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considering buying this guitar tomorrow

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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

Hello guys - i need to part exchange one of the guitars i have for one which i can actually use as a gigging guitar. I wont go into the reaosns i cant use my current guitar at gigs, but i went shopping today and saw this guitar

http://www.ariaguitars.com/english/products/mac-std

however the one i saw also has a coil tap switch and seymour duncan pickups. other than that it is identical to this one (for some reason i cant find the guitar i saw on their site)

I played it and it felt great, and i liked the sound - but it was going for nearly £400. The guy said he would probably only give me £100 for my part exchange guitar but that there would be "room for negotiation in the price".

I dont know a lot about aria guitars (or guitars in general to be honest :lol: ).

Does anybody have an opinion on these?? what would you pay for it?? i like it but really really dont have cash to splash at the minute (i have just moved house and had a baby so my money has been spent :lol: ).

thanks in advance for any replies.

Al

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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 Bish
(@bish)
Famed Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 3636
 

I'm not familiar with the brand but it sure looks like a nice full featured guitar.

Maybe they'll let you have it for a weekend to give it some attention before plucking down the dough?

Bish

"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

i wish they would bish :D

Guitar shops dont tend to work that way over here unless they are very small local family business' (which dont exist near where i live im afraid).

i think if i asked for a "borrow" i would be shown the door :cry:

from what you said though it is nice to know that there are lots of shops out there that would do that kind of thing :D

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

I don't know much about Aria guitars, don't think I've ever played one, and their website's a bit behind the times - they're still looking forward to the 2010 World Cup! Can't access the "artists" portion of the site either - it'd be nice to see who plays one. Still, if it feels good, and it sounds good, what more do you need? All I'd suggest is give the whammy bar a good work-out - I don't know if you use one routinely, but if you do - and if you want to - I'd want to know if it stayed in tune if I gave it some stick.

Let us know how you get on!

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

good point vic - i have never used a whammy bar before, so i guess i would want to start to learn how to, but for the majority of gigs i wouldnt touch it, as it isnt needed for what i play. :D

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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 Crow
(@crow)
Honorable Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 549
 

In the late '70s I had an Aria Pro II jazz bass copy which was absolutely killer. I traded it away, alas....

All those old brand names are corrupted today, it seems, or at least under new management. But the "About Aria" link on the webpage makes it look like Aria is still in the same hands as way back then. Anyway, it's all about the individual instrument. They're all different. Try it before you buy it!

"You can't write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say sometimes, so you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream." - Frank Zappa


   
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(@katmetal)
Prominent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 726
 

I believe I played an Aria years ago, but since it has been so long I can't say I remember much about it. I was thinking the same as Vic. Do a few extreme bends on the whammy bar, both ways (if it pulls up) & see how it returns to proper tuning.

I had a Hagstrom which had a "simple" whammy on it like that, & it stayed in tune surprisingly well.


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

Thanks guys.

After careful consideration and trying LOTS of guitars (i was in the shop for well over an hour) i actually ended up plumming for a simple squire standard telecaster just like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDEkfCoxyyY

Its not me in the video - just a video i found on youtube.

It is completely the opposite of what i originally thought i wanted and i used to hate those guitars - i have no idea why but playing one through my amp and then comparing it to the more expensive ones around left me no choice - it was this guitar every time.

In fact i used it tonight for a gig and couldnt be more happy with it - it really cut through and even handled songs like sweet child o mine really well, which i didnt think a guitar without humbuckers could, i didnt realise these guitars could do rock!

I am kind of blown away that i could like such a cheap standard guitar so much, but even the guys in the band commented on how much clearer the guitar sounded tonight - and i saved about £200 on what i was going to buy!!

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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(@moonrider)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1305
 

I played it and it felt great, and i liked the sound - but it was going for nearly £400. The guy said he would probably only give me £100 for my part exchange guitar but that there would be "room for negotiation in the price".

Does anybody have an opinion on these?? what would you pay for it?? i like it but really really dont have cash to splash at the minute (i have just moved house and had a baby so my money has been spent :lol: ).

Al

It really doesn't matter what I or anyone else would pay for the guitar. Decide what you can AFFORD to pay after your trade-in, and make an offer that reflects that value. Personally, I'd try to make a quick sale of the trade-in, since you'll get twice as much if you sell it. Then I'd take that cash and what you've saved to negotiate with.

Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.

Moondawgs on Reverbnation


   
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(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

Lots of proud and happy Squire Tele owners. They really bark. Mine was Christmas '08. :) Mine is the butterscotch Squire Affinity S-S with maybe fretboard & neck. I'd rather have rosewood or stained, but that's just a personal preference.

Congrats! :D :D

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

Thanks roy - it has quickly become my main guitar. My previous main guitar was a les paul copy (made by vintage), so between the two of them and my floorboard i think i have all the tones i need now when we play live - i use my les paul copy for hard rock and anything else will be the squire.

I have spent 2 years being miserable at my failure to get the tones i want from my les paul copy when we are playing non-rock stuff, and blamed it on every piece of gear i had other than the guitar - all of a sudden though now i feel like a new door has been opened and i am really enjoying playing more than ever because i am actually hearing the tones that i have been wanting but failing to get for such a long time!! :D :D :D

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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(@rparker)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5480
 

I've never played a Vintage brand LP style, but I can quite imagine that you've got yourself a wide variety of tones now with just the two guitars. Are you still doing the band with the piano player that wanted lots of sonic space? Regardless, one of the very few things I do know is that a Tele will cut through that. I really think that it's what kept Keith Richards' guitar audible to the casual listener through everything they've got on stage. With horns, piano and another guitar going, he was able to cut through with his 1-3 note rhythm hooks using Tele's. Other's too, but you know when he's playing it. 8)

Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin


   
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(@almann1979)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1281
Topic starter  

Hello - yes im still in the band but things are a lot better sound wise now, we seem to have come to more of an understanding and are getting on much better because of it :D however, i do know what you mean about it cutting through - i cant believe how much clearer this guitar is!!

happy days :D :D

"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)


   
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