So here’s the deal. I’m looking for a replacement 7 string for my current Ibanez S7420 7 string. While a Parker 7 string fly or maxxfly would be ideal, actually acquiring one is another story.
So what else do you think comes close to ticking those Parker-esque quality boxes? Super light weight, excellent playability, HH or HSH pickup configurations, an excellent floating trem, and bonus points for SS frets and a piezo system.
If all this could be had for under two grand all the better. I’m no snob, but I need quality instruments at this stage in my life.
So what would you buy? I have a couple ideas, but nothing has me s as excited as the Parkers.
Not a Parker
Re: Not a Parker
Hey @Musikron—that Petrucci Music Man “Majesty” guitar is kind of Fly-ish in terms of feel, balance, and electronics. Of course: it’s not a Fly in many ways, but if I was looking for a seven-string, I’d consider that model. Headless guitars, in principle, will not have the same feel as a Fly, so, if that’s what you’re going for, you can probably help narrow your search by ruling out those kinds of models.
Re: Not a Parker
The time is drawing near where I have to make something happen here. Over a year without even seeing a Parker 7, and my back can't take it any more.
I'm looking hard at that Strandberg prog nx7 model, and I keep building stuff on kiesels website, though they can't quite tick all my boxes regardless of cost. Can't get a trem and mild multi scale, but could do the piezo, but again, don't love that trem all that much, and weight could be who knows what? Which is reason number 1 to get away from that ibby. Don't forget some options can easily make it unreturnable...
I'm concerned with the Strandberg neck profile as I essentially have to buy it blind, and longevity of the proprietary hardware ( guess I haven't fully learned my lesson with the Parker and future unavailability of parts lol), and lack of piezo trem bridge.
The 7 fly/maxxfly is what I want, but I can't keep hurting myself with this 8 something pound monster.
I'm looking hard at that Strandberg prog nx7 model, and I keep building stuff on kiesels website, though they can't quite tick all my boxes regardless of cost. Can't get a trem and mild multi scale, but could do the piezo, but again, don't love that trem all that much, and weight could be who knows what? Which is reason number 1 to get away from that ibby. Don't forget some options can easily make it unreturnable...
I'm concerned with the Strandberg neck profile as I essentially have to buy it blind, and longevity of the proprietary hardware ( guess I haven't fully learned my lesson with the Parker and future unavailability of parts lol), and lack of piezo trem bridge.
The 7 fly/maxxfly is what I want, but I can't keep hurting myself with this 8 something pound monster.
Re: Not a Parker
Though a chambered Strandberg will surely be the lightest, I’ll say that both companies have a decent return/exchange policy, should you not gel with the guitar (just make certain to not spec anything with Kiesel that voids the return policy).
Ola’s been dragging his feet on integrating piezo saddles in a production capacity for years (and he’ll be the first to admit it). Unfortunately, adding piezo capability to any Strandberg currently seems to require either jerry-rigging piezo discs or modifying the saddles themselves to accept elements. The compromise many have gone with entails adding GK or CycFi pickups, for the sake of getting acoustic sounds via outboard 13 pin gear.
Ola’s been dragging his feet on integrating piezo saddles in a production capacity for years (and he’ll be the first to admit it). Unfortunately, adding piezo capability to any Strandberg currently seems to require either jerry-rigging piezo discs or modifying the saddles themselves to accept elements. The compromise many have gone with entails adding GK or CycFi pickups, for the sake of getting acoustic sounds via outboard 13 pin gear.
Summary of the Parker Guitars speculator market from 2020 onward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory
Re: Not a Parker
Pretty much at the same conclusion regarding adding a 13 pin of some sort etc.
I did spend an hour or so with a boden metal 6 today at a semi local guitar denter. It's not an NX, or a 7 string, and has been kicking around a guitar center for a couple years, and didn't have a trem, but it did have that weird looking neck so off i went to try it out.
