First, a disclaimer: This review is for a condition 4 used unit, reviewed AFTER it was fixed and returned to very playable condition. When it came, it was in like-new condition, no wear or breaks or bumps or nicks found, plastic sheets still covering the pickguard and pickups, came with its accessories, and (gasp!) aria manual. The problem was its neck had a bad arch. after a few truss rod adjustments, it bowed back to a nicely playable state.

The tobacco sunburst color was nicely done (smooth transition from dark brown to the natural color of the alder body), and the gloss finish looked impeccable. Even the headstock had the sunburst feature! Maybe its just a cost cutting feature, but the Aria Diamond brand name was on a plastic logo held by two screws, NOT painted or silkscreened. Even had a faux-diamond stone on it. At first glance the neck looked beefy at the neck pocket, but the length had a medium feel - not too thin, and not baseball bat-ish. I have relatively big hands, this felt right for me. Definitely NOT a shredder's delight.

Watch out - the frets are sharp! OUCH! This is what brings down its playability for me. Theres simply NO excuse for bad fret jobs like this for its current price. im a guitar tech, so it was a simple fret-filing case. If i hadnt gotten it for cheap, id have sent it back. Ive had guitars costing less brand new that had smoother frets. They should also issue owners a license to carry something THIS sharp...

It's tone? no, make that - IT'S TONE! P-90 goodness! I did some research, but i cant determine if these are ceramic or alnico magnets. My guess is its the former, but it didnt diminish its sound - it still rang nicely in clean tones, and had a chiming crunch when the amp is overdriven. For the record, i tested it on a valve jr head with a valve jr 12" cab (stock), a blues custom 30 with 2x12's, and a 70's Fender Bassman 10 (with 4x10's). In each of the amps the P-90 sound is there! A cap change in its tone control, and this pretty much rounds up my tone collection...

Other things i can point out are its tone controls - 2 bell-shaped black knobs that in my opinion are set TOO close together. For fat-fingered fellows like me, its a bit of a finger-tiptoeing to turn the knobs. Its relatively light in my opinion. It does have a decent balance, given its odd shape. The neck' satin finish is a joy to play on. The only thing out of place is its 2-fulcrum whammy bar. Not sure what made them decide on this, but it stick out like a sore thumb to me. A bigsby, or even a stop bar tailpiece would have been better...

All in all? This Aria mosrite copy evokes a very distinct retro feel. the shape and even the contours are almost an exact copy of the guitars it ALSO copied back in the lat 60's. But its very poor fret job makes it too prohibitive to its playability, and the only shredding you can do are on the flesh cuts on your fingers. Tone-wise, the P-90's are as authentic as they can get, lots of that chiming growl, as i call it. I LOVE IT! After a fret job, this guitar WILL show its potential right away.