Total Refurbish of Trashed Fly Deluxe

[mmmguitar]

It does almost seem like this Parker Fly Deluxe is Jinxed somehow...

I’m afraid it’s the nature of the beast. Though each Fly was built to last, an unfortunate consequence of some of the design quirks is that, once one falls into disrepair, it tends to go so far that specialist insight and effort are needed to revive it. While I hope this Fly becomes a family heirloom, I’d also be proud to own it, knowing the heroic effort that has been put in to refurbishing it.

On a similar note, does anyone know whatever became of the prototype Python Artist that a UK-based gentleman I won’t name cracked the neck of? He ghosted me and a few others he was discussing the guitar with, and I haven’t seen it pop up for resale or repair since he supposedly offloaded it.

[Fly Rod]

Thinking about the patch

Working on the $2 Router assembly, Note the one I made from goodies..

I picked that Dremel Router Base up @ Goodwill & Paid a Whopping $2 for it..
Have three Dremel Tools + another cordless one for Dog nail grooming..
Got a reverse spiral bit that goes in a Dremel that's similar to a router bit..

[vjmanzo]

Wow @Fly Rod; it’s all coming together! Nice!

$2 for a router—nobody beats your eye for spotting an opportunity!

[Fly Rod]

I had the Dremels & the router base showed it's head at the goodwill for $2.. DEAL of the Day..
Saw a .010" Spring on Reverb today for $169.. That's Just Crazy IMO..

[Fly Rod]

.009" SPRING FOUND FINALLY
Been looking for this spring for months now & finally it came to be today!!

Going out to the wood shop to uncover the table saw & cut a few scraps of padded flooring as a template for routing the Fly's face
Got an hour & 15 minutes till 9:00 when I shouldn't make noise outdoors with the power saw.
Can rout in my basement anytime, It's a Dremel after all..
Gary

[Fly Rod]

I posted this at the leaning post thread because it pertains to that topic..

I was looking the "Trashed" Fly Deluxe over really hard & know the tremolo spring had broken on it & that caused the trem to go FLYing forward & smack the body with the tension the strings have breaking the hole in the face of the guitar..
Have been looking this thread about "Stabilization Rings" which are sleeves put above the tremolo mounting posts to keep the assemblies from leaning forward.
After looking my Fly over I discover the frame is cracked on the Treble side all the way threw the post bushing area, So I removed that post to examine the fit & to get measurements on the stabilization rings which where delrin & used in the later FlY's from the factory, JFYI Ours is June 5th 2007 by the Serial # P0706055 BP USA & didn't have any.
Far as I can tell the bushings are 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, & 1/4"
Need to go to Home Depot, Lowes, Menard's & Ace Hardware & Look threw their nylon/delrin spacers/bushings..
Not 3/4" as the actual measurement is .7195" not .7500 which is 3/4"
The ID is .5000 which is 1/2" The height will vary on how far they where drilled from the factory. Close to 1/4" or .2500"
I can make these spacers from Iron, Aluminum, Brass or Nylon but that takes time without a lathe..
Was planning on trying to clamp that wood break together tightly & fill the break with CA Glue on the inside & out..
I need some thin CA as I have one fret loose & the NUT has fallen off.. I have always used wood glue to attach string nuts but maybe the Parker requires something more..
Need to unsolder the wire from the board as not to get glue on it or it'll get stuck the wrong place in the hole.
Have the bridge in a Black Crown Royal bag to protect the top currently..
I have a thin long drill bit to clear the piezo wires hole afterwards, Looks like the break ran right to that hole.. See Photos..
After the CA Glue I will have to take a v shaped needle file to the grooves inside the post hole to make sure the bushings will fit without splitting the frame even worse.
BTW my shaft to bushing fit together so well no way a tin can shim could be used, .007" variant divided by two because of it being round would be .0035", Only thing I have that thin is a few feeler gauges or aluminum foil or teflon tape.. I keep thinking of things!!

I have been posting on the facebook group as Tamara Sutter = My Wife BTW..

I WILL GET THIS GUITAR FIXED EVENTUALLY

[Fly Rod]

Ordered a bunch of stuff today for the Parker Fly
Stewart McCdonald or Stew-Mac I ordered a bottle of thin & thick CA Glue, a 4" 14" radius block & a Fishman output jack..