My initial impression is split. It's definitely a Cort. I've been around guitars for a long time now, and can tell which factory produced a particular guitar with high accuracy. This is a indo Cort guitar. I have a hard time shelling out $2500 for an Indo Cort. It's a neat one yes, but still.....
On one hand, the endure neck was not as intrusive as you'd think, though more substantial than I'm used to. A little beefy in the shoulders, and I'd be fighting myself from day one not to do a little reshaping to lose some bulk. But I could also see playing it happily as is in that regard too. The next point makes it hard to be sure though...
The fret work was down right poor, chewed up my hand something fierce, and was clearly uneven in height. That made it hard to judge how "fast" the neck was cause my index finger was getting shredded by the fret ends. Some fret sprout, but also uneven bevels and turned edges on the ends, unacceptable on a $2k guitar.
Neck pocket and all hardware was cleanly installed, though the bridge had a bad buzz on the low E. In a guitar denter showroom, no telling if it was damage, crappy old strings, or just one of the bajillion little screws in the bridge being a bit loose.
Fanned frets were very natural feeling with the exception of hitting those natural 4,5 and 2 2/3 harmonics. Pinch harmonics we're unaffected. Would prefer the parallel fret to be around 7 instead of the zero fret though.
The side fret markers were NOT aligned at all. Not even a bit. Not even equally off, just randomly plugged in at roughly where the target frets would be, but in no way shape or form accurate. I found this actually detrimental to the playability of the instrument, and they me off big time. Again not acceptable in a two thousand dollar guitar one bit.
Grabbed a strap and put it on. Not much different than my fly weight wise, a bit more distribution to your left shoulder, but that could have easily been the strap. Did have a bit if neck dive, more than a fly anyways, which was surprising seeing as there's no headstock. But all in all nice and light and I feel like I could play it for hours without injury. Especially using a good strap.
Tuners we're a bit stiff and knobs a bit cheap. I didn't look at the guts but I'd suspect corners being cut there as well as compared to other $2000 guitars out there.
If all those QC issues were fixed and suppose we were looking at what it SHOULD have been and not what it actually was, I'd say that guitar would be as nice as a $1200-1500 Ibanez, Jackson, or prs se. So basically your paying $500-800 for the neck (which I'm VERY ambivalent about) and a significant weight reduction. So in my situation, I'd be shelling out nearly a grand more, to get the Strandberg prog NX 7 over an equally as nice Ibanez ( which I already have mind you, but trying to frame the perceived value into something communicable), BUT I'd shave 4ish pounds off my guitar and save my poor back. If I play it for ten years, I'm spending 100 bucks a year to hopefully not further damage my poor spine any further with a guitar.
It'll be a few months before anyone can get me one, but I'll probably be forced to order one due to lack of other options. I'll just return over and over till I get one of the good ones, or they offer me a steep enough discount to fix it myself. ( None of the issues the one i played had weren't fixable, but I'm not shelling out $2500 for a brand new guitar, and relocating fret markers and dressing SS frets for free, nor should you have to).
Hopefully before it ships a 7 string Parker turns up. That's what my heart really desires, but my back just can't keep waiting on it. But if I buy this or any other guitar and a 7 string Parker turns up any time soon, I likely won't have the budget to make an offer on it anymore. But I literally can't hold out any longer, it's either give up the 7 string (which means half my bands catalog goes with it) , or injure myself right out of all playing and more if I don't replace it with something else soon. Back pain is debilitating.
I did spend an hour or so with a boden metal 6 today at a semi local guitar denter. It's not an NX, or a 7 string, and has been kicking around a guitar center for a couple years, and didn't have a trem, but it did have that weird looking neck so off i went to try it out.
My initial impression is split. It's definitely a Cort. I've been around guitars for a long time now, and can tell which factory produced a particular guitar with high accuracy. This is a indo Cort guitar. I have a hard time shelling out $2500 for an Indo Cort. It's a neat one yes, but still.....
