1990s Aria Pro II Custom Shop Gerry McGee Signature The Ventures SSH Superstrat, Trans Black w/ Seymour Duncan, Japan

Up for sale, a 1990s Aria Pro II Custom Shop Gerry McGee Signature model in near-mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This exceedingly rare Aria model was a premium, limited run model produced as a signature for the Ventures’ Gerry McGee, who easily ranks as one of the most influential figures in the world of Japanese guitar. After the closure of the Matsumoku factory in 1987 (and the subsequent relocation of the bulk of Aria production to the Samick factory in Korea), Aria’s remaining Japanese production capabilities were reserved for premium and limited edition models like this one, which features an SSH trio of factory-loaded Seymour Duncan pickups, active electronics, roller nut, and a two-point blade vibrato. This particular Gerry McGee signature was among the first 100 of these instruments produced (if production totals even exceeded 100 guitars), with sparingly few known to exist inside or outside of Japan.

A spin on Aria’s Magna Carved Top platform, this Gerry McGee Signature features a sleek, contoured ash body, maple neck, and slab rosewood fingerboard. The pickups comprise a Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB humbucker at the bridge with two SSL-1 single coils. Seymour Duncan’s most popular pickup of all time, the SH-4 JB is the original hot-rodded humbucker. It’s a high output pickup, delivering a rich, versatile tone, with full and powerful lows, crisp and detailed highs, and an upper-midrange bump that adds crunch and chunk to heavy chords and translates to a singing, vocal-like quality for melodic playing. The SSL-1s yield single coil sparkle and articulation, with a broad array of tones via the active Gain Boost knob and push/pull bridge coil tap. All three pickups were wound by the venerable “Queen of the SD Custom Shop,” Maricela Juarez, as identified by the “J” on the baseplate sticker. Juarez has wound pickups for artists including Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, George Harrison, and Slash, to name just a few. This Gerry McGee signature weighs 7lbs 6oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .775” 1st fret, .810” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood, 16” radius, dot inlay
-Frets: Jumbo, faint wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-2
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1 5/8”, brass roller
-Headstock: Ash veneer, “The Ventures” logo
-Tuners: Gotoh
-Serialization: VS-prefix stamp beyond 21st fret

Body Specs:

-Wood: Ash
-Pickups: Seymour Duncan JB, SSL-1 x2 (Maricela Juarez stickers on baseplates)
-Controls: Volume, Gain Boost, Tone, Five-way pickup selector
-Harness: Gain Boost powered by 9V battery
-Hardware: Two-point blade vibrato, dome-top knurled knobs

The gloss Trans Black finish highlights the grain of the ash body, with faint buckle rash central to the back and just a few small dings, largely relegated to the back and perimeter. The satin finish on the neck profile is smooth and clean.

A faux leather gigbag is included.