ShortScale.org

well guys i finally got around to fixing the hum/grounding prob on the aria diamond offset i got for free with the '75 jaguar. not very gracefully done (see pics) but it WORKS now, all nice and quiet.

it had the trem system missing, and i had an ancient floating bigsby-ish vibrato system (for acoustics i think, found it at my grandpa's house some decades ago) lying around. i some how was able to now install the colette and trem arm (not removeable, though) on this baby.

and it ROCKS. seriously. just need to get a decent nut for it.

now the two pickup swiches are kinda weird:
- one controls the neck - neck and middle - middle
- the other something like bridge in phase - bridge off - bridge out of phase OR SOMETHING like that, no idea. one position just sounds much brighter than the other.

kinda weird that you can't play the bridge pickup alone though, but the wiring is all original and untouched.

weird-ass bad-ass guitar!!!

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some crappy quick pics:






weird pickup construction... they are kinda jaguar/telecaster-ish sounding. interesing, with not too much power but very unique and twangy/surfy.
notice how the neck and middle pup are connected to one switch, the bridge pup to the lower one.


swimming pool in plywood... oh well...



MOTORIK (corrected) bridge with missing colette/vibrato


well this should work to "ground" the noise away... (yes it's a paper clip!)



donor vibrola thing...


voilá! ready to rock and twang!
though... i might end up getting a jag/jazz vibrola for it, cuz the vibrato arm is too low (hits the bridge or volume control button)...

still... a great guitar for the price i paid... NOTHING!!!



Pat.

ps: btw, it DOES have the jaguar scale!

i think it's cool, reminds me of that motorik thing that owen has.

that looks like a very well constructed instrument. well done, again, pat.

Demo!

noobagreed.

Demoez!

that's awesome that you were able to fix the trem. a demo of this would be real interesting.

that trem looks pretty nice. would definitely like to hear how it sounds.

man i love old plywood guitars, lots of fun, especially with goofy pickups and switching. kind of odd that you can't get just the bridge pu but someone thought it was a good idea at one point so why not!

Pacafeliz wrote:

MOAR pics of orangesprakle guit?

Cool.
This guitar has caused me some confusion. The Aria Diamond Ventures model i have (mosrite type thing) is supposedly based on the old (sought after) Diamond Series yet clearly it looks nothing like it.
Aria must be spinning a yarn in their catalogues

hotrodperlmutter wrote: MOAR pics of orangesprakle guit?

'f course! i'll start a new topic about it in the non-shortscale section!

Pat.

Fran wrote:This guitar has caused me some confusion. The Aria Diamond Ventures model i have (mosrite type thing) is supposedly based on the old (sought after) Diamond Series yet clearly it looks nothing like it.
Aria must be spinning a yarn in their catalogues

lots of different models were sold under the Aria Diamond name. they were probably referring specifically to the hi-flyer type aria diamond.

btw, i'll try to do a demo vid of it tomorrow or next weekend, stay tuned!

Pat.

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