On one hand, the endure neck was not as intrusive as you'd think, though more substantial than I'm used to. A little beefy in the shoulders, and I'd be fighting myself from day one not to do a little reshaping to lose some bulk. But I could also see playing it happily as is in that regard too. The next point makes it hard to be sure though...
The fret work was down right poor, chewed up my hand something fierce, and was clearly uneven in height. That made it hard to judge how "fast" the neck was cause my index finger was getting shredded by the fret ends. Some fret sprout, but also uneven bevels and turned edges on the ends, unacceptable on a $2k guitar.
Neck pocket and all hardware was cleanly installed, though the bridge had a bad buzz on the low E. In a guitar denter showroom, no telling if it was damage, crappy old strings, or just one of the bajillion little screws in the bridge being a bit loose.
Fanned frets were very natural feeling with the exception of hitting those natural 4,5 and 2 2/3 harmonics. Pinch harmonics we're unaffected. Would prefer the parallel fret to be around 7 instead of the zero fret though.
The side fret markers were NOT aligned at all. Not even a bit. Not even equally off, just randomly plugged in at roughly where the target frets would be, but in no way shape or form accurate. I found this actually detrimental to the playability of the instrument, and they me off big time. Again not acceptable in a two thousand dollar guitar one bit.
Grabbed a strap and put it on. Not much different than my fly weight wise, a bit more distribution to your left shoulder, but that could have easily been the strap. Did have a bit if neck dive, more than a fly anyways, which was surprising seeing as there's no headstock. But all in all nice and light and I feel like I could play it for hours without injury. Especially using a good strap.
Tuners we're a bit stiff and knobs a bit cheap. I didn't look at the guts but I'd suspect corners being cut there as well as compared to other $2000 guitars out there.
If all those QC issues were fixed and suppose we were looking at what it SHOULD have been and not what it actually was, I'd say that guitar would be as nice as a $1200-1500 Ibanez, Jackson, or prs se. So basically your paying $500-800 for the neck (which I'm VERY ambivalent about) and a significant weight reduction. So in my situation, I'd be shelling out nearly a grand more, to get the Strandberg prog NX 7 over an equally as nice Ibanez ( which I already have mind you, but trying to frame the perceived value into something communicable), BUT I'd shave 4ish pounds off my guitar and save my poor back. If I play it for ten years, I'm spending 100 bucks a year to hopefully not further damage my poor spine any further with a guitar.
It'll be a few months before anyone can get me one, but I'll probably be forced to order one due to lack of other options. I'll just return over and over till I get one of the good ones, or they offer me a steep enough discount to fix it myself. ( None of the issues the one i played had weren't fixable, but I'm not shelling out $2500 for a brand new guitar, and relocating fret markers and dressing SS frets for free, nor should you have to).
Hopefully before it ships a 7 string Parker turns up. That's what my heart really desires, but my back just can't keep waiting on it. But if I buy this or any other guitar and a 7 string Parker turns up any time soon, I likely won't have the budget to make an offer on it anymore. But I literally can't hold out any longer, it's either give up the 7 string (which means half my bands catalog goes with it) , or injure myself right out of all playing and more if I don't replace it with something else soon. Back pain is debilitating.
Re: Not a Parker
I’ve owned and played a number of Strandbergs, and your impressions are similar to my own experiences. My current number one is a WMI Korea-produced bolt-on Fusion. The only PT Cort-produced one I’ve tried is the neck-thru I own and, for better and worse, I don’t detect much of a difference in quality between the WMI and Cort stuff. Some of the early WMI Strandbergs were real stinkers.
It’s like you say: You’re mostly paying for a neck shape that doesn’t make anywhere near the difference that cutting corners in QC does. I also have a 2017 Boden OS that’s the lightest guitar I own (or have ever owned, for that matter) - But its craftsmanship doesn’t feel nearly as solid as the next lightest (a ‘96 Fly Deluxe).
