I have an Aria Hollowbody from the early 70s that I recently purchased as a refurbish project. Love the guitar. I think it may have been manufactured in the same place that Epiphone hollowbodies were built back then. Also, this was my first guitar as well... but I sold the previous one... was happy to find this and grab it a few months back.
Not exactly an Aria 'fan' but I have a ES175 copy from 1965. It's from their custom shop and it's made of cherry wood. It's a great sounding guitar but the camber on the neck is pretty extreme. It does not sound like an ES 175 enough but it has its own distinct vibe.
Got an Aria Pro II Black Semi-Hollow in the mid-80's too. I remember it as easy to play, super-smooth neck, but i got frustrated with the mics (at the time), i was looking for a stronger sound i guess. Long gone....
