Parker DF845 Custom, Project Name "Toxic", Serial Number "NX-01", 2011

[Nefarius]

In 2008 I bought my first Parker and joined the official forum. I enjoyed posts about different colors, models, and variants a lot. Discussing the details of rare custom builds was even more fun. Topics documenting the creation of a custom build were definitely the highlights though as they invited the community to be a part of the process and experience the anticipation and excitement alongside the future owners of the instruments. I knew that's what I wanted to do if I ever was to order a custom Parker.

Towards the end of 2010 those fantasies began to take shape, right on the heels of @Patzag ordering a stunning Parker DF825 Custom in Pearlescent White. It started in December 2010 to January 2011 and an e-mail conversation with Terry Atkins (Parker) about the project in general got everything going. I wanted a truly unique color for my guitar so I researched an inspiring motorcycle paint job and contacted the manufacturer to find out what was needed to match the finish. Another e-mail to Terry summarized what kind of tonal qualities I wanted. I was asking for a very even frequency response with balanced note definition, punch, and sustain. Terry had a topic about a custom build with a tiger stripe finish he made for his son. He described its characteristics to be very close to what I was looking for. It informed and inspired the decision to go all spruce with my guitar. This configuration would be known as the "Virtuoso" in later models, however short lived their run sadly was. Other details were discussed during February. I contacted the dealer to officially place the order and Greg Heritier (USMC) sent the "go" message to everyone involved. Payment was completed and confirmed on March 1st 2011 and the adventure began.

The first update I got from Terry was pictures of the body routing and the raw spruce body and neck with the carbon fiber layer on the back. The paper visible in two of the shots is actually a printout of the website I made for the project. It documented every detail and message alongside a couple of Photoshop mockups. Apparently they used it as a spec sheet throughout the build.





Paint update was next.



About at that stage Terry suggested using a strat-voiced single coil DiMarzio from the NFA models for the middle position. For the humbuckers I wanted the same kind of DiMarzios they used in the Deluxe range. We also discussed and agreed upon the switching configuration.

The last update was a collection of shots from hardware and final assembly. It shows off the custom serial number I was asking for and Terry getting so much into the green and black vibe that he used black screws for the piezo saddles in the bridge.


Then came the waiting.

Greetings...
Nef

[mmmguitar]

From one old forum member to another: This was a happy trip down memory lane. My being a Vigier and Strandberg convert during Parker’s final years resulted in my not taking advantage of the custom shop while it was still available (At the time, I rationalized both the brand’s discontinuation of the Adrian Belew model and the regular price increases as cues that other guitars were more deserving of my attention). I now find myself lamenting having to customize Flys with my bare hands. May Toxic continue to serve as both a tool and proof of your inspiration.

[Notes_Norton]

Toxic is a good name for that color.

Here in Florida, the sugar cane farmers pollute the water, and every few years we have toxic algae blooms that are fairly close to that color green.

BTW, it's a great looking guitar.

[vjmanzo]

Love it, @Nefarius! Great to see these photos (again!)!!!

#WoodTypes

[billy]

Great to see you here Nef, that toxic project was one the highlights of my visit to the factory.

[Nefarius]

Hey @billy! I had forgotten that you visited the factory during this build. I'm sure it being a highlight wasn't much of an effort with a flashy color like that. I remember carrying it across half a large music store for giving an amp a test drive and it left no head unturned. I don't know whether they loved or hated it but they definitely were unable to look away.

Here's two more shots of the NX-01, one in the company of my 2008 Fly Deluxe (which I've sold a couple of years ago) at soundcheck and one of it in between songs on the same stage some time later that day.





Greetings...
Nef

[billy]

Yeah, it was awesome and I was one roof problem away from ordering a custom much like yours before the factory closed.

I got to try a spruce/spruce virtuoso and it was amazing.

Also saw two customs in process for Vernon Reid.

Very cool. Glad you’re still playing yours!

[Nefarius]

As much as I love this guitar I can't escape the facts. The brand is gone and so is any chance of future variants or a backup of equal capability and quality. And while it is still in pristine condition any potential repairs down the line are inevitably prone to be both unpredictably time consuming and increasingly expensive. Thus I have decided I will sell it and start looking for a new guitar.

Greetings...
Nef

[mmmguitar]

Selling before or after you find a replacement? Because I don’t know what could replace it.

[Nefarius]

Because I don’t know what could replace it.

I'm painfully aware of that.

Greetings...
Nef

[mmmguitar]

Didn’t mean to rub it in - Just curious about how your preferences have changed since you designed Toxic; and what kinds of guitars they’ll lead you to check out, now.

[Nefarius]

My preferences haven't changed at all. Linear frequency response, definition, punch, and sustain with unique design and light weight (if possible). Ideally from a company that is constantly experimenting and innovating. Not exactly a long list of candidates.

The Music Man Majesty is an option, especially since it also has a piezo pickup. But even though I like John Petrucci and Dream Theater I'm uncertain whether I want to go for a signature model. Also their prices have become increasingly ridiculous over the last couple of years, especially in Europe.

Strandberg seems to be pretty much innovation central for guitars and basses right now and I like their philosophy and approach a lot. But I haven't had the opportunity to actually play one yet, so