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In keeping with my love of pointy guitars and all things 80’s, I sold my Schecter CR-6 on Reverb and picked up this 1983 Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups.

I’m pretty excited for it but I have no idea what to expect (it arrives Saturday). What have your experiences with it been like? I’m a lead player and primarily play 90’s Ibanez RG’s.




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Oh, I think you'll be happy with that guitar. Expect top notch Japanese quality. Awesome that you have the original case included.

My Special has the original Matsumoku MMK 45 pickups, which are stellar, though the Dimarzios in your's certainly aren't a down-grade. I believe the major difference between my Special and your Deluxe is that mine is a string through hardtail and your's has a tremolo.

As far as what to expect that will be different than the 90s RGs you're used to, the main thing will be fret size. The Aria has vintage sized frets, while I'm assuming the RGs have jumbos. Not better or worse, just different.

Other random observations: Extremely tight build. Very responsive tone circuit. Smaller body than a Gibson Explorer.

toomanycats wrote:Oh, I think you'll be happy with that guitar. Expect top notch Japanese quality. Awesome that you have the original case included.

My Special has the original Matsumoku MMK 45 pickups, which are stellar, though the Dimarzios in your's certainly aren't a down-grade. I believe the major difference between my Special and your Deluxe is that mine is a string through hardtail and your's has a tremolo.

As far as what to expect that will be different than the 90s RGs you're used to, the main thing will be fret size. The Aria has vintage sized frets, while I'm assuming the RGs have jumbos. Not better or worse, just different.

Other random observations: Extremely tight build. Very responsive tone circuit. Smaller body than a Gibson Explorer.

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Awesome. Thank you, sir! I appreciate the thorough response and information. That makes me all the more excited to get it.

I wondered about the frets. It should be interesting to see how vintage-sized frets feel. All of my Ibanez’ are Fugijen made. This will be my first Matsumoku instrument. I’ve heard great things.

Also, yours looks fantastic. I like the natural look. Mine is also a hardtail. I didn’t have any luck finding any available on Reverb with a Floyd. This might lead me down the path to buying more Aria Pro guitars. I especially like the looks of Knight Warrior.

Thank you again!


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I love Super D’s. Currently have a 70s super D in bridge of my 75 LP, absolutely screams.

If you’re into 80s guitar, you WILL need one with a floyd. And a proper 80’s color - neon pink, green, or yellow

kentuckygoblins wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 2:34 am In keeping with my love of pointy guitars and all things 80’s, I sold my Schecter CR-6 on Reverb and picked up this 1983 Aria Pro II ZZ Deluxe with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups.

I’m pretty excited for it but I have no idea what to expect (it arrives Saturday). What have your experiences with it been like? I’m a lead player and primarily play 90’s Ibanez RG’s.




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I had this exact guitar but in blue for a couple months, good quality explorer. The neck is definitely not like the paper thin Wizard RG style so that'll be the biggest difference you'll notice, but very comfy nonetheless. Mine ultimately was quite heavy and I didn't play it much so I ended up moving it to a new home, but a nice instrument as all Matsumoku-made Arias typically are.

Thanks for the info and insight, everyone! It arrives today. I’ll let you guys know what I think once it’s out of the box and set-up.


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