Placed an order with Mike G. @ G.Man.Music/WiGuitar = T-Bar, Tremolo bar & plastic insert for the trem arm
+ Stabilizer Bushings & Tension wheel..
Also went by our Buddies Guitar shop to get two sets of .009" - .042" D'Addario EXL120s @ $7.99ea

They have a Parker Fly with bolt on neck Trashed on the wall NightFly??
+ another that is mid process up really high
Mark Fix This 01

[vjmanzo]

Wow, that is one sad NiteFly

[Fly Rod]

It's really SAD!
Only parts worth having where one strap button & the nut.
Neck could be used on a PDF?? Maybe, It had only one gouge & the frets where all intact.
Was hoping to find a part I needed on it BUT??
Electronics were also wasted..
WALL ART

They also have a complete Fly that was before the carbon fiber process & was told the neck has a crack
I assume it had the truss rod & had been filled but couldn't tell
They have it hanging 20+ feet high in the shop on the wall
Wanted to look at the neck joint really hard to see what Ken had going in his head
I was there as they where closing & just grabbed two sets of the only .009'-.042" D'Addario strings they had which were the EXL120s
JFYI total tension for the set at standard pitch is 84.44 lbs
Wanted the NYXL942s
I'm sure these are new old stock with the painted balls & will need a piece of copper foil put at the strings ball ends to complete the ground for the piezo pickup saddles..

Waiting on Parts
Should go ahead and start the routing process & make the patch for the top

Gary

[Fly Rod]

Today the Parker Guitar Parts Fairy came & brought Me a Tremolo Arm, Trem Arm Bushing, 2x Stabilizer Rings, Tension Wheel, T-Bar & a Set Screw for the trem + another truss rod nut for a Parker I don't own, I now have two of those?
Mike G @ GMAN MUSIC hooked me up..

My Idea of using a .177 BB in between the set screw & the plastic bushing for the tremolo looks like it will work 100% & keep the screw from digging a hole in the bushing but allow it to hold everything together tight.. It's the perfect size as a #10s screw hole is .1875 which makes the copper coated BB .0105" smaller than the hole.. YEAH!! Now That's Refined Too..

Can't even tell you how great it was to work with Mike G. @ GMAN MUSIC
He Emailed me back 2-3 times & wanted to make sure I had everything for the repairs
He sent me the stabilizer bushings, tension wheel, set screw & truss rod nut FREE.. WHAT??
I Paid for the trem arm & bushing + T-Bar.. This absolutely fantastic & pretty much squares me up on this repair of the Parker Fly Deluxe
Except for the wood patch in the top which will come along soon.
Still waiting on some CA Glue, 14" Radius Caul & Output Jack from Stew-Mac.. = Loose fret & nut..
Still need to get to the electronics & wood repair..
Gary

[Fly Rod]

https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas ... elecaster/
This is very close to the patch I will need to make..
53 telecaster getting the Bigsby filled in for OE bridge..
Thanks Dan Earliwine for any & all tips on this..

A planer & band saw would make it easier for sure..

[mmmguitar]

I can’t be there to mop your brow during the Fly surgery, but I’m very much looking forward to your documented experience.

Dan has forgotten more than most of us will ever know. His old articles in Guitar Player encouraged me to conduct terrible experiments on my helpless guitars.

[Patzag]

His old articles in Guitar Player encouraged me to conduct terrible experiments on my helpless guitars.

[Fly Rod]

I still have those old Guitar Player magazines too..

Been watching videos about Parker Frets
https://youtu.be/YJ3VOvkrhzs

And Dan's Video makes it look Easy.
https://youtu.be/CUUuMzxJ9h8

My Stew-Mac Order is due tomorrow with The CA Glues & 14" Radius Caul & Output Jack

[Fly Rod]

I watched that video of the guy @ Parker Guitars gluing frets & went ahead & glued the 1st fret that was half loose back into place..

First I cleaned under the fret with a .002" feeler gauge & a tooth brush.

Then I wicked the thin CA glue under both sides of the fret & quickly clamped it with the 14" radius caul & a hand clamp.

After five minutes I removed the clamp & waited fifteen minutes to start the cleanup with acetone with just a splash in an old silver cup.

Used several Q-Tips & got the excess scraped loose with a couple of tooth pics & finally cleaned up with a damp micro fiber towel.

The tap test with the small brass hammer confirms the fret is 100% attached correctly.
Used my $100 Starrett micro square as a fret rocker & all the frets are good to go as far as I can tell..
It's a perfect straight edge on both surfaces..

Next I will unsolder the bridge from the board & also remove the magnetic pickups for routing & final body work & primer + paint..
The Auto Body Supply shop was closed this afternoon so I will hit them up Monday & take the Parker so we can match the paint up perfectly.

I was looking at the bridge & notice one of the two bearings is rough & kind of egg shaped = Not perfectly round like the other, Not Smooth as you turn it by hand either, Rough in it's feeling.. I will order two bearings from WI Guitar/G Man Music ASAP..
Just Ordered them Here on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/183762410046 $8.80 for the Pair..

And then figure a way to pop them off, Probably make a tapered tool with a notch cut in it to remove the two bearings or find my micro bearing puller out in the garage, Not sure it can be used on such a small bearing or not?? Or Make something smaller..

