Wilson Brothers' Ventures

[raygun85]

[/quote]We getcha but the zero fret is always a cool feature contributing to low action playing.[/quote]

Ditto. Another upside to a zero fret is that it can give you a more consistent tone when playing open chords and open notes since the strings are resting on fret material, the same as when you make bar chords. Though, IMHO, I believe it also contributes to issues with tuning stability. I've talked to a lot of players on both sides of that issue.

As for Wilson Bros, to the best of my knowledge they are not manufactured by Aria at all - ONLY the expensive "Ventures Custom Models" or "VCMs" are made directly in Aria's factories in Japan. Instead they are outsourced to a factory in Korea known as SPG Musical Instruments who, in turn, manufacture many major brands as well as guitars in the boutique market. (e.g. Schecter, ESP...etc...or Hallmark, Dillion, Eastwood - though I'm not entirely sure about the latter two.)

As for the quality of Wilson Bros guitars I think they are great little axes, though they could stand for improvements. Such as the VM-65 models having a wide 1-11/16" nut, or the fact that the fretboard and bridge on the VM-110 models are mismatched (i.e. fretboards = 9.5" radius; bridges = 14" radius). But in it's price range, the VM-110 blows the Classic Player Jazzmaster out of the water, hand's down. I don't know how they compare to Hallmark but I think that may be like comparing apples to oranges.

[jfine]

raygun--having owned a Wilson Bros. Aria-made Japanese VCM model and currently owning a Hallmark 60 Custom, I'll try to shed some light on them. The overall workmanship on the Wilson Bros. was a bit better than on the 60 Custom, but that's down to the difference between Japanese and Korean craftsmanship (not a huge difference between them, actually). The Surf Pearl finish on my 60 Custom shows a few sanding marks under the finish, on the back where they don't show, luckily, whereas the Candy Apple Red on the Wilson Bros. was virtually flawless. The neck on the Wilson Bros. was a little bit wider than the Hallmark's, and felt a bit better to me, but the Hallmark is still very playable. Tonally, the Wilson Bros. was brighter--it had the best-sounding P-90's in it that I'd ever heard--made in Japan, but not available separately, and the Korean Wilson Bros. don't use those pickups. The Hallmark is a little darker, and sounds more like a Mosrite than the Wilson Bros. VCM did. The biggest problem I had with the Wilson Bros. (and it was a deal-breaker) was a design flaw. The Jazzmaster tremolo never worked properly, and there wasn't enough room to install a Buzz-Stop, so I had to send the guitar back. The Shade tremolo and roller bridge on the Hallmark is vastly superior to the Jazzmaster setup. I don't have the Wilson Bros. guitar anymore, and I still have the Hallmark, so that should tell you something!