It’s like you say: You’re mostly paying for a neck shape that doesn’t make anywhere near the difference that cutting corners in QC does. I also have a 2017 Boden OS that’s the lightest guitar I own (or have ever owned, for that matter) - But its craftsmanship doesn’t feel nearly as solid as the next lightest (a ‘96 Fly Deluxe).
Summary of the Parker Guitars speculator market from 2020 onward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory
Re: Not a Parker
My 2 cents - I bought a brand new OS 6, a pretty one. I played it for a few hours to see if I could get into it.
The workmanship was good. No fret issues or anything. But it felt weird to me and picking up the Fly after was a relief.
I purchased it from guitar center.
I kept it for 2 weeks and forced myself to play a few times.
But I returned it.
I really wanted to like it. I wanted to not be attached to a dead brand.
I failed.
Sniff!
I love my Parkers!!!
The workmanship was good. No fret issues or anything. But it felt weird to me and picking up the Fly after was a relief.
I purchased it from guitar center.
I kept it for 2 weeks and forced myself to play a few times.
But I returned it.
I really wanted to like it. I wanted to not be attached to a dead brand.
I failed.
Sniff!
I love my Parkers!!!
Re: Not a Parker
Still looking for well over a year. Tried a bunch of stuff out to no avail. So I FINALLY got around to looking at some Majesty's. I'd seen the flip flop paint with carbon shield model in the past and thought it was hideous. But they have other finishes, and some decent looking wood tops. And wouldn't you know it the more I look the more it starts to grow on me, and there's a couple of purple ones that are straight up giving me gas. They clock in around 7 lbs, have a piezo, SS frets. I've never put my hands on one though, and there is nothing local so I'd be buying blind. In thinking I could resell if I'm careful with my initial purchase and it doesn't make me happy for some reason.
So anyone actually put some saddle time in with a Ernie Ball Majesty? What are your impressions? Did you ever play one @vjmanzo or was your suggestion of specs alone?
So anyone actually put some saddle time in with a Ernie Ball Majesty? What are your impressions? Did you ever play one @vjmanzo or was your suggestion of specs alone?
Re: Not a Parker
Hey @Musikron—I have played a few of these, and yes, they are very Fly-like! A little heavier as you noted, and they feel a little different than a Fly, but if I was going to move away from a Fly I’d probably grab one of these guitars.
Of the few that I played, there was one that was a basswood body that I really liked—it was a lot like my Fly Stealth in terms of prominently emphasizing the fundamental frequency of each note. Probably great for metal.
The electronics on the Majesty seemed very “pre-refined Fly” in their function and integrated design philosophy. The thought of having another instrument with specialized electronics was one of the things that helped me say no to the Majesty—just because I know I’d be looking to buy some spare replacements for everything going on; that’s a personal idiosyncrasy, and not a reflection on the Majesty.
The Guitar Center near me had an “at cost” closeout sale on one of these a few years back and I almost went for it. You think you’re gonna go for it? If a used one pops on GC, you can potentially get a good deal and have it for 45 days to decide if it’s for you.
Of the few that I played, there was one that was a basswood body that I really liked—it was a lot like my Fly Stealth in terms of prominently emphasizing the fundamental frequency of each note. Probably great for metal.
The electronics on the Majesty seemed very “pre-refined Fly” in their function and integrated design philosophy. The thought of having another instrument with specialized electronics was one of the things that helped me say no to the Majesty—just because I know I’d be looking to buy some spare replacements for everything going on; that’s a personal idiosyncrasy, and not a reflection on the Majesty.
The Guitar Center near me had an “at cost” closeout sale on one of these a few years back and I almost went for it. You think you’re gonna go for it? If a used one pops on GC, you can potentially get a good deal and have it for 45 days to decide if it’s for you.
Re: Not a Parker
I'm seriously considering it. I wasn't aware guitar center allowed returns on used gear, that might be a very viable option to try one in house to see if it'll scratch my itch. They're definitely pretty sweet on paper.
My wife asked to see my 7 string so I brought it home tonight. She commented that it felt pretty light to her, then I handed her my fly. She just went "Oh! THAT'S light!"
