Question Time: Parker Fly

I thought it might be fun to write a series of posts about things I like and dislike about particular guitars that I own. It would be fun for me (once I get over the cringiness) to read this in the future and find out how much of this actually applies and if things have changed.

The way I've decided to do it is to answer a standard set of questions for each guitar and I'll link the relevant blog post to that guitar's page.

So, first up...the Parker Fly. Let's get started:

What's the story of this guitar? When did you get it?

I have clear memories of how I GASed over this guitar and how I got it. I remember the ad in a guitar magazine...it was this one:

I even vividly remember WHERE I saw/read it for the first time and I probably revisited that page hundreds after reading that issue. This would have been in the late nineties or early 2000s. Great times...

Well I must have been extremely annoying because somehow my VERY supportive parents relented and purchased it from the US for me. In hindsight, this was such a big and generous act and I genuinely mean it when I call them supportive. They certainly were careful not to completely spoil me but they did have moments where they have indulged me, for sure.

What do you love about this guitar?

We'll start with the looks...there's just something about the aesthetics that appeals to me. It is a departure from tradition, for sure, and this is even more apparent when you're holding it.

I also loved the fact that it was a new design utilising new technology, at least in the guitar building space at the time. The carbon fibre exoskeleton, the tremolo system, frets, and onboard electronics were all new designs. I love tech and people pushing boundaries and I guess I am a little enamoured by those qualities within the design. However I also learned a valuable lesson on this subject, which we will get into later...

I'll try and describe the tone - from the magnetic pickups I would say that if you're expecting a thin sound to match that thin body, you would be surprised. It can sound mid-rangey and pleasant - those pickups are quite versatile. One thing that does come to mind is the humbucker doesn't really sound "smeary"....there's note separation that is more evident here compared to say a Les Paul. Not sure if that's because of the pickups or the string spacing.

The piezos sound good but I do not use them a lot. They sound like...well, what piezos always do. I've heard FAR worse, and it DOES sound like an acoustic guitar...if that acoustic guitar was equipped with piezos :) It's a resonant guitar so that might be why it does a semi convincing job on piezos.

What do you dislike about this guitar?

Unlike the "what do you like" section, I can get specific here.

One lesson I learned was whenever you buy into something that departs from convention - be prepared to come into problems when it comes to maintenance. If you're prepared to spend money or time to maintain, then you won't be bit too hard...but if you're going into this all bushy tailed and thinking that boundary pushing designs solve all the problems - well you'll be disappointed (unless said design becomes common in the industry). This lesson is something that has shaped my purchasing habits since. I always think about how difficult it would be to repair or replace a part (assuming it's a big enough purchase).

There are a few examples:

1. Those pots and switches are connected to the main PCB using ribbon cables. These can and probably will tear at some point...and at that point you won't be able to source replacements so you may have to rewire the whole thing.

2. The frets on a Parker are unlike any other guitar. Firstly they are a very hard Stainless Steel, which is not so unique these days but they are also tang-less. They are not seated in the traditional way because of the carbon fibre fretboard. They are glued on to the board, and glue can quite easily fail depending on heat and humidity. When that happens, you'll have to reglue your fret (assuming you still have it) and you may have to level it. ALL frets have a shelf life, regardless of whether or not they are Stainless Steel...and given enough cycles of falling off and levelling, they will keep getting shorter. Once they are too short - how do you get more? You can't purchase more from Parker and there are NO alternatives.

3. The tremolo system is also VERY unique in that it does not use springs but rather bent steel plates. As with anything, wear and tear will take hold and when it fails, there is a potential that it could be a catastrophic failure - what I mean by that is it may blow a literal hole in your guitar! Fun! Even if it fails gracefully though, we run back into the problem of where do you get a replacement? Currently these "springs" are being sold for ridiculous prices on places like Reverb.

4. The pickups are not standard. They don't sit on standard baseplates, and they are not mounted in any standard way. Can you get other pickups to fit? Probably, but not without modifications.

So, that is by far my biggest problem with the Fly.

Some other minor issues - the top horn will dig into your chest if the guitar rests on your right leg (as a right hander). The most comfortable way to play this guitar sitting down is for it to rest on your left thigh.

The guitar is also probably needlessly complicated as far as available control options. I don't think the piezo and the mix knob was needed (my opinion). You can also use the a stereo Y cable to output both the Piezo and Magnetic outputs to different amps. Because of the onboard piezos there's an extra knob and switch...but I guess it's all personal preference, it's a bit unnecessary IMO. More stuff that can fail.

What are the upgrades that you have done and have they made any difference?

No upgrades. When I brought it to a luthier ONE time, I consented to him reshaping the nut, but that was not really an upgrade, I don't consider it one anyway.

What are the upgrades that you might do?

I doubt very much that I will ever upgrade this guitar. There is the problem that it's super difficult to upgrade (what would be the upgraded parts?), but also because this guitar is very precious to me - all guitars that are gifts (especially from my parents) are in this category - and I'd like to preserve this one as it is.

Any advice for anyone purchasing this guitar?

Don't?

Jokes - well my advice would be to do your research and really understand all the parts of the guitar and how that may fail. Be prepared for them to fail and to be faced with issues getting replacements.

There's recently been some progress with parts - there's is a project called FlyClone (https://flyclone.com/) that aims to reproduce replacement and even upgrade parts for a reasonable price. They have yet to release anything but there are a lot of Parker Fly owners with their fingers crossed - mine included!

My second piece of advice would be to play it first if you can. It feels like no other guitar in your hands, it responds differently and also its string spacing feels very different to me than my other guitars.