Aria Pro II Les Paul -Identification Help

[GaZMaN888]

Hi all!

I was wondering if anybody can help me identify my guitar, it was bought for me as a christmas present a fair few years ago but I have only recently started learning to play it seriously.

I've read that the serial number on the headstock can tell you the year but I was wondering whether it can tell exactly what guitar it is?

The serial number on the back of the head is 098059 and on the front of the head it says

"Designed and approved by H.Noble
Original custom body P.No. 555719
A product of Matsumoku 4-11 N.M"

Can anyone here shed a little light on this?

Many Thanks in advance,

GaZ

Here are some pics

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by GaZMaN888

Can anyone here shed a little light on this?

Yep - hope so

You´r the owner of a (slightly modified) Aria Pro II PE-800 from 1980.
> antique red ash body, ivory-binding, carved arch top & contoured back
> 3-ply maple-neck with rosewood fingerboard
> Protomatic IV, sometimes (the hotter) Protomatic I Pickup´s

BTW : Nice guitar - unfortunately the Bridge-PU & the mini-switch(es) are not original.

Nikki

[GaZMaN888]

Brilliant! Thanks for that!

From what I could find on the internet I suspected it might be a PE-800.

On the subject of that bridge-PU and those switches, the person who had it before me obviously installed them but did a fairly poor job (the wiring inside is a mess!), do you know of anywhere I could obtain an original wiring diagram?

Do Aria issue them on request?

Cheers again, much appreciated

GaZ

(Just need to learn to play it properly now )

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by GaZMaN888

...do you know of anywhere I could obtain an original wiring diagram?

Do Aria issue them on request?

Hi !
You can use this SD Wiring Diagram as standard solution.
If the mini-switch is alright, maybe this SD Wiring Diagram is a option for you ?!?

Nikki

[HiPhi]

Originally Posted by GaZMaN888

Original custom body P.No. 555719
A product of Matsumoku 4-11 N.M"

Originally Posted by Nikki

Yep - hope so

You´r the owner of a (slightly modified) Aria Pro II PE-800 from 1980.
> antique red ash body, ivory-binding, carved arch top & contoured back
> 3-ply maple-neck with rosewood fingerboard
> Protomatic IV, sometimes (the hotter) Protomatic I Pickup´s

BTW : Nice guitar - unfortunately the Bridge-PU & the mini-switch(es) are not original.

Nikki

Hi All - newbie here.

I wondered if you might be able to tell me some info Nikki..?

I've got a friend, who hasn't got a digital camera - hence no pictures as yet, who has a similar guitar to Gaz.

It's a natural finish, light in colour, with the same info on the headstock - Custom Part No.: P555719 and the 4-11 N.M. info, but the serial number on the back is 84023.

Is this a PE-1000/1500 or 800 model but earlier? Does the serial number mean it's NOT a 76/77 model but possibly made in Feb 1984? I forgot whether I'm allowed to ask PRICE questions... Sorry if I'm not meant to

It's also got a bit of a MATT finish to it, is this right? Most Arias I've owned have had high gloss finishes to them, do you think this might have had the varnish taken off it?

Many thanks to the site for a useful resources and to any and all for their help.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by HiPhi

Hi All - newbie here.

I wondered if you might be able to tell me some info Nikki..?

I've got a friend, who hasn't got a digital camera - hence no pictures as yet, who has a similar guitar to Gaz.

It's a natural finish, light in colour, with the same info on the headstock - Custom Part No.: P555719 and the 4-11 N.M. info, but the serial number on the back is 84023.

Is this a PE-1000/1500 or 800 model but earlier? Does the serial number mean it's NOT a 76/77 model but possibly made in Feb 1984? I forgot whether I'm allowed to ask PRICE questions... Sorry if I'm not meant to

It's also got a bit of a MATT finish to it, is this right? Most Arias I've owned have had high gloss finishes to them, do you think this might have had the varnish taken off it?

