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Aria STB-PB Bass Guitar

 

Review of the Aria STB-PB Bass by The Man in the Jar  

Mmmmm, PB?  Pooh Bear?  Post Botox?  Precision Bass?  Yes, this is an entry level copy of the machine that introduced frets to the unwary upright bass players of 1953.  

Features of the Aria STB-PB Bass

Tuners - Classic open backed tuners with very large tuning knobs. These pulled the guitar nicely into tune at the first time of asking (the bass was completely de-tuned for shipping).

Headstock - Aria have slightly modified the cut of the classic Fender bass headstock, the underside being slightly sharper looking. The third and fourth strings run under a very chunky grooved bush (!) and the truss rod slot has no cover. 

Nut - White plastic set-in-slot type that all looks nice and tidy. 

Neck - Slim maple neck with a nice satin finish, very pleasant in the hand.

Fretboard - Very dark rosewood with traditional dot pearloid markers.

Frets - Medium rounded.

Action - I'm primarily a guitar player so it always takes me a while to start coping with bass strings and the action they require for proper resonance, especially on a long scale neck like this. The action on this model is certainly playable. The nut looks exactly right and the bridge offers full adjustment capabilities.

Body - Precision Bass through and through. An exact mimic of one of the earliest ever bass designs (the first production Precisions had a different, rather sexy Telecaster vibe). Alder construction opens the door to authentic Fender tone.

Bridge - Solid chromed stop-tail type. Chunky individual saddles each offering two height adjustment screws and one intonation screw. The saddle barrel accepts the string into a comfortingly secure groove to prevent any slippage whilst spanking.

Pickups - Classic configuration of split single coils serving each pair of strings with two pole pieces per string.

Controls - One volume and one tone. The knobs look and feel quite cheap. The overall look could be enhanced by replacing these with metal knurled Telecaster type knobs. Don't forget this guitar is around £140 quid all in, so expecting top grade furniture is not realistic. 

Pickguard - Classic P-bass style in white/black/white plastic. This looks extremely classy against the black finish of the body.

Strap-buttons - Medium size buttons in the usual places. Sitting down with this bass reveals a slight neck heaviness. This is not enough to be noticeable standing up as long as you use a leather strap with a rough underside.

Output Jack - Front mounted on the bottom of the scratchplate.

Finish - Very good all round, particularly important on a black guitar.

 

Sound of the Aria STB-PB 

This guitar is trying to fill large and famous shoes, and considering it's a budget instrument it does a good sonic job. The single coils slice aggressively through the higher register and the low notes can be made to deliver that famous Stranglers growl. 

 

Overall Impressions of the Aria STB-PB 

As an entry level or backup bass the Aria PB makes a good solid choice. It's a lot of bass for a small price tag. Take the time to eq at the amp end and balance the pickup heights and you'll be rewarded with an instrument that has classic good looks and sounds the part. 

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