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-   -   Anyone know what this guitar is? "Ariel" (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=341691)

nadiwhe 05-16-2014 01:51 AM

Anyone know what this guitar is? "Ariel"
 
Hello!

I was recently handed down this instrument from my great-uncle after he moved out of the country, and I would like to know more about it.
I did some googlin' (in-depth, I know) and I found a person wondering about the same type of guitar here:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=309759

The guitar has a tag inside that says "Ariel Guitars - Made in Japan". I apologize for the image-heavy post!

http://i.imgur.com/Ybo8hwk.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/yqZ726s.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/brF5jZH.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/ErUEwfY.jpg?1

I am debating if it is worth fixing it up and taking it to college with me.

Thanks in advance!

Brucebubs 05-16-2014 05:13 AM

Don`t know anything about your guitar but it might be fun to put a decent set of tuners (try and find replacements that fit existing holes-always looks neater in the long run) on it and maybe have a set-up done with a new bone nut, saddle and bridge pins, throw on some new strings. Might be OK?

Oldguy64 05-16-2014 06:02 AM

No real info, but it appears to be a 1960's MIJ acoustic.
Many were made inexpensively, but well.
You will find that there were hundreds of names, and probably two thirds of those names have been "orphaned".

Woodde 05-16-2014 03:58 PM

I was doing a little research and came across this post:

http://www.guitarsite.com/database/G...ages/430.shtml


someone posted at this link saying the company changed their name to Aria, and guitars with that name that have a model number and no serial number are all guitars manufactured before 1974. Hope this helps you out some.

PTC Bernie 05-16-2014 05:59 PM

Aria vs Ariel
 
Aria started out as "Arai and Co." in the 50's when Shiro Arai founded the company. The only change that I'm aware of is the change to "Aria" which was easier for the western ear and had a logical musical connection.

I don't think they ever manufactured under the name "Ariel" but there were countless mid level guitars made in Japan in that time frame by an equally countless number of companies under whatever name they could get a contract for.

Hope that helps.

jseth 05-16-2014 07:59 PM

Sure, Ariel has been around for quite some time, making inexpensive copies of various "tried and true" designs, both electric and acoustic. I always got them confused with Aria!

It is certainly worth cleaning up and re-stringing... I'd suggest using some 0000 steel wool and lightly (!) buffing both the fret board and the fret wire, always going with the grain of the wood on the fretboard so as not to leave scratch marks...

Adjust the truss rod (if you don't know how, google it! It isn't rocket science...) and throw a new set of strings on it, and you're good to go! The tuning machines may be a little funky, but if they work, they are good enough to begin with... you can always find a used set of tuning machines for not much $$...

nadiwhe 05-16-2014 09:47 PM

Thank you very much everyone! I'll see if I can fix it up myself...I've never really done any work but I will carefully research before I try anything.

Fatstrat 05-17-2014 12:49 AM

Lots of unanswered questions to my mind. Was this a guitar your relative actively played? Whats the "action" like? (IE: Height of strings off of neck at 12th fret). Is the neck straight? Is the top bowed? Any cracks?
Alot of old acoustics that get found in closets after decades of non use are damaged to the point that repair far exceeds value. But sometimes they are OK too. If you aren't experienced with guitars, you should have someone who is have a look at it before you spend any $ on it.
I used to go to estate auctions. And I have seen people bid lots of $ on guitars that IMO were total unplayable junk.

frankhond 05-17-2014 04:06 AM

I found this ad for an Ariel claiming it was made by "the great makers Matsumoto".

http://vintagemartinguitar.net/vinta...strings-2/4437

Fatstrat 05-17-2014 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankhond (Post 3958331)
I found this ad for an Ariel claiming it was made by "the great makers Matsumoto".

http://vintagemartinguitar.net/vinta...strings-2/4437

OMG, Unbelievable! That's Hattori Hanzo's brother in law. Greatness runs in the family!

intahipp 04-18-2015 11:44 PM

I have an Ariel guitar. The label says Ariel Model TG006R by Takamine. It's a 1970's nylon-stringed classical guitar. The “R” stands for rosewood. This a rosewood version, made in Japan.

Jerry D 04-18-2015 11:52 PM

How in God's name did you find a thread that's 11 months old, and why did you reopen it?

Westy 04-22-2015 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry D (Post 4458224)
How in God's name did you find a thread that's 11 months old, and why did you reopen it?

Easy they were probably searching the Internet for information on their recent acquisition and found their way to the AGF. Or used the search function which is sometimes the advice given for new members with questions.

perttime 04-22-2015 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry D (Post 4458224)
why did you reopen it?

To add relevant information on the subject?

Is that bad?

David M123 04-22-2015 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perttime (Post 4462483)
To add relevant information on the subject?

Is that bad?

Yes!!! it is horrible, heinous and horrific. Don't ever do that again! The thread police are on their way to arrest you and toss you in the hoosegow!:wink:

Seriously - there doesn't seem to be a correct way to deal with this. Many people will rail against the re-opening of zombie threads. Others rail against people starting new threads on previously disussed topics. And i would bet that if you did a Venn diagram, you would find a significant overlap between those two groups. About the only thing that is safe around here sometimes is just not posting.

Personally, I'm good with either approach. I just want to talk about guitars.

My advice is post what you want and if others don't want to play, they don't have to. Let them stew in their own juices.

I do find it interesting that there seems to be a spate of threads and interest about Ariel guitars lately. I hadn't heard of them before. I'm now curious what they are like.

Dave


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