After the bridge & pickups are out I will make the poplar wood patch for the top & get some fiberglass body filler for the final fix/hide + a few other spots on the body & neck..

Here's a few photos of the progress, I used the thin #10 CA Glue for the fret & plan on using the thick #30 for the string nut..

Gary/Fly Rod

Tools Used, Feeler Gauge, Q-Tips, Tooth Pics, Acetone in silver cup, Small Square, 14" radius Caul & Clamp.

After Gluing First Fret before Clean Up

Possible Bad Bearing blown up with an eye loupe on camera
NOTE: It's not perfectly round

Just a NOTE: Keep CA Glue in the Refrigerator
It will prolong it's shelf life & also make it's open time increase while cool
Also mark the open date on it with a marker

This is TOP SECRET = Listen to RUSH 2112 While Working

[Fly Rod]

I was right about the one bearing being out of round.
The bass side bearing turned Zing!! The treble side just spun but was not true.
OK then go about removing these tiny itty bitty bearings
Used a couple slotted screwdriver tips first by tapping behind then prying them off slowly
The pins came out along with the bearings on both sides
Now I will have to remove each bearing from it's pin
Figure I can drill a hole slightly bigger than the pin in a block of wood & tap them out with a small brass punch.
See the small brass punches by my cheater glasses
To reinstall just tap them in with the brass head of the Elf Hammer with blue loctite on the pins
NOTE: I scratched the bottom of the bridge some, couldn't be helped..
I want to refinish the bridge but that will require I unsolder all six bridge saddles
Want to clean each saddle anyway & make sure each ball is glued on tightly.
Thinking of a paint called plasticoat or some DuraCoat used on firearms, It's Tough stuff..
Had to break out the Wheeler Screwdriver Kit to use the slotted tips, This is a Gunsmithing 89 Piece Set I scored for FREE
It was missing one bit.. I had the one it was missing too.. SCORE!!

Remember Guys I'm Not a Luthier, Just a Guitar Repairman

[Fly Rod]

Well being I haven't been to Church in almost two years due to the pandemic I find myself still wanting to ROCK..

This Sunday morning I went about cutting the Fishman SwitchJack SwitchCraft Output Jack down just like the factory unit in the Refined Fly Guitars..
I made my initial cut with a slow Dremel & filed the cut flat with a file, I cut two q-tips to put inside while cutting to keep the brass shavings out of the new jack..
The Factory Jack is a Switchcraft & Cut Down just like I did to the one from Stew-Mac which has SwitchJack & Fishman on the packaging but says Switchcraft on the actual part just like the factory one..
I ordered the Gold one from Stew-Mac because it was cheaper than the chrome one being that part isn't used anyway, I used it as a die to clean the threads up = Left it in place while cutting & turned it off to clean the threads up afterwards..
NOTE: Hole in jack just like the original, Cut right threw the middle of the hole..

Here is the Link to the Switchcraft Fishman Jack that was modified to work in the Fly Guitar
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... dpin-jack/

Listening on the laptop in my shop in the basement was Jesus Saves by Savatage & WhiteCross No Second Chances..

Making Progress Slowly..

The Wood Patch will be coming SOON!!
Need to really get all the electronics out of the guitar anyway for the woodworking & bodywork + paint..

[Fly Rod]

Was finishing up on the Fly Deluxe output jack modification & saw somewhere that a guy wanted to find the tool for tightening the end part of the jack
I looked at it hard & could see that it is a rounded shape & then it came to me.. A Penny.. That's right a copper penny which haven't been made in a while so I tried a newer penny, It worked too.. The one in the needle nose vise grips is an old copper wheat penny JFYI..
I have some 1943 Iron Pennies, Might make a special tool from one maybe?

I also drilled a .1245" hole in a cedar block for driving the pins out of the two bearings the tremolo pivot on.
Waiting on the parts from WI Guitar/G Man Music..

Also came across a 4" long fret end beveling file I made from a 100 year old broken file of Great Grandpa Gatterer's & a scrap of 2x4 & two bolts with old square nuts. I have an arrow drawn on the top as a file only cuts in one direction, File is set @ 35 degrees from the flat.. Works Great & didn't cost anything, Just had to set the saw blade at an angle to run in through.. A $63 Tool @ Stew-Mac.. Great for knocking down old fret ends that have sprout.
The Parker's fret ends are perfect..
Love looking at Stewart McDonald's tools and then making a replacement for cheap..

[Fly Rod]

Here's a close up of the Parkers Output Jack threaded outer sleeve..

[Fly Rod]

10/14/21 I scored a Bosch Colt GKF125CE Mini Palm Router for $63 just for the Parker Fly's Top Patch..