FML...thought the Gibsons had me set for life...FNGD

[CID Vicious]

Warning: if, like me, you were all kinds of locked down and set in stone with your axe sitcheeation, do yourself a favor, and don't play a Parker Fly for more than five minutes. Better yet, just go "oh, that's the weirdo guitar from high school" and leave it on the rack, and stick with a Paulalike or Stratoclone or Random Shredstick.

I've got two exceptional Gibsons that I love dearly. The Melody Maker with one piece Mahogany body that I played with The Seeds ain't ever going nowhere, and now will likely never even be altered.

And my SG-1 ain't going anywhere either, 20 years old IMO is the Magick Age where merely great guitars become outstanding. After thst there's little point at least now, Gibson's and thus everyone else's choice of old style tonewoods became thinner and thinner, couple years after my 03 Melody Maker, they were experimenting with pressure treated maple for a reason. But for now 90s guitars are cheap and right...

Thing sings, one of the better fretjobs I've played much less owned. 500T sounds great in it, 24 frets, burst finish. No slouch.

But I digress...

The Parkers are something special. Used to work at Hollywood GC, so the Vintage Room was my lunch break until the tyranny of the guitar floor onslaught overcame me, and I traded 60s SG Jrs and 70s Oranges for Martins and quiet. I know a good, great, & push yer Grammy down the stairs for one guitar.

Thankfully they're weird, so they're not $2000+ used like they should be.

Solves about every problem a live guitarist would face. Humidity defeated, fragility defeated, almost too light even coming from a single pickup SG. Do it all tremolo system, although there are late models with Floyds. Acoustic system fully integrated for those with a need for it. It'll never develop humps or curves in the neck, because carbon. Sounds great acoustically, because most of the structure is actually wood, the carbon composite is about as thick as an automotive paintjob.

I want a Mojo Fly and maybe a Single Cut. Trying to find out if the SC is Gibson scale or Fender, but the angles are shallow enough to where the Fly has a more Gibson-y feel as far as tension.

The guitar I played was an original 90s Fly, and while it doesn't do "smokey vintage" much, I didn't care. That's actually a good tone, lower lows at the same D tuning I always use through my standard GC test amp, a DSL100 half stack.

Oh, and like everyone I totally goobered the trem adjustment wheel and had it detuned while in floating mode, so likely these destroy the playability of my pro fret job sporting USA SG with one of my favorite neck carves *even more than it already did*. Think EBMM guitars, that kinda action is easily achived, just personally would back it off the fretboard a bit so chords sing properly when given a good Townsend style smack.

No other thin neck like this has done it for me in 13 years. Truly more than just a spec sheet. Lpoks all kinds of wrong on paper.

Now consider the 'thin hi finess' is from the acoustic pre that the mag pickups also go through. Bypass mod later...and stock, still nowhere near the type of EMG sheen that is a love hate affair.

The SC is even more in my ballpark. Thicker neck and a more standard hardware setup that can be replaced at Guitar Center (as though a Tone Pros TOM/Stop will ever fail) and a closer to tradition sihouette that really isn't any weirder than the "shred Pauls" I've seen going for the same or more money, with no design enhancements over "the real deal".

Might have to scrap the Project Car and go for getting one or possibly two axes that'll have me covered for live or studio use for life. Passing on a Stratoclone, Xavier LP with Floyd, & Fishmans for the Gibbys puts me within eBay score range, but just a little more and I can make GC cough up used examples until I find a keeper. Private sales could be easy, buyer's market.

At least a Parker won't puke a rod or get towed.

Kinda like aircooled Beetles, Miatas, non Harley bikes, Sushi and Tool, the Parkers are something I thought was dumb in high school, " for yuppies " whatever, but doesn't look so dumb now.

Four figure guitar? Hell I got two Gibson set necks, what fo I need that for, and I paid for two what many pay for one gnarfled Studio, right? Well ain't no Rondo Music clones of this, even the Parker import line has little to do with the USA models. Pony up or shut up.

Oh, & the acoustic thing, too, any Fly could put a Rainsong on the trailer for live use & maybe studio too.

Pardon the length - if I had a nickel... - but I'm a guitar tech and haven't had my head spun round by a playing experience in a minute...er, at least a decade, probably more. Played a $7500 VDrum kit, top shelf Squire VM P into the new all tube Portaflex, and a MIJ Fernandes Paul copy with Floyd and Sustainer System into a Friedman Brown Eye before giving the Parker a "meh, why not...right?" rundown. So...yeah, not like I went from a First Act/Vyper or something beforehand. Was beginning to gas for the Monterey, love the Sustainer, half the price, & now meh who cares :-)

Flabberfuckinggasted...like shopping for old MR2s and finding for maybe twice the price you could pick up a new Alfa Romeo carbon fiber micro Ferrari, because Slash didn't drive an Alfa in the 80s!

I swear, some asshole Jack White type makes these popular before I grab mine, I'll clip the fucker's nuts!

[black]

Came for the Parker sermon.
Stayed for the potential nut clipping.


Good review CID-V.
Appreciate it.

[Danny G]

That was a very long post. And I couldn't stop reading

I'll have to check them out.

I sometimes wake in horror at the thought that late 70s MIJ Ibanez Icemen become popular. I'd like another before the rest of the world realizes there are less than 1000 in existence. And the previous jackass owner of mine installed coil tap switches.


Sent from a can on some string using Tapatalk

[RacerX]

Adrian Belew knows what those Parker Flys are about.

[CID Vicious]

Adrian Belew knows what those Parker Flys are about.

Oh, fuuuck yeah, & you totally are not helping!

I ended up getting introduced to one of my favorite drummers, & we're recording in a few weeks. Parker lust has been chased away by an awesome form of "meathook reality."

Still...damn, read my sermon & even I was moved! Parker, send me one, I write great copy!