Aria AS-690B/FL Sinsonido Fretless

This is a 2004 bass, made in Asia somewhere. It's a 4-string fretless with inlaid fret lines. It includes one volume and one tone control for the active preamp, powered by a 9-volt (of course). The pickup is comprised of twin condenser mics inside a plastic tube, which serves as the bridge. The pickup was designed by SoloEtte and has been licensed by Aria. Mahogany body with detachable aluminum/foam rubber body sides, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Satin finish on the wood parts. This is a headless bass, with Gotoh-like tuners behind the bridge. It comes with a well-padded gig bag and stereo headphones, which can be used direct for practice because of the nature of the pickup. I wish there was a hard case available (I bought a rifle case for it for $15, so I guess I can't complain).

This is a second bass for me (my main axe is a Carvin LB70). I mostly play for my church's worship team, and was searching for an affordable fretless with good tone. The Sinsonido is a perfect fit! It has a very rich acoustic/fretless tone which compliments my other bass nicely. Although there is only one tone control, it gives a wide range of sound from dark and woody to bright and punchy. There is a surprising amount of tone and sustain from a bodyless/headless bass. The brightest settings give a little too uch string noise, but this can be fixed with EQ or by using coated or flatwound strings.

The action on this bass is nice and low, and the factory setup was fine. It takes a very light touch and is extremely responsive. The pickup/bridge height was perfect as well. There sanding and finish could be better around the tuning machines, but I love the satin finish. The whole thing weighs about 4 pounds, so it feels lighter than air. I usually play without the aluminum body sides, which has gotten plenty of looks and comments. The lower bout is absolutely necessary if you're sitting down, however. The tone control has one sticky spot, and there is no thumb rest. Without traditional magnetic pickups and because of the body design, the only place to comfortably put your thumb is right at the end of the fretboard or right in front of the bridge. It's hard to get to the "sweet spot."

I play live all the time, and this bass will take it. There's no headstock, so it doesn't take such a beating (my Carvin's headstock is like a magnet for mic stands, low ceilings, keyboard players, etc.). The satin finish should last forever and hide wear. Strap buttons are rock solid, and have much less weight to support than for a regular bass. Like most active basses, the battery is only connected when the bass is plugged in, so it lasts forever. I'd use it without a backup if necessary, but I don't plan on it.

I've never dealt with Aria directly, but the dealer I bought it from bent over backwards to get one for me to play and gave me a fair price. I know he'd hook me up if I needed a repair. There is a limited lifetime warranty from Aria on workmanship and materials, although there are a lot of exceptions in the fine print ("finishes, plating of metal parts, strings, frets, saddles, nuts, fingerboards, pickguards, tuning gears, wiring, potentiometers, and pickups" all are considered normal wear items and are NOT covered under warranty).

I've been playing bass for 5 years and really wanted to take on the challenge of playing a fretless. I looked for something affordable with a great sound, and the Sinsonido was a perfect match. I love its unique look, the fact that it is lighter than air, and the sound most of all. It has all the growl and expressiveness you would expect from a much more expensive fretless. If it disappeared, I would absolutely replace it without a second thought. It really needs a thumb rest, and a hard case, and maybe an adjustable bridge (although I don't know how Aria would make that work, since the pickup mics are actually inside the bridge itself). I can't put this bass down!