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I found an ARIA PW-40 on Ebay today.It has cracks in the finish on the top. I look constantly for these guitars all over the normal places online.
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To give you an example of what I am talking about. You will never find an ARIA PW-40 like this ever. I value this guitar at $1400, becuase it comes with the owners original paperwork, warranty card, and all us it looks unplayed. This guitar is is amazing.and the only work that needed to be done was to have the action lowered, and a quick setup job with my guitar tech from when I toured. This guitar was maticulously owned and cared for by an adult, and the strings were loosened when put into its original hardshell case. He learned to play some camp fire songs, and he only brought it out when he had visitors at his cabin in West Virginia. He had bought it to learn to play guitar after he started his own law practice. I learned that this guitar literally sat in the owners cabin for 40 years after he returned from vietnam. It had not been played since 1981, I was even able to contact the original owner and talk to his family. The range in price is due to the fact that these are 40 year old guitars, and condition is everything. The low end price means the guitar still plays, and is not extensively damaged. But, please understand that the top end of the following prices I am quoting are retail prices for guitars in pristine condition, in their original case, and with all the original hardware that came with the guitar. I am personally looking at a PW-40 and a PW-100 as we speak, and I can tell you with certainty.these are solid top, back, and sides.all amazingly beautiful guitars! If you want to sell yours.email me.I would love to make an offer on it. Simply put, these guitars just arent worth hardly anything compared to their American Built counterparts, and are horribly under-valued. A luthier, or collector, may just want to the parts to finish their guitar off that might be missing some original parts that were replaced out/damaged. At that point, they are simply sellable for their parts. The most common injury I see on these is a lifted bridge. People piled things on top of these guitars and busted the necks, the bodies, and the headstocks. Those that did survive were put in cheap cardboard cases, and stuffed in peoples closets. How much are these Aria Acoustic guitars worth? Sadly, not much. So here is the question I see everywhere. They also have amazing inlays that used South American Abalone, and mother of pearl. All models from the PW-40 up had solid Brazilian Rosewood Backs, and sides. For example, the PW-15 was made of a solid Mohogany top, back, and sides. Solid Spruce Tops was used consistently on most of these guitar.except a couple notable ones. Aria did strange model numbers like this. These were still the same series, the pw-51 was simply the same as the PW-50 model that was discontinued that year.
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They did release different model numbers in 1979-1981 that included weird model numbers like PW-51, etc. This was a lot of money in 1976 for the PW-100, and with inflation this would cost you well over $4,000 in todays dollars for what these guitars were priced at. The PW-10 sold for 10,000 Japanese Yen, and the PW-100 sold for 100,000 Japanese yen in 1976. The higher the model number, the higher the quality of the guitar, and how much it sold for in Japanese Yen.
ARIA PRO 11 ACOUSTIC 12 STRING SERIES
The original PW series consisted of the following model numbers: PW-10, PW-15, PW-20, PW-30, PW-40, PW-50, PW-60, PW-80.
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I honestly believe that these guitars are much better than anything Martin made at this same time in history. These makes rival any American made manufactuers at the time. They used the best, and highest quality, aged tone-woods available at the time. These guitar makers for this line were the best of the best of this factory. These guitars in this series are all hand-crafted, in the Royoji Matsumoku factory. The D series was not for export, and the PW series was for exportation to the United States and other foreign countires, although not in high numbers at all The PW and W Series of these Aria guitars are the top of the line guitar made by ARIA and the Matsumoku factory. If there is a floral design on the headstock, with the head of the flower being an "A", this is from 1976ġ976-1977 the tuning peg where it is on the headstock will be roundedġ978-1979 the tuning peg where it is on the headstock will have an "A" in old english script. If it is written Horizontally " Reads left to right" on the headstock it is from 1978 If it is written vertically "up and down" the headstock it is from 1977 This is a 1976-1979 ARIA PRO II PW Series Guitar. If the guitar has ARIA PRO II on the headstock written clear as day. Hey Brother.Your guitar date depends on three things: