In 1984, after 20 years of disappointment with in-house archtop designs, Fender went outside the company and enlisted James D’Aquisto to create a new Fender model.

D’Aquisto’s design hand was obvious in the massive ebony tailpiece and sleek pickguard shape, along with soundholes that had a traditional f-shape on one edge and D’Aquisto’s S-shape on the other. The large headstock was a refinement of Roger Rossmeisl’s design on the Fender LTD of the late 1960s.

Because the top was laminated, there was no pretense of equipping it with a floating pickup; the humbucker and control knobs were mounted directly into the top.

In 1994, a year before D’Aquisto’s death, Fender’s Custom Shop revived the original Fender D’Aquisto model in the form of the D’Aquisto Deluxe here. In 2002, Fender’s agreement with D’Aquisto’s estate ended and the name was licensed to Aria.