Aria Pro II SL-ST-3

The Korean-made SL-ST-3 is a Strat-style shape, Ash body (from memory), Maple neck/fretboard, with a S-S-H passive pickup configuration, 22 frets, 5-way switch and 1 volume/1 tone pot. Bridge is a pretty standard trem, neck is bolted on, headstock tapers downwards and has six Aria Pro II branded tuners.

This particular one is black, with chrome bridge/tuners, and black plastic covered pickups. The two most distinctive things about it are the lack of pickguard, and the almost completely flat body, which set it apart from the traditional strat style.

It doesn't really have any exceptional features, but looks less like a beginner's guitar than most contemporary cheapish guitars, while still being dead simple to play on and get the hang of.

As far as sound goes, it doesn't have any individual character that sets it apart as unique, but it's very versatile. You won't get much of a low end growl out of the 'bucker, and the clean sound is a little lacklustre, but it certainly gives an above average showing for a broad range of tones. I've used it for anything from pop to metal, and it serves the purpose admirably, though unexceptionally.

The only real criticism I'd make is that it's a bolt-on, and doesn't have the sustain I've grown to love in set necks. Still, as a first guitar (as it was mine) you get a lot of mileage out of a broad range of unexceptional, but good sounds.

I'd had this one guitar for about 10 years before "upgrading", and I still keep it handy as a backup. It's been played through a variety of amps and pedals, tubes and trannies, and I've never had a bad sound out of it. It may not lend a lot of character to any rig, but it certainly doesn't take away from anything.

The initial setup was spot on, low action, correct intonation and no flaws in finishing or assembly.

After over twelve years of use, the only issues I've had have been needing to reglue the knob on the 5-way switch, and replacing the lead socket, which was giving a loose, intermittent connection. The strap button screws unwind from time to time, but only very occasionally.

Aside from that, it's very dependable. I've gigged with it, and it alone and never had any showstoppers. These days it's my reliable backup that can cover whatever I might be playing if my more characteristic guitars malfunction.

In terms of general wear and tear, the lack of pickguard means there are plenty of shallow scratches on the surface, and the years of use have worn the frets quite a bit, but there's no damage to the finish that would show up in a photo.

I've never had any dealings with customer support, which is a reflection of the reliable nature of this instrument

I've been playing for 12-13 years now, have about seven other guitars and a roomful of amps, but this guitar has always been at the core of my gear. Great to learn on, but not likely to embarrass you as a novice when you front up on stage.

If it were stolen (I'd never lose it) I don't think I could replace it in terms of sentimental value, but I'd definitely keep an eye out for one in case I ever have kids who want to learn to play.

For the price, I really couldn't have asked for a better guitar. It kicked off a great love of guitars and will always remain as a trusty sidekick to my more expensive beasts.

Strat-style economy guitar that was made in Korea between 1987 and 1991. Plain paint/poly finish...about as basic as it gets. Bolt-on maple neck with 22 frets and a maple fingerboard. Nice looking drop-point headstock with 6 inline tuners. Tuners are marked Aria Pro II...very smooth, don't slip. S-S-H pickup configuration, 5-way selector switch. There is no pickguard. The P/Us are mounted directly to the body. Pickups have smooth black covers, resembling EMGs, but they are passive units; presumably stock Aria units. Vibrato is a standard strat-style. Controls consist of one volume and one tone knob. I'll give this one a 7 because it has all the essential things that work together well. As stated, this is a basic, budget guitar that isn't intended to impress with figured grain, binding, gold-plating, inlays, or special tone controls. However, it performs its intended purpose with aplomb, which is to be a great player for low bucks.

This guitar's sound is simply amazing...especially considering that it is a budget guitar. My opinions are based on playing through a Fender Twin Reverb and a Yamaha G100 S/S amp. This guitar shines through both tubes and silicone in sounds! Every pickup combination brings a different nuance of tone (as it should) and they all sound great. The humbucker at the bridge provides a fat, but articulate tone that accentuates (as expected) the treble frequencies. The single coils are a harmonically chimy, and they do a good job of copping the Strat out-of-phase bell tone when both are selected. I have no clue who the OEM of these pickups are, but they sound so good to me, I can't imagine replacing them and getting a better result. BTW, my MIJ Fender Strat has EMG S-type pups, which I installed, so I'm not afraid to change out pickups if I feel it's warranted.

I play mostly contemporary christian music. My influences include the great blues and rock artists...and if you can believe it, I like everything from country to jazz to fusion. With a modeler, you can cover a wide range of music with this guitar. The only tone that is impossible to achieve is the one with a neck humbucker. But because most "serious" guitarists bypass the non-Fender/Gibson guitars, you can find this model cheap. So, you should have money left over to buy another axe with an H/H configuration.

I got it used, so I can't comment on the factory setup. Other than having to replace the A-D strings, which someone had installed in reverse, it has a flawless setup. Doh! No wonder the thing wouldn't intonate correctly before!!!

I own or have owned several Japanese guitars. You read so often how they are so much better that Korean guitars. That's just a bunch of hype designed to benefit the seller. But you know the saying: "Perception becomes reality." That's especially true in the mind of guitar buyers. In my opinion (and you must be interested in opinions, otherwise you wouldn't waste your time reading these reviews) it's impossible to generalize about a product based on the country of origin. Sure, you're probably wise to avoid buying a product from a company during the initial year or two that they switch the manufacturing base to a differnt country. After that, one should be more objective and compare the results to established benchmarks of quality to see if there's good reason to purchase their product. I never thought I'd say anything good about guitars manufactured in China after seeing some of their pathetic initial attempts. I'm sure there's a lot of junk still being imported from both there and Indonesia. I bet most would admit, though, that the Ibanez Artcore models are of very good quality and represent a very respectible value in terms of guitar craft.

Bottom line for this Aria axe: While it's plain and not a particularly pretty guitar, the neck feels and plays great. The action is low and easy to play. Having the same general design as a stratocaster, it is very easy to adjust various elements pertaining to setup...a real winner!

For a 15+ year old axe, it's pretty solid. I doubt it will change much in the next 15 years...very dependable.

This is the kind of guitar I'd buy for travel with a small modeler pre-amp and headphones. You could unbolt the neck and throw it in your carry-on. The poly finish is tough and you won't cry if it gets nicked or dinged...but I think you'd have to drop it on concrete to knock off the paint.

It's never a good idea to go to a gig w/o a backup. But I wouldn't waste one moment worrying about this guitar failing me if it's all I had.

No idea here.

I've had good experience with Aria and Aria Pro II guitars. My favorite thing about them is that they represent tremendous value. The models I like give more than a nod to successful vintage designs, and they also add useful elements to the mix. The pickups produce outstanding tone. They are never too heavy, like a lot of the copies I've seen coming out of Asia these days. The necks have a profile that fits my medium-smallish hands.

I've been playing about 30 years. This instrument does not impress you with its looks. It does not impress you with its features. But it does have impressive sound and playabiity. The main thing that it lacks is a decent finish on the body...I mean, this thing is as plain as they get. But if it had nice woodgrain and a transparent finish to show it off, then the price would escalate and people might start paying attention to this sleeper. I like it for what it is: A simple, plain-jane player with fantastic tone. Something about this combination of pickups, wood, and steel make for a magical mix.