Aria 8R W-50-D, 1980 (Japan)

This 1980 Aria 8R W-50-D is a prime specimen from the golden era of Japanese luthiery, built to go toe-to-toe with the big American names, and it shows. The solid spruce top has had over 45 years to dry out and open up, giving it a massive, mature, booming dreadnought projection paired with crisp, bell-like highs you just can't get from a brand-new guitar.
 
Visually, it's a gorgeous nod to the Martin D-45 style, with deluxe, hand-laid details throughout. The 3-piece Makassar ebony back and sides are highly figured, giving the guitar a striking two-tone look. As a dense, hard tonewood, it also lends a lightning-fast note definition and a deep, complex low end to match the spruce top's projection. A mahogany neck with shimmering hexagon block fret markers is capped with a premium ebony fingerboard and matching ebony bridge. It's framed in elegant cream binding along the body, fretboard, and headstock, with abalone-style cell purfling just inside the body edge and a matching soundhole rosette.
 
Between the back and sides, fingerboard, and bridge, there's a serious amount of ebony on this guitar — a good example of just how far Japanese builders pushed the spec sheet during this golden era.
 
This one shows absolutely no signs of fretwear. The frets are full, level, and shiny, so it plays like a dream with zero buzzing right up the neck.
 
Features
Model: Aria 8R W-50-D
Body: Dreadnought, solid spruce top, 3-piece Makassar ebony back and sides
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Ebony, abalone hexagon block inlays, 21 frets
Bridge: Ebony
Tuners: Chrome
Binding: Cream, body, fretboard, and headstock
Purfling: Abalone-style cell purfling and matching soundhole rosette
Finish: Natural
Made in: Japan
Year: 1980
Serial: 012954
Case: Original hard shell case
 
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See also our other vintage Japanese acoustics: Morris TF-60 (1981), Morris LF-5 (1980)
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