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Aria Guitar Shops
The company was formed in Japan
in 1953 by Shiro Arai as Arai and Company. They began retailing
acoustic guitars in 1960, although the company didn't actually start
manufacturing their own instruments until 1964. Aria arranged for Matsumoku,
the musical instrument maker, to build the guitars for them under
contract. Arai and Matsumoku started building acoustic guitars in 1964,
and then electric guitars in 1966, using Arai, Aria, Aria Diamond, and
Diamond brand names. The Aria brand name was changed to Aria Pro II in
late 1975, though this has been used mostly, but not exclusively, for
the electric guitar. All guitars were made in Japan until 1988, when
production of less expensive models was switched to Korea. In the mid-1990s a few models were made in the United States.
Aria Pro II did some copies of famous American instruments like the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul
though they also created their own style of guitar. In the 70's and early 80's
the company came into its own in the United States with a series of
high end professional instruments. The company had many professional
endorsements such as Herb Ellis, Mike Biggs, Neal Schon, Rod Stewart
Band, Jerry Reed, and many more. The guitars were distributed at this point by Tillman Distributors in
Charlotte NC. With the input from various artists and from the founders
of Tillman Distributors, Joe Tillman, Dean Tillman and Jerry Tillman,
the Aria Pro II guitars made a real mark in the industry during that
time. Many of the models are still sought after by collectors and players alike.
Many consider Aria guitars to be very value orientated, with very good
pricing. Aria, it seems, has a full line up of guitars, ranging from
the beginner STG 004 all the way through to professional players.
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