Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
By reissuing the Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass, Aria Guitars of Japan will commemorate 40 years since the death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, as per Blabbermouth. The unique model “honors Cliff Burton’s groundbreaking tone and legacy” but is “created for a new generation of players,” according to a social media post from Aria. It will make its premiere at this weekend’s NAMM convention in Anaheim, California.
The public will be able to purchase the Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass—SB-CLB—in the spring.
With permission from Metallica and the Cliff Burton family, the original Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass was made available in January 2013. For Metallica’s first three albums, “Kill ‘Em All,” “Ride The Lightning,” and “Master of Puppets,” Cliff Burton served as bassist.
Cliff Burton’s Black ‘N Gold I bass was replicated in the Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass. A tribute bass was constructed with meticulous attention to detail. It had a neck-through, heel-less design with a seven-ply maple/walnut neck. It had the same headstock with Cliff Burton’s approved signature on the back and the patent statement on the front. The 40mm nut was made of brass, and each tuner was produced by hand from brass and gold-plated.
The neck included 24 frets on a 34-inch scale. Rosewood was used to make the fretboard, which has mother of pearl and cat eye inlays. The body was composed of alder and had the original SB shape. An Aria MB-V passive pickup was installed on the Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass. It had a dual sound mini-toggle switch with a single tone and volume control. The bridge had gold-plated saddles and was made of solid brass. The bass arrived with a Ray Burton-signed certificate of authenticity and a luxurious ostrich hardshell case.
