Aria 1977-81 Concert AC-20 Reviews 5

I called a friend who is a pretty active acoustic guitar trader and asked if he had an inexpensive classical "boat guitar" for my use this summer. He had four that he would sell for $100. I tried them all and was shocked at the superiority of the Aria.

The craftsmanship and finish is top end. The sound is exceptional. (very light body construction gives it deep and clear character). The neck and intonation are spot on and the action is just right.

The fret board's width is a bit more than I am used to.

This Japanese built guitar has all the classical strong points: a solid red cedar top, solid rosewood sides & back (appears to be Brazilian) , two piece solid mahogany neck, rosewood fret board and laminated rosewood on carved head stock. The bindings are wood and the tuners are (real) gold plated (very bright & no corrosion at all). The finish is beautiful and there is no checking or cracks... unusual for a 20 year old "off shore student's" guitar.

I went to a huge guitar store and checked out their classicals. This guitar has the quality of finish and materials found on $1000 units. The sound compares to $2000 units. It is a very good friend indeed who gave me this one for $100.

Ed Clement rated this unit 5 on 2002-05-24.

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