Aria ProII history
The History of Aria Pro II | The Trajectory of Japanese Vintage that Created the PE Series
Are you familiar with the brand Aria Pro II? If you're a fan of Japanese vintage guitars, you're probably familiar with this brand, but younger generations might not be so familiar with it.
I myselfTCGAKKITo be honest, I didn't know much about Aria Pro II before I started working there. However, as I researched original Japanese vintage models, I often came across the Aria Pro II PE model, along with Yamaha's SG and Greco's GO. And when I actually picked up a PE and played it, I realized it had a unique charm that was different from the SG and GO.
I want more people to know about PE! I've come to feel a strong desire for more people to know about Aria Pro II. So, this time, I'll delve into the history of Aria Pro II and the appeal of the original model.
It all started with the classical guitar.
~The early days of Arai Trading~
Aria Pro II is a brand established by Arai Trading Co., Ltd. Arai Trading is a company that still supports the Japanese guitar market, handling the import, export, and wholesale of musical instruments.
The history of Arai Trading dates back to the 1950s. The founder, Shiro Arai, was originally a classical guitar enthusiast and at one point aspired to become a professional musician. Although he gave up on his dream of becoming a professional, his passion for the guitar never faded, and around 1954 he began importing sheet music and classical guitars for his own use.
Back then, most music stores didn't even stock guitars, sheet music, or strings. It's said that the instruments and accessories Mr. Arai imported were highly sought after by his fellow guitarists. (It was also Mr. Arai who first imported Augustine nylon strings, which are still used by guitarists worldwide today, into Japan.)
Responding to requests from all over the country saying, "I want you to stock up on our products too," Arai Shoten Trading Department was established in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture in 1955. The following year, in 1956, it was reorganized into Arai Trading Co., Ltd., and its history truly began.
The challenge of improving quality stemmed from differences with overseas markets.
While we were importing guitars, we were also exporting Japanese-made guitars, but we ran into a major obstacle. In particular, the climate in the United States is very different from that of Japan, and exported guitars often suffered serious damage there.
"We must improve the quality of Japanese-made guitars."
With this resolve, Mr. Arai visited guitar manufacturers in Nagoya, explaining the importance of wood drying. He also took Japanese-made classical guitars to the United States to investigate the process by which cracks began to appear after two to three weeks. He fed these findings back to the manufacturers, making a significant contribution to improving the quality of Japanese-made guitars.
Around this time, Arai Trading's own brand of classical guitars, "Aria," began to appear.
Is the brand name an anagram? The story behind the birth of "Aria"
So, how did Arai Trading's own brand get launched? Why was it named Aria?
It was an anagram (a wordplay involving rearranging letters) of the founder Arai's surname, swapping the letters "i" and "a". Furthermore, the resulting word "Aria" had the meaning of "aria" in musical terminology, which was a major reason for choosing this brand name.
The electric guitar boom and the encounter with "Matsumoku"
In the early 1960s, Japan experienced its first electric guitar boom. Demand for solid-body guitars such as Guyatone and Teisco exploded. However, Arai Trading quickly sensed the signs of the electric guitar boom rapidly declining in overseas markets and turned its attention to Group Sounds (GS), which were showing signs of becoming the next big trend.
Due to the high demand for semi-acoustic guitars in the GS market, Arai Trading quickly shifted its focus to the manufacture of semi-acoustic guitars.
At this time, they formed a partnership with Matsumoto Woodworking Co., Ltd., later known as Matsumoku Industries, located in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. Matsumoku was manufacturing guitars as a subcontractor for Fujigen (now Fujigen), but they had a strong desire to "create their own guitars." The aspirations of Arai Trading and Matsumoku aligned, and the development of their original electric guitar began.
The semi-acoustic guitar that was created in this way was given the brand name "Aria Diamond."
