Hello all,
It took me a while to finally navigate the anti-spam protections and get a registration email to work so I am hopeful now that I am "in" it's smooth sailing.
I tend to be a very "vocal" forum member when I join so I'll probably post a lot. I am extremely active on The Acoustic Guitar Forum, which is the world's largest with about 50,000 users.
I started playing guitar by learning on my older brothers' two different Epiphone acoustics. I saved up and bought my first ever guitar, which was an Aria SW-8. That was around 1980, but I am foggy on exactly when. I thought it was 1980 but I remember having it in the back seat of a car I didn't buy until 1982, so I am a little unclear on the exact year.
I had moved on to electric and a few years later I traded it in for an amp.
Three-and-a-half decades later, I got back into guitar playing and took up vintage guitar restoration as a hobby, building a pretty well equipped workshop.
I began a sentimental search to add an Aria SW-8 to my small "stable" of guitars. In that pursuit I learned a lot about this obscure model and was amazed to learn that it was a sold cedar top over a solid wood mahogany body. I did ultimately find one which needed restoration. I'll post extensively about my findings and my restoration project, including a picture library I have.
I also spent a bit of time researching Aria availability and will share what information (or misinformation) I have in future posts.
I have a very sentimental attachment to these guitars. I also have come to the conclusion that sprinkled throughout their mass-production history are absolute treasures of wonderful guitars such as the firebranded guitars, the solid wood SW-8's etc. I also am convinced that there was some magic in their design. I am primarily a Taylor player, and also own one Gibson and one Martin but this Aria's neck is the most comfortable, solid, ergonomically perfect neck I've ever held. There is a lot of mass-produced cheap "junk" though, so I found it to be an interesting treasure-hunt. I also learned a lot about Aria's lack of information and hope to add my little bit here, while learning a lot more about them.
I do very much (and my main reason for joining) hope to find/buy another SW-8 as the one I had was mint condition when sold and the one I restored is not nearly mint condition.
_________________ A "Taylor guy" with an Aria SW-8
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