Members GreatDane Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 i have the good fortune to pick up a Parker Fly Deluxe for what i think is a fair price. having never played one and having zero access to one, what are your (educated) thoughts/opinions on them? things i'm particularly interested in are neck shape/carve (thin or full?), electronics quality, piezo quality/tone, issues/things to look out for. what you got? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ieso Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I had the $ to buy one but went with a NiteFly instead: The NF neck carve was deeper more like a vintage tele, Fly too thin for meThe NF frets are actually taller, fingertips were all over the Fly fretboardThe NF pups (Dimarzio) can be swapped out with other (better sounding) brands...maybe tough or impossible on the thin-bodied Fly -- I really dislike the factory (Dimarzio) pups. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pak066 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 ya, im still perplexed on how to get the pups out of one of those??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I have a Classic that I picked up many moons ago new for an incredible price of around $1100. But I've never found the tone to be "incredible" The action on mine is fantastic, the piezo bridge tone is very impressive and more acoustic sounding than I would expect. It also sounds quite good blended with the mag pickups. But the disappointment to me is the tone of the mag pickup modes. Just not that great at all. Mine is an earlier version with the DiMarzios. I'm in no hurry to sell it off, but wouldn't be in a hurry to buy another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I think they're fugly. People love them. I played a fly a while back and it just didn't fit me. And as already stated, thin neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tidal Rhythm Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I always hated the body shape of Parkers. Then I played one and found it to be one of the most playable guitars out there. The ideal compromise for me would be the dragonfly which has a body shape I actually like, but I don't have the $3,500 needed for such a purchase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lp_junkie Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I've never picked one up, but I instantly disliked them when they first came out. It's all about the shape to me, it's just not what I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 :love::love: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Herzomud Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I used to have a refined Fly deluxe. (revised Washburn owned version) The deluxe was poplar body and basswood neck with Dimarzio pickups. I loved the feel of the guitar but the sound is definitley unique and requires separate eq'ing from other guitars. The sound is very hifi After missing the feel for so long I bought a new refined Mojo which is mahogany neck and body with Semour Duncans. The guitar feels just like the deluxe, (supposed to be 1/2 lb heavier due to wood species). The sound is darker and brings it slightly closer to a typical superstrat sound but still unique frequencies are noticable and can require eq. but the best thing is that it is always easier to remove frequencies than add them If you are after a blank slate to create your own sound then it can be great, (takes effects really well). If you want a familiar "that sounds like a strat/LP" then forget it. The neck is thin but not Ibanez thin and would definitely say the frets are jumbo even on the fly. Much bigger than 6105's on my Schecter tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluffalo Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 they are fantastic. common complaints are about the pickups and difficulty in changing them the upper horn jabbing you in the chest (if you hunch over while sitting) control layout - pickup selector is kinda in a weird spot looks (i used to think it was ugly..... but now i love it) to look out for: paint cracks where the neck joins the body (its a set neck guitar remember) frets that look like theyve been glued back on by an amateur (glue on frets - may fall off if player sprays fretboard with fingerease or similar) brilliant features that make the guitar incredible: stainless steel frets that last forever. so smooth..... carbon fretboard, very smooth, clean it with water. light weight and perfectly balanced trem system is really clever piezo sounds are great and the guitar can output stereo. the heel - can reach way up to the highest frets easily comes with sperzel locking tuners and graphite nut standard buy it. i bought mine from overseas without ever seeing one and i love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I think they are brilliant designs and fine constructed instruments - love the looks of them and the necks and playability on the Niteflys. They weigh next to nothing which my back loves them for. The sound I never could bond with though I tried so I don't have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wimpy77 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 i would like one but they are too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members clay sails Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 *GAS ALERT* Please, do not post any more pictures in this thread. I'm still paying off my PRS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Fantastic guitars, might spoil you! I posted pics of mine a while back in a ngd thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreatDane Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 thanks, guys! what would be a good price for a used black Fly Deluxe? that thin neck situation is bugging me a little. i might pass; small necks tend to cramp my hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Loudness Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 What year is the Fly, GD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreatDane Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 What year is the Fly, GD? late 90s, i think. are there good years and bad years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Loudness Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 late 90s, i think. are there good years and bad years.Well, pre 1999, they had the original design DiMarzio humbuckers, called "Gen 1's". After this, and currently, they have the 2nd generation DiMarzio's, which are a little brighter sounding from my experience. Also, pre 2003, they had the four knob/balance wheel control setup, and after 2003, they had three control knobs, and no balance wheel on the front. A fair used price is anywhere from $800-$1300 depending on condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I played a Nite fly mojo (3000 dollar guitar) a few weeks ago at a shop. 1 piece honduran mahogany with seymour duncan pickups. The good....That carbon fiber fret board is amazing. LOVED the way it felt. The neck on that one wasn't super thin to me. The whole thing was a breeze to play. Felt really nice. Possibilities for sound were impressive and it's light as a feather with great balance. The bad.....It was lifeless. The body didn't resonate well at all. All the sound was straight from the pickups (which did sound great though) and it had no projection or snap to the notes. Now it may have been a dog of a piece of mahogany, but (and this might cause a {censored} storm here but whatever,) I think much of the problem was this thing being encased in a fairly thick poly. Either way, to me it's inexcusable on a guitar that expensive. I have 2 guitars around that price range and for sound, and projection, they just blow that parker out of the water. In short..it's kind of the type of expensive guitar that when people play it..makes them think that their mid or cheap guitars are comparable, (because they probably are) and therefore think expensive guitars aren't that great. I don't know. Perhaps it was a dog and they aren't all like that, but at that price point I personally don't believe dogs should exist. I'll play more if I get the chance but I give it an A+ for playability and a C + for sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I paid $2499 new (closeout from dealer). So a mid 90's model I would say around $1500 if its in good condition. One thing i dont like much about mine is the headstock makes it difficult to hang on wall hangers / hercules stands. they ship with a "bullwinkle" plastic thing that you can attach to hang, but its a little bit PITA and as such I don't bring this out to gigs all that much. here's a few pics of mine: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maltomario Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 by the way, it is possible to remove pickups - you unscrew the high E and the low E adjustment screws in the pickup and they slide out on rails. However, at least with the mojo's, the duncans sound REALLY GOOD and I would seriously reconsider. I've heard some folks being unhappy with the tone of the Dimarzio's in the older flys but YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndrewGG Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 I had an early one with the thumbwheel on the front. Fabulous, ergonomic design, the best functioning trem I ever came across but I couldn't get a sound I liked from it. The (then) non-replaceable (I couldn't find any shallow alternatives) pickups sounded harsh. A design classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crowguitar Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 Parkers= tinker toys for me.. Feels like Im playing a guitar hero plastic PS3 guitar. No tone, fretboard feels horrible, lifeless guitar. I've tried many models from the Top of the Line Adrian Belew to the P-44. I tried to like them, I really did. Some might dig 'em, but I dont understand how. I am intrigued by their Jazzbox PJ14 tho.. looks pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 They are absolutely fantastic guitars and among the most comfortable I've ever played... if you can get along with how they look. I had a diehard guitar buddy that was all about strats and had a couple Les Pauls and a Wolfgang. He got one of the highly figured Parkers several years ago and now they are inseparable. I'm a lot more picky about single coil tones than HB tones and I've yet to play a split bucker that sounded as good as a great neck strat pickup, but other than that, yeah... they are pretty much the best guitars you can buy in my opinion... but I HATE how they look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreatDane Posted March 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 thank you, guys! this one has the four knobs and wheel, so it sounds like it's one of the first versions. i wish i had access to one so i could try it first. oh, well. might have to take a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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