Aria SB-R80 Black 'n' Gold

Jason says,

“I got into Aria bass guitars because, when I was a kid, my favorite band was Metallica and their old bass player Cliff Burton used one as his main bass. It was actually a black and gold SB-R60 with an active pickup.”

“I have been looking for these bass guitars since I was a kid over 10 years ago and could not find any in the area I lived. Recently thanks to eBay and the internet I was able to aquire three of these guitars.”

Three!? Now there's a man who knows what he likes!
2) A long wait followed until Glen Carter of Aylesbury in England sent in these photos of his SB-R80 Black 'n' Gold.

Glen says, “I purchased it in about 1988 to replace a 1977 Fender Precision. I know from reading some of your comments that you do not buy into this Fender mystique and I would certainly agree, the Fender was not a nice bass. Perhaps mine was a bad one? It was a pig to play and had dead spots on the neck.”

I'm sure most of us have sold a bass at one time for far less than it was worth. Glen admits this, saying, “So I sold the Fender for £300. It would be worth £1500 nowadays!”

“I play in a local pub band. We play three times a month on average - mainly covers from the 50s and 60s. Although I have gigged the Aria for many years I'm afraid it is no longer my main bass. I now have a Yamaha BB-1100 which really is a killer instrument and is much lighter than the Aria, but I will keep the Aria as a back up.”

“I would urge bass players to check out Japanese instruments. Don't let prejudice stop you finding your ideal instrument”, Glen concludes.

3) Fredric de Gooijer from the Netherlands owns a SB-R80 Black 'n' Gold.

“I got my Aria bass from my uncle 5 years ago. He played the Aria for 20 years. I had to change all the electronic parts though, because the knobs were not working.”

Fredric thinks the bass may have been known as “Black 'n' Roll.” I think I recall this phrase being used in an advert at the time?

Please send in your Black 'n' Gold photos and stories, folks!