Aria Guitars will launch former Metallica bassist Cliff Burton's Aria Pro II signature bass at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA next week.
Cliff's father, Ray Burton, will be on hand at the Aria Guitars booth to do the introduction and sign autographs on Friday, January 25th at 12:00 noon.
This guitar has been a year in the making and is being made with the authorization of the Cliff Burton family and Metallica. Cliff Burton was the bassist for Metallica for their first three albums, "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets".
The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass is a replica of the Black 'n Gold I bass that Cliff played. Painstaking attention to detail was taken to build a tribute bass. It has a 7-ply maple/walnut neck with a neck-through, heel-less neck design. It has the same headstock with the patent statement on the front and Cliff Burton's authorized signature on the back of the headstock. Each of the tuners are handcrafted out of brass and gold-plated and the 40mm nut is made of brass. The neck has a 34-inch scale with 24 frets. The fretboard is made of rosewood with cat eye and mother of pearl inlays.
The body is the original SB shape and made of alder. The bass is loaded with an Aria MB-V passive pickup. It has a single tone and volume control with a dual sound mini-toggle switch. The bridge is solid brass with gold plated saddles. The bass will ship inside of a deluxe ostrich hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity signed by Ray Burton.
"What a beautiful instrument and a wonderful tribute to Cliff,” said Ray. “The first year Cliff was with Metallica he played a Rickenbacker guitar that he purchased in 1982. He loved his guitar, but he did not feel it was a strong enough instrument to withstand the rugged treatment of the daily rigors of heavy metal touring. Early in 1984, Cliff was treated to an Aria Pro II bass guitar. He really liked it and therefore did not seek any other bass to play. He told me it was strong and ideal to play. I never heard a discouraging word about his Aria bass guitars. To give testament to his preference, he had several of them at the time of his death."
Cliff died in a September, 1986 tour bus accident in Sweden.
Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass
Specifications:
Headstock: Original SB Design
Neck Shape: Standard, Medium
Neck: 7 Ply Maple/Walnut
Neck Joint: Neck-through, Heel-less Cutaway
Tuners: Handmade Solid Brass Tuner Buttons, 24 K Gold Plated
Nut: 40mm Width Solid Brass
Truss rod Cover: Solid Brass
Headstock Front Inlays: Patent Statement
Headstock Back Inlay: Cliff Burton Authorized Signature
Fretboard Scale: 34" or 864mm
Frets: 24 Frets
Fretboard: Rosewood
Fretboard Inlays: Cat Eye, Mother of Pearl Inlays
Body Shape: Original SB Shape, Super Balanced Body
Body Material: Alder
Pickup: Aria MB-V Passive Pickup
Controls: 1xVolume, 1xTone, 1-Dual Sound Mini-Toggle Switch
Knobs: Black SB Knobs
Tailpiece: Solid Brass With 24K Gold Plated Saddles and Black Plated Body
Strap Pins: 18K Gold Plated Solid Brass
Strings: Rotosound RS66LB (35, 55, 70, 90)
Certificate: Certificate of Authenticity Signed by Ray Burton and Toshi Matsumura
Case: Deluxe Ostrich Hardshell Case With Gold Hardware
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