My wife asked to see my 7 string so I brought it home tonight. She commented that it felt pretty light to her, then I handed her my fly. She just went
"Oh! THAT'S light!"Re: Not a Parker
Another similar option to the Strandberg 7 is the Kiesel Osiris 7... its headless and pretty light if you get a custom one with a Swamp Ash body instead of the default Alder body. I played one with the Swamp Ash and it was very Parker-esque as far as the weight. Pretty close to 5 lbs, similar to a Fly. They might even offer a chambered Swamp Ash body, not sure. The regular Swamp Ash body is plenty light though if you ask me.
Re: Not a Parker
With a Kiesel, you’re limited to either finding a used one that ticks some of the boxes or waiting 25+ weeks for yours to be built - During which time another contender may pop up.
Summary of the Parker Guitars speculator market from 2020 onward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory
Re: Not a Parker
Yeah maybe not the most ideal option, also I will say that even though Kiesels are comfy to play, I am not a fan of changing the strings on headless guitars in general. I find the bridge tuning knobs on both Kiesel headless models and Strandbergs to be extremely difficult to turn with my fingers compared to a standard headstock tuning peg. Maybe I just need to do finger exercises lol
Re: Not a Parker
I completely agree! I had put the knurled knob buttons on our Fly 12-string mod and—a month in—I switched back to regular buttons.ubik55 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:01 am I am not a fan changing the strings on headless guitars in general. I find the bridge tuning knobs on both Kiesel headless models and Strandbergs to be extremely difficult to turn with my fingers compared to a standard headstock tuning peg.
Re: Not a Parker
Wow that 12 string is pretty nice! Love that custom bridge you guys made for it too. But yeah those knurled knob tuners do look like they would be slightly lighter in weight than a standard tuning peg. I feel like there should be a way to make a tuner like that that doesn't require super strong "Popeye fingers" to turn, but hard to say.vjmanzo wrote: ↑Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:09 am I completely agree! I had put the knurled knob buttons on our Fly 12-string mod and—a month in—I switched back to regular buttons.
Re: Not a Parker
Thanks! 
Yeah, after a while, those knurled knobs ate my hands up, and I was using a pliers to tune
My friend’s Strandberg actually came with a little wrench-like tool to turn those knurled tuning pegs—that’s a feature?!
Yeah, after a while, those knurled knobs ate my hands up, and I was using a pliers to tune
My friend’s Strandberg actually came with a little wrench-like tool to turn those knurled tuning pegs—that’s a feature?!Re: Not a Parker
I've looked at the keisels pretty seriously in the past. Not a fan of the trem they're married to at the end of the day. And that's enough to keep me from pulling the trigger on one.
But I spent the last couple days looking at used Majesty's, watched a few review videos with the wife, and the next thing I know the used Enchanted Forest Majesty I've been eyeballing on guitar centers website should be arriving here sometime next week. I'll let y'all know how it stacks up against our beloved Parkers.
But I spent the last couple days looking at used Majesty's, watched a few review videos with the wife, and the next thing I know the used Enchanted Forest Majesty I've been eyeballing on guitar centers website should be arriving here sometime next week. I'll let y'all know how it stacks up against our beloved Parkers.
Re: Not a Parker
Please let us know how it made it through the GC minefield, as well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or received a GC guitar that didn’t need at least a full setup and change of strings.
Summary of the Parker Guitars speculator market from 2020 onward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_fool_theory
Re: Not a Parker
I'm fully expecting to setup the guitar with a fresh set of nyxls, assuming it passes my QC inspection. I hate GC, and am prepared to receive anything from a flawless guitar, to a molested moldy rust bucket. But that 45 day return window and the good price sold me (well, my lovely wife anyways). Fingers crossed.
I'm totally expecting a 7 string Parker to crop up for sale now that this has happened... One day.
I'm totally expecting a 7 string Parker to crop up for sale now that this has happened... One day.