Aria Pro II FA-70 Hollow Body Jazz Guitar

Made in Korea, mid-late 90's

Gloss Vintage Sunburst

laminated multi-bound f-hole Spruce Top

flame Maple sides and back

single-cutaway hollow archtop

gold hardware

split block inlays on 20 fret ebony or rosewood (very dark and dense)

maple neck with splice behind 3rd fret (bummer)

2 volume/2 tone/3-way/dual humbucking p/ups

Rosewood bridge

Plenty of glitz for me with the layered binding and gold hw

Incredible open, vocal sound with a distinct, quick pop. maple.

I couldn't believe the authenticity of jazzy sound!

I also use it for electric blues, indie-pop and most anything, with great results. I like the feedback ability this thing has.

With a small Vox or whatever else I feel like that week, it sounds good.

From smooth, smoky jazz to twangabilly, the controls have a broad, gradual range of sounds.

I love the fast action and response, not a huge sunburst fan, but it was a good find.

I had to do a quick fret dress, due to someone foolishly playing on it with rusty strings (duh!), and then set it up for a 3/3 LP type action.
(no wound G for me til i hit 40)

No flaws other than the splice joint in the neck!

It should be done behind the nut/headstock area for strength.

Properly setup, it gets a 9.

I would imagine these will hold up as good or better than the Harmony, Silvertone and similarly built guitars from the sixties.

It all seems more than good enough for me, and I can hold my own.

I would do a jazz gig w/o backup, for sure. A friend of mine toured constantly for years and years with one of these, instead of taking his rare vintage Gibsons, D'Angelico's, and Epi's on the road. All over the world with these. That's how I became aware if this model: through an experienced, very picky touring pro.

Don't know or care.

Playing guitar for 25+ years, teaching/performing regularly for more than half of that (after attending Atlanta Insttiute of Music)

I'd look for another, but there are plenty of boxes to choose from now.

I love the sound and action, not crazy about sunbursts. Its a nice authentic finish, I just like amber, cherry, gold, or orange much better.

Late eighties production. Rosewood adjustable bridge, rosewood fingerboard, laminated top. very good finish for such a serial production. 2 pick ups, 2 vol + 2 tones control. Pickups + hardware gold plated. the controls of vol and tone are quite efficient.
Stringg holder like Gibson 30's acoustic hardware. Die cast Tuners. I used with flat strings.

I play lots of styles variing form Rock, Soul to 60's Jazz in a Wes Montgomery Style. For the last one mentioned it works out perfectly.
It's a very beautiful deep jazz sound. Most of all you'll look genuine when playing live on stage. Sound and outfir match perfectly in this case.

I hardly remember the initial fit and action, but as far as I remeber I had never any complains. The action is quite comfortable for Jazz as well as the fingerboard (pretty fast neck). Finish is antique sunburst which is really beautiful. You would't guess that the guitar is about 15 years by now.

Everything's in apple pie order, with one exception. The gold plated hardware ought not to be polished unless you want it silver. Thank I found this before heavily polishing. If 15 years didn't any harm to this guitar, the next century won't do either.

Never been needed

I've been playing for 24 years by now in various styles with lots of guitars (15) and Amps. At moment I've fallen in love with my V-amp Pro II as you can capture the orignal sound on your PC very easily. Try it! On the whole this guitar ist rather a stage guitar as you really look genuine when playing Jazz on stage. For recording you might produce the same sound with a more comfortable guitar, but frankly: who wants to do that on stage?

Old production, I guess around 1988 which is the begining of this production. Mine is a Left handed version. Rosewood adjustable bridge, rosewood fingerboard, laminated top. very good finish for such a serial production. I bought it used. 2 pick ups, 2 vol + 2 tones control, Pickguard ( not so beautiful, I took it off ). Pickups + hardware gold finish. the controls of vol and tone are quite efficient.

I play Jazz, standarts and composition in 50/60 style. It is just sounding perfectly for this, I cannot say more. I think pick ups are the original ones, and I must say they are wonderfull, no reason to change them. very beautifull deep jazz sound. As a left handed guitarist, I'm used to by copies of famous guitars like this one is, and to replace pickups by good onles like Seymour or whatsoever, but this time I thing I will not.

I bought it used and already around 15 years old, so I cannot juge of its initial fit and action. I used hard strings ( 13-53 ) with flat round, and therefore needed to make bridge adjustement before playing. I think this guitar had never been adjusted by any Luthier, maybe I will do cause it's difficult to obtain good harmonics, I think the neck needs to be contolled, but it's normal after 15 years I guess. the action is very comfortable for Jazz as well as the fingerboard. Finish is antique sunburst which is really beautifull, specially after 15 years, I really feel like owning 50's Jazz guitar !
My notation is based on the impression I have now, but the guitar is already 15 of course !

I regards with its general aspect and condition after 15 years, it must be reliable !

no comment

I'm a 25 years guitar player and came to Jazz 8 yeasr ago after a long trip in blues music. I was playing on a very good accoustic jazz guitar which was handmade by a good french luthier, but was seeking for a good electric archtop one, I'm so fully satisfied with this Aria pro II.

Two humbuckers, two tone controls, two volume controls, 3 way toggle switch. It is supposed to have a special bracing to give it a vintage sound

This has a awesome bright ton.

Very low action, beatiful sunburst finish

I bought this used, and it seems to be solid. It is maple

This guitar said "Play me." I love it

it's a 1996 20 fret hollow body jazz guitar made in korea. it has 2 humbucking pick ups with separate tone and volume controls; a three position pick-up; a rosewood adjustable bridge with gold plated tailpiece and hardware. mine is an antique sunburst w/ a single cuttaway. it looks pretty much like an epiphone emperor II. maple body and set in neck. it has a rosewood fingerboard. basic jazz guitar features i guess.

the sound is very very good. if you are looking for that fat jazz tone then this is it. i own a gibson 175, an epiphone joe pass, a samick charlie christian and a de armond x135, they all sound good but for some wierd reason my FA-70 is what i end up using most of the time. you might be thinking that i am ridiculous, comparing aria pro II to gibson, epiphone, etc..but that is the truth. i brought it to a very good luthier and he can't believe it himself. he thinks that there was a fluke with the making of this guitar w/ regards on how they wired the pickups. i was lucky he said, because this is the best sounding korean guitar that he has ever heard. i use it w/ my peavy classic 30. i play ethnic jazz and i can produce a lot of sounds w/ this guitar. if you want a pat metheney sound just put it to the neck position, kill the tone, full throttle on the mid of the amp , and lose the bass and treble, and voila! i can also produce herb ellis' sound, goerge benson and wes montgomery. very versatile.

the guitar was set fairly o.k. with mass production and all a perfect guitar is a dream. the finish was decent. the pick-ups i had to re-adjust and the action was to high, not really a problem, all i had to do was to lower the bridge.

i have been playing w/ it for 3 years and no problemo! i just have to study the equipment in the places that i perform each time meticulously because of feedback. other than that the guitar delivers. one time it fell from a standing postition flat on the ground, it was in the case when this happened but still,(the same thing happened w/ my samick and it cracked at the neck)it came out just fine.

i have been playing for quite a while and i must say that this guitar is a "must try" instument. if someone stole this or if it got lost i'd definitely just die......but of course i'd buy another one before i die and just hope that it would sound as good as the old one.