Rare - Aria Pro II LC-800 1977 - Cherry Sunburst - Les Paul Custom - Ebony Fretboard & Mother Of Pearl Inlays - Made In Japan - MIJ

Rare - 1977 Aria Pro II LC-800 Model - Les Paul Custom - In gloss cherry sunburst finish - Ebony fretboard with real mother of pearl inlays - Original hard case - Made in the famous Matsumoku factory in Japan - MIJ.

• Serial Number: 097072 (September1977 MMYXXX format)
• Body: beautiful 3 piece maple top on a proper pancake mahogany body (with maple pancake strip)
• Neck: 3 piece maple
• Fretboard: Jet black ebony
• Fretboard Radius: About 10"
• Fret Edge Binding: Yes
• Inlays: Real mother of pearl block inlays
• Frets: 22 x Vintage narrow (1.0mm tall x 2.1mm wide)
• Nut Width: 43.28mm
• Width at 1st Fret: 43.56mm
• Width at 12th Fret: 51.06mm
• Thickness at 1st Fret: 20.43mm
• Thickness at 12th Fret: 24.8mm
• Nut: Bone
• Tuners: Original gold torque adjustable tuners
• Bridge & Tailpiece: Replaced Gotoh gold GE103B bridge and original gold tailpiece
• Pickups: Original gold covered Aria Matsumoku made PAT PEND NO. 027899 pickups (with USA ceramic magnets)
• Neck Pickup Resistance: 8.01K ohm
• Bridge Pickup Resistance: 8.07K ohm
• Pots: Original 500K pots (no date codes)
• Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky 10-46 strings - E Standard tuning
• Weight: 9.60lbs
• Non Original Parts: Gotoh GE103B bridge (appears to be old)
• Case: Original yellow interior vintage Les Paul case
• Truss Rod: Works as expected

In 1977 Aria started making their solid top Les Paul models (Standard and Custom). 1977 was a big year for Aria, their lineup grew significantly, and in my opinion, this is when they made some of their best guitars (some of the best I've owned).

In 1977, Aria had 3 lines for their LC (Les Paul Custom) models - the Limited Line, the Custom Order Line, and the Regular Line. The LC-800 was the top spec Les Paul Custom model in the Regular line, and had nearly the same specs as the Custom Order LC-1000. It features a solid 3 piece maple top, on a a proper pancake mahogany body (mahogany with a piece of maple "pancaked" between it), with a 3 piece maple neck with long Matsumoku neck tenon, ebony fingerboard, with fret edge binding (fret nibs) and real mother of pearl block inlays, split diamond mother of pearl headstock inlay, 2 screw truss rod cover, multi-ply binding all around, and gold hardware. This version of the LC-800 was only available in 1977.

I'm a big fan of vintage MIJ Les Paul Customs, and I'm always on the hunt for them. To find one with a real ebony fingerboard, mother of pearl inlays, and fret edge binding is rare, and was usually only reserved for the top tier models for only a few years from Aria, Greco, Tokai and Navigator, so this LC-800 is in a rare group of customs.

It's common to see LC-500's and LC-550's from the 70', but it's pretty rare to see an LC-800 or higher.

Other than the replaced Gotoh GE103B bridge, which appears to be older based on the amount of wear, everything else appears original on this guitar, including the pickups, tailpiece, knobs, pointers, pickup rings, strap buttons, switch, switch tip, poker chip, torque adjustable tuners, bone nut, vintage narrow frets, inlays, truss rod cover, jack and jack plate, control & switch covers.

This particular guitar suffers from what a lot of MIJ Les Paul Customs from this era suffer from - crumbling binding or binding rot. This happens when the celluloid binding breaks down. It's very common to see this on old Gibson's, Gretsch's, and many of the vintage MIJ guitars - usually on models with the thicker binding like a custom has. Usually it only affects the outer thicker binding layer of the multi-ply binding. This one is only really on the top of the body - the back of the body, neck, and headstock don't appear to have any issues with binding rot.

This guitar is in fair player's grade condition, and has typical minor dings, dents, chips, and scratches on it, but nothing unexpected for its age. The black pickup rings and back covers have typical scratches on them.

The original PAT PEND NO. 027899 pickups are big, bright and clear sounding. They don't have a model number in the 1977 catalog, they are simply referenced as having USA magnets. I have these pickups in a couple other Aria guitars I own, and have examined and compared them. The bobbins are the Matsumoku (Aria) T Top double black bobbins. They use an interesting construction method, with a thick USA made ceramic magnet down the centre of the pickup (like a DiMarzio Super Distortion) and some spacers on the treble side, while the low E and A string slugs are pushed in so that they are touching the baseplate (sometimes they are pushed in, sometimes not). So these were not simple pickups to make during that time. They are very clear and articulate sounding, and with the thick ceramic magnet, they have lots of output - the dynamic range of these pickups is significant and impressive. They sound great at full volume, but also clean up well when you turn down the volume pot.