Many thanks to the site for a useful resources and to any and all for their help.

Hello, and welcome

According to the serial number, it´s a 78er model.
( I also know some AP2, where the serial number has been slightly predated - so it´s quite possible that it´s a late 77 model. )

Matt finish.... .... maybe a PE-1000U with the traditional "japan-lacquer" finish ?!? (anyone's guess)

For a real identification I need pics - otherwise it would be pure guess.


Regards - Nikki

PS: If it´s really a PE1000U, it is completely worthless and i dispose the guitar free of charge

[HiPhi]

LMAO Nikki - you are a keen, eager beaver aren't you... Thanks for the info so far and I'm sorry I can't get you picts just yet. I take it from your value comment that it might be of interest to collectors? If it's a PE1000U how come it appears to have a bolt on neck? Why is this guitars bolt on neck so different to the other versions of Aria's heelless bolt design? It has a little access cover in line with the neck. I'll see if I can get you some picts.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by HiPhi

LMAO Nikki - you are a keen, eager beaver aren't you... Thanks for the info so far and I'm sorry I can't get you picts just yet. I take it from your value comment that it might be of interest to collectors? If it's a PE1000U how come it appears to have a bolt on neck? Why is this guitars bolt on neck so different to the other versions of Aria's heelless bolt design? It has a little access cover in line with the neck. I'll see if I can get you some picts.

Hi !
Ahhhh.. bolt in neck ?
Unfortunately I don´t know, where (you or) the guitar come from, but here in Europe there was a special model of the PE called Panther.
I own one of them with the serial number 84032 . It´s a clone between the PE800 and the PE1000.
I.e. : Bolt in neck, carved top, carved back with a wooden backcover (look here) and Protomatic I pickups (both rows with hexagonal pole pieces).

If the guitar has a flat contoured back, a plastic backcover and Protomatic IV pickups (one row with slotted screws, the other with smooth surface) it´s a PE800.
Note: There was a bolt in and a setneck version, but these were usually only available with high gloss finish.

Nikki

[HiPhi]

Nikki - That links looks very like the one here in the UK, but the colour is different. I think the guitar may have been rubbed down and had the original finish taken off it to some extent. That arrangement on the neck is very similar from memory. Is this the "set-in" type neck you mention? The back of the guitar is slightly contoured, the top is slightly arched, but the neck does have that little access cover and doesn't have the usual larger bolt-on neck plate. I've never even heard of the PANTHER model, but the nearness of the serial numbers does also add some weight to this idea of yours...

How rare is the PANTHER?

I have to say - "thanks" again for your assistance on this research.

Have you got any pictures of the FRONT of your lovely PANTHER?

[HiPhi]

That's a NICE collection of guitars you have there Nikki...

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by HiPhi

That arrangement on the neck is very similar from memory. Is this the "set-in" type neck you mention?

Yep, and here are a few pics:

Originally Posted by HiPhi

How rare is the PANTHER?

I don´t know in what quantity the Panther has been manufactured,
but over the last two or tree decades i´ve only seen a few of them.
Personally I only know of two pieces here in Germany.

Originally Posted by HiPhi

I have to say - "thanks" again for your assistance on this research.

No problem, but as said, pictures would facilitate an identification.

Originally Posted by HiPhi

Have you got any pictures of the FRONT of your lovely PANTHER?

Shure Look here ! BTW - the guitar is still in the phase of restoration, and the colour isn´t original.

Originally Posted by HiPhi

That's a NICE collection of guitars you have there Nikki...

Thanks

[HiPhi]

Hi Nikki & Co,

I've managed to get a number of images today, I've just optimised them for web use, so I've had to "suck" a bit of colour data to make them small enough for forum use - I hope they are OK still.