The Untold Story of the "Arai Diamond" Era
Actually, for several years starting around 1967, Aria Diamond was sold under the name "Arai Diamond." This was because Kawai Musical Instruments already held the trademark rights for the "Aria" keyboard. Later, Aria acquired the trademark rights from Kawai Musical Instruments, allowing them to use the name "Aria" again. It's fascinating to think that if this hadn't happened, the brand name might still be "Arai" today.
Awareness of originality
~Breaking away from copycat models~
In 1968, Mr. Arai visited a guitar show in America and was struck by the reissue Les Paul that Gibson had unveiled. At the time, the Les Paul shape had been discontinued, and it was the first time Mr. Arai had ever seen it.
Inspired by the Les Paul style, Mr. Arai attempted to manufacture Les Paul-type guitars in Japan. However, realizing that simply replicating them would result in mere copies, he equipped them with original pickups featuring blade-type pole pieces before selling them.
However, this model didn't sell at all. In Japan around 1969, there were still few authentic copy models, and models with added originality were even less likely to be accepted by the market.
As the 1970s began and the number of domestically produced copy models increased, patent issues arose. While each company responded by changing the head shape, Aria and Yamaha became strongly determined to "break away from copy models and pursue original models."
Why "II"? Renaming to Aria Pro II
In 1975, at a musical instrument fair, Aria exhibited a new guitar manufactured by Matsumoku under the brand name "Aria Pro II." This marked the beginning of the Aria Pro II.
This name change came about when Aria's American distributor suggested they "slightly change the brand name." They added "Pro," meaning "Professional," and chose "II" instead of "I" for a better sound, thus creating "Aria Pro II."
The birth of the masterpiece "PE"
Even today, Fender and Gibson are the undisputed names when it comes to electric guitars, and Japanese brands at the time felt the same way.
Aiming to break away from copycat models, Arai Trading's Aria Pro II has developed an original model with great care: the "PE (Pro Electric)".
The PE line was designed by Nobuaki Hayashi, a legendary builder who later founded his own brand, "Atlansia." Hayashi worked at Matsumoku from 1963, and developed the PE line shortly before leaving the company.
Initially, Mr. Hayashi felt it would be difficult to completely break away from the two giants, the Les Paul and the Stratocaster. Therefore, he arrived at the idea of incorporating the strengths of both while adding a completely new and original touch.
Thus, the "PE" series was born, featuring a unique single-cutaway body with an arched top and back. In 1977, the series' flagship model, the "PE-1500," was released. It was featured in a special section called "Prototype Line" in the catalog at the time, even gracing the cover, demonstrating the brand's extraordinary expectations for the PE series.
It's not just PE! The rise of original models
Following the success of the PE series, Aria Pro II continued to release a series of distinctive original models. In 1979, they released the "RS (Revolution Sound)" and "TS (Tri Sound)" series, and in 1981, the cost-effective "CS (Cardinal Series)" series. These models were just as distinctive as the PE series, and are all masterpieces that reflect Aria Pro II's dedication and adventurous spirit.
So, from here on, I'll introduce some of the fascinating original models that Aria Pro II has created!
one thing:While I've actively shared the appeal of PE through articles and videos in the past, I haven't delved deeply into the other original models.
In writing this column, as I researched the original models that appeared later than the PE series, I was deeply impressed by the trial and error and passion of Aria's craftsmen, who, while building upon the techniques cultivated through creating copy models, sought to establish their own unique identity.
While Aria Pro II is strongly associated with PE lines, I hope this column will encourage you to also appreciate the excellence of their other original models.
Author of this article:Nihei (TCGAKKI (Electric guitarist)
I learned about the guitar through the manga "BECK" when I was in junior high school, and was influenced by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana, which awakened my passion for rock music.
I graduated from a vocational school specializing in guitar making.TCGAKKIAcoustic floor,TCGAKKIShe previously worked as a staff member at Premium Guitar Lounge. Currently, she is in charge of electric guitars, actively spreading her love for the instrument through column writing, YouTube appearances, and other means.
Qualifications and experience: 8 years of experience as a musical instrument appraiser
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