thicker P basses but it's light mass should meen that if it falls or is droped it won't get as much force applied to the head as on a heavier full sized bass.

As I said in the section above the finish is really good and hides scratches and dings very well even deep gouges disapear a meter away.

I worry about the tuners but after 20 years they still work and have no slack.

Ha forget it ... no seriously aria is not one of the top dog of japanese guitar makers like it was for a few years when this was made.

Fortunately there are plenty of after market parts that will fit, so everything would be replaceable or repairable. I would think that an aftermarket active or good passive pickup would make this bass even better anyway.

A really nice basic bass nothing, except the finish, shines out as being exceptional. BUT it is a real work horse that stands it place amongst my other higer end gear including various Rickenbackers, Musicmans, Fenders, an 80's Ibanez Musician and 2 late 70's Aria Matsumoku SB1000.
its light weight means this goes with me to every rehersal and gig as my first choice backup bass (as well as getting played for some tracks for its own sake).

It's mid scale, small body and slim neck make it a favourite for the guitarists I play with if they want to play bass for a song (as I sometimes play keyboard) or fill in for me if I can't make a gig (as well as avoiding having to give them one of my $3000+ basses to break... I mean play)

Would suit smaller, younger players quite well and would be a good bass for a beginner who would have a good quality starting bass that they can keep as a spare even as they upgrade

I've just bought this bass on ebay and will write a follow up review when I get a chance to play it> in the meantime, here are some things I found while researching the Cardinal series model CSB380 bass...

What was your first bass?

Kim:
I borrowed Kelley's bass. It was an Aria Cardinal series. I thought it was so cool because it was just a piece of plank wood or something. It was the weirdest-sounding bass. At first I was always like, I'm playing a dumb bass; it's not a Fender, so it's not cool. But then we played with My Bloody Valentine, and that band's bass player had an Aria Pro, too.

When did you switch from the Aria?

Kim:
We were working with [producer] Gil Norton for Doolittle, and he looked at my Aria bass and was like, "Uh, no." So I had to go to Boston and buy a bass because he refused to record mine!

(from an interview with Kim Deal of the Pixies> Bass Player magazine, By Bill Leigh November 2004)

a catalogue image can be found here:

http://www.therathole.org/guitars/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1981cs/81cs_a_pg2.jpg.html

I purchased my Aria Prp II Cardinal Series CSB-300 new in 1984 for around $400.00 which was fairly steep for a foreign bas then. I', primarily a guitarist and have small hands and the Aria let me make stretches my Carvin was just too big for.

Basic bass. One split pickup,1 vol, 1 tone control. Twenty years later, I still don't think I could have made a better choice. I just bought the new Epiphone EB-3 and it seems to be about the same in scale but the Aria has so many miles on it, it's like comfortable clothing. I know it's limits and mine and stay inside them and could work constantly if that were my goal thee days.

Top 40 in the 80s. What can I say. The bass was pretty unremarkable. Got a good Entwistle growl when I needed it. Was playing thru an Acoustic 150 with 4-12s. Plenty loud for the work.

As always, I either set up or get my instruments professionally setup right away. Action was low and fast. Great for a guita player or a girl, you know small hands again.

Solid s a rock.

Never needed it.

Been at it almost 40 years. A good hobby, a lousy job.

I've owned this bass for 10 years now. Feature-wise, it's pretty basic. One pickup and one volume and one tone control knob. The body style is way-cool, and it is lighter than most basses out there. It has a red transparent finish. It comes with a case that fits the shape of the guitar, so that's a bit different.

I like the way this bass sounds, although those with active-basses are likely to look down on it. It's got a nice warm sound that can very from muddy and indistinct to sharp and high with a turn of the tone knob.

This is where Aria-Pro outshines the rest. When I purchase any type of guitar, the main issue for me is the playability of the neck. I "audition" the instrument to see how well it plays. The neck on this Aria-Pro bass is the best I've ever played. I've played other more expensive basses in the store, and I have yet to find a bass that is as comfortable and wasy to play as this one.

I play this bass live all the time. It is rock solid. There is nothing flimsy about it at all. All of the hardware is high quality, and the finish on the bass seems to be very durable and glossy. It's very dependable, and I consistently gig without a backup.

Never dealt with the company.

I've been playing guitars for 14 years now. I play a high-end Ibanez acoustic guitar, and I also play an Ibanez RG-570FM electric guitar.

If this bass were stolen or lost, I would not buy this exact model, but I would definitely buy another Aria-Pro bass because the neck is excellent. In finding another Aria Pro bass, I would look for one with much better electronics-more than one pickup, hotter pickups, and possibly active.

1982 model i think, so its older than me! Left-handed stung upside-down. 35 guage strings (came with bass). I have had it a year now and there are very few complaints. It had been converted to right-handed before, but switched back (probably to sell it). Small, narrow, bridge. 2x2 head stock. 22 Jumbo frets (lovely). Nice thin neck at 32". Single pickup with split coil posioning for the pole pieces, but in one casing. Some oples have sunk into the pickup casing which gives it more character than ever.

Warm and full. G string buzzes a bit but no biggy. The play is fast and hammer-ons and pull-offs are sweet on this thing (u can just trill for hours with no loss of good sound). This bass is my main bass of all time! It shaped my style. I often find it hard to play other basses now. No slapping on this bass, but it can pop a bit. The pots don't help for pick playing, but when you do, oyu can get some hard rocking noises from it indeed! It's only a nine because of low output.

Action was not a point to consider because i had to string it righty anyway. After i did that (i do almost all my own repairs) it was a dream, except the G string needed to be raised a mile from the bridge to get as little bass as possible. Fit was fine. No problems there. Finish was smashed and battered, so i love it! The see-thru red is one of the best colours i think a guitar could be in, and with a matching head stock, heaven in wood.

It could play live soooo well. I'd just be worried about damage. It seems a delecate guitar, but i think it would be fine. I'd take a spare set of strings, incase one broke. Strap buttons are solid. The finish is no concern because any new dings would get lost in the old ones. No maintaince, other than tuning, is ever needed.

AriaProII don't even do replacemnet bridges for this axe, so i can't be bothered with them. And i think if u buy an instrument, you should be prepared to look after it youself.

Exellent guitar. Aria got this puppy right! I'd so track down another if i have to, which i probably wont because the internet has almost nothing on this guiar except the production time (1981 to 1984). I almost bought a ZZB for around #50 as a back-up. Wish i had now! I've never spent over #100 for a bass, and this was the best buy ever in bedford! I stopped playing my first bass completely as soon as i got this bass, it's just so nice to play. My newish Westwood still don't compare to this one! Just plain nice. Goes nice with my 50watt peavey amp too.