I recently received my first Aria Pro II, a 1983 PE-60. I posted more details about it on a different section of the forum (
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13601).
Something else I discovered about it: the nut had been replaced by a Graph Tech NuBone by a previous owner.
My only real beef is that the fret ends feel quite rough to my hands, although this may be due to age-related shrinkage of the fretboard or binding rather than any manufacturing/QC issues at the factory. Otherwise it plays like butter.
Some questions:
- What do you recommend for replacement pickups if I desire a warmer sound than the stock ceramic MMK-45s?
- I've heard conflicting reports regarding the 2 mini-toggles. Some say they are series/parallel switches, some say coil taps/splits, and some say phase switches. Which is correct?
- What's the difference between the PE-60 and the PE-R60? (I can't find an answer on the Web.)
- Is there much of a build-quality/attention-to-detail difference between the PE-60 and the higher model numbers (PE-R80, PE-R100, etc.)? Or is it just a matter of trim/features?
Thanks so much!