You can't see clearly, but the back of the body is noticeably scratched and if you run a finger gently over the surface, front and back, one can feel the slight ridging of the wood grain. The finish on the front is slightly different to that on the back. The front feels more original, but the back is a bit more ridged, almost as if someone has had a go at removing the finish. The item also has a name scratched into the surface. I'd have to spend sometime sanding it all down and refinishing it.

The PU covers, and some of the other hardware, show quite a bit of wear, but I suppose this just adds character..?

Do you still think this is a PE - Panther, or a weird finish PE-800? If I were to get this guitar, how easily do you think I would find it to refurb? I think it would be just a simple matter of sanding it down, but what would be the best way to finish it? Wax/oil/varnish? How long has it taken you to get that example you've shown us to it's current state, which looks fairly good?

Hope you find the images useful.


NB - The THANKS at the top of the page is REALLY meant for Nikki, although without Gaz to post the original thread, I'd not have found this forum. How do I add a THANKS to Nikki?

[HiPhi]

Nikki - Don't leave me now... I've got folk questioning the very existence of the PE-Panther model on another forum. I've sent them over here to have a look at your example. What do you reckon to the pictures..?

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by HiPhi

Nikki - Don't leave me now...

Don´t worry

Originally Posted by HiPhi

I've got folk questioning the very existence of the PE-Panther model on another forum. I've sent them over here to have a look at your example.

I´m a member at the GuitarGallery for many, many years, and I´ve already noticed that
You could determine, no one knows the Panther
When I got my PE, I´ve also searched for informations - you can find the discussion over there at the GuitarGallery.
After a long search and thanks to the good memory of my former Aria dealer I found out that at the end of the 70s
Aria advertising ads for the Panther at a German musician magazine.
There was even one of these ads on ebay, but...... sh.. happens.

Originally Posted by HiPhi

What do you reckon to the pictures..?

The specs don´t fit to a PE800 ( flat back, plastic rearcover, Proto IV ).
The specs don´t fit to a PE1000 ( set neck ).
Conclusion : Because your guitar is clearly a (nice) twin of my guitar, I´m firmly convinced it´s a Pro II PE Panther !

regards - Nikki

[HiPhi]

Originally Posted by Nikki

After a long search and thanks to the good memory of my former Aria dealer I found out that at the end of the 70s
Aria advertising ads for the Panther at a German musician magazine.
There was even one of these ads on ebay, but...... sh.. happens.

The specs don´t fit to a PE800 ( flat back, plastic rearcover, Proto IV ).
The specs don´t fit to a PE1000 ( set neck ).
Conclusion : Because your guitar is clearly a (nice) twin of my guitar, I´m firmly convinced it´s a Pro II PE Panther !

regards - Nikki

Many Thanks Nikki - you've been a REAL STAR! As you will see from the "other place", I've done a little graphic to celebrate the conclusion - I hope you, and the rest of the forum, like it and it gives you all a chuckle...
If you can be bothered to send me a Private Message, here or on the Gallery - I assume it's possible on one or the other - I'd like your advice about restoring and the obvious que$tion - I've got to make the MAN an offer soon.

[stegger]

Hi Nikki,

Just stumbled across this site and I had the exact same problem eg what type of PE is my Aria,
Then I seen the piccy's you posted for HiPhi and Eureka, that is my guitar (serial 84030).
It was foxing me how come it looks like a PE1000 but with a bolt on neck, I think you may have sussed it out, Major Thanks to you.
I have had this guitar since 1983 when I bought it for 200quid in a guitar shop in Liverpool. I use it neat with a Fender Superchamp from the 1980's and it is awesome, very prone to feedback but lovely.
I am quite sentimental and attached to it but if the right price was offered I would be tempted, do you have any approximate idea of it's value, mine is mint except for strumming wear.

Rock On

Stegger

[stegger]

Here is a piccy

[stegger]

Hi HiPhi,

Just to let you know that the PE "Panther" you posted pics of is in original finish, mine is a facsimile and has ridges on the back and more flatter grained on the front, my advice is dont mess with it, leave it

Stegger