When I compare these pickups to a typical PAF sounding Alnico pickup, these have much faster response, and can chug a little tighter. If you play a lot of legato licks these pickups will produce every note clearly. Through a high gain amp, they can get that classic hard rock and metal tone. Not as much low end as a Super Distortion, but that can be beneficial in many applications.

Like most Aria Les Paul's from this era, the neck is a relatively thin for a Les Paul, thanks in part to the strong 3 piece maple neck, and it has a comfortable carve, and a really nice jet black ebony fretboard.

The 22 vintage narrow frets have been played, and there's play wear across the neck, mostly on the unwound strings on frets 1-12, but there's lots of life left in them, and the guitar plays well up and down the neck.

Like all the guitars I sell, I test, thoroughly clean, and setup my guitars completely before I list them. Anything that is missing, damaged, or non original is mentioned in the listing.

I setup all my Gibson style guitars to Gibson factory specs - including neck relief, action, pickup height, intonation, and tailpiece height. So this guitar will be ready to play out of the box (after you tune it up - I ship my guitars with the strings loosened).

Comes with the original yellow interior vintage Les Paul hard case. This is likely the case that originally came with the guitar, although it's not a modern Les Paul case, so the headstock does touch the bottom of the case. It will be properly supported and packed for shipping. All of the latches and hinges are intact and working, but they all have various degrees of corrosion, pitting and rust. The tolex has some typical wear and tear with dings, stains, sticker ghosting, and minor tears, but overall it's in usable shape.

Overall, this is rare and classic guitar - it plays well, looks great (beyond the binding), is built to top tier specs, and sounds awesome. It's setup and ready to play.

If you're a player looking to rock out on a vintage MIJ Les Paul Custom, you won't want to miss this one.

CONDITION ------------

Overall it's in fair condition - mainly because of the binding rot.

I've tried to capture all of the flaws in the photos.

The binding along the entire top of the body is crumbling, with a couple cracks and areas where the binding is partially missing. The back of the body, the neck and the headstock are all fairing much better with no signs of binding rot.

There are a few dings, dents, scratches, chips, staining and swirling across the entire guitar, but nothing major given the age of the guitar.

The gold hardware, bridge, tailpiece, tuners, and screws, and especially the pickguard bracket, have varying degrees of corrosion, pitting, tarnish and slight rust on them, but most of them they do still have shine to them.

The tailpiece has a crack in it, but still works as expected. To keep it original, I left it as is on this guitar.

The bridge has been replaced (prior to me) with a gold Gotoh GE103B bridge. It's a high quality bridge with more intonation range than the original would have.

The writing on the poker chip around the switch is almost faded completely.

The 1st fret side dot is white.

The truss rod cover is original and works as expected, but is curling upwards.

The jack plate is original and works as expected, but it is slightly cracked.

Around the strap buttons there's strap marks/swirling.

A black light inspection shows no signs of a headstock, heel or any other repairs.

The frets have been played, and there's fret wear mainly on the unwound strings on frets 1-12, but overall there's lots of life left in the frets, and the guitar plays well up an down the entire fretboard.

The tuners are in good shape, and work as expected.

The truss rod works as expected, and moves in both directions.

The bridge screws and saddles all work fine, and the intonation has been set.

SHIPPING ------------  

Every shipment is expertly packed with great care and includes tracking, signature required on delivery, and full insurance coverage for both the purchase price and shipping.

Every guitar is fully wrapped in bubble wrap, in a cardboard box meant for guitars, with proper support inside. To reduce environmental impact, the packing material (paper, newsprint, gift wrap, bubble wrap, air packets, foam, carboard boxes and/or tube supports, etc...) used may be recycled.

Package dimensions are 118cm x 47cm x 17cm

Note: if you want an exact shipping quote, just send me a note with your postal/zip code, and I'll get a proper quote for your address. 

Note: If you're buying from outside of Canada, you as the Buyer may be required to pay import duties, tariffs, taxes and/or VAT upon delivery, depending on your location and the purchase price.

QUESTIONS ------------

Any questions? Want more photos or detailed shots? Measurements? Shoot me a message, and I'll be happy to answer them, or send more pics, or take any measurements you want/need.

Thanks for looking!