Aria Avante Series

As far as features go its just a nice standard bass; good scale, great action, light-weight and easily playable.
Machine-heads are good quailty for factory standard on this price range, no slips except for the g-string when popped.

Use it with a Peavey Mark 3 or a Laney B2....fat sound with plenty of gain. I play in a blues/rock band with a lot of other bright instruments so I go for a rich sustained tone which is readily available from this instrument.
The high string tone also sounds amesome for funk; pops snap out like bullets and slaps are nice n heavy.
As far as sound goes this is an affordable workhorse, great for gigging and studio work.

Factory action was ok but adjustment is advised...screw it down n its slinky!!

Only complaint is the input can sometimes be a bit unreliable but replacing this fixes the problem for good...also fit is with strap locks as the buttons are a little unreliable.....not loose just dont hold the strap as well as i would like.
This bass take a bit of punishment with gigging n rehersals. Never needed a backup.

Never dealt with them.

For a serious gigging muso on a budget I would recommend this bass...it takes a beating and comes back for more. The finish is thick n glossy, even after 6 years of gig use.