Video: CLIFF BURTON Signature Bass Guitar Officially Launched At NAMM

The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass was officially launched at Winter NAMM in Anaheim, California on January 24-27 in the Aria Guitars booth, Hall E, Booth #1548. Cliff Burton's father, Ray Burton, officially introduced the guitar on January 25 at the Aria Guitars booth and was available to sign autographs for dealers and METALLICA fans.

Video footage of the launch, as well as a clip of MEGADETH's David Ellefson talking about the bass, can be seen below.

The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass has been a year in the making and was made with the authorization of the Cliff Burton family and METALLICA. Cliff Burton was the bassist for METALLICA for their first three albums, "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning" and "Master Of Puppets".

The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass is a replica of the Black 'n Gold I bass that Cliff played. Painstaking attention to detail was taken to build a tribute bass. It has a 7-ply maple/walnut neck with a neck-through, heel-less neck design. It has the same headstock with the patent statement on the front and Cliff Burton's authorized signature on the back of the headstock. Each of the tuners are handcrafted out of brass and gold-plated and the 40mm nut is made of brass. The neck has a 34-inch scale with 24 frets. The fretboard is made of rosewood with cat eye and mother of pearl inlays.

The body is the original SB shape and made of alder. The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass is loaded with an Aria MB-V passive pickup. It has a single tone and volume control with a dual sound mini-toggle switch. The bridge is solid brass with gold plated saddles. The bass will ship inside of a deluxe ostrich hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity signed by Ray Burton. Both players and collectors alike will desire this unique bass guitar.

When the new Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass was presented to Cliff's father, Ray Burton, he stated: "What a beautiful instrument and a wonderful tribute to Cliff. The first year Cliff was with METALLICA he played a Rickenbacker guitar that he purchased in 1982. He loved his guitar, but he did not feel it was a strong enough instrument to withstand the rugged treatment of the daily rigors of heavy metal touring. Early in 1984, Cliff was treated to an Aria Pro II bass guitar. He really liked it and therefore did not seek any other bass to play. He told me it was strong and ideal to play. I never heard a discouraging word about his Aria bass guitars. To give testament to his preference, he had several of them at the time of his death."

The Aria Pro II Cliff Burton Signature Bass will be available through authorized Aria dealers in the United States and throughout the world. North America dealers can contact Jim Chen of Audio Images in San Francisco, California at 415-957-9131 for more details.

Specifications:

* Headstock: Original SB Design
* Neck Shape: Standard, Medium
* Neck: 7 Ply Maple/Walnut
* Neck Joint: Neck-through, Heel-less Cutaway
* Tuners: Handmade Solid Brass Tuner Buttons, 24 K Gold Plated
* Nut: 40mm Width Solid Brass
* Truss rod Cover: Solid Brass
* Headstock Front Inlays: Patent Statement
* Headstock Back Inlay: Cliff Burton Authorized Signature

* Fretboard Scale: 34" or 864mm
* Frets: 24 Frets
* Fretboard: Rosewood
* Fretboard Inlays: Cat Eye, Mother of Pearl Inlays

* Body Shape: Original SB Shape, Super Balanced Body
* Body Material: Alder
* Pickup: Aria MB-V Passive Pickup
* Controls: 1xVolume, 1xTone, 1-Dual Sound Mini-Toggle Switch
* Knobs: Black SB Knobs
* Tailpiece: Solid Brass With 24K Gold Plated Saddles and Black Plated Body
* Strap Pins: 18K Gold Plated Solid Brass
* Strings: Rotosound RS66LB (35, 55, 70, 90)
* Certificate: Certificate of Authenticity Signed by Ray Burton and Toshi Matsumura
* Case: Deluxe Ostrich Hardshell Case With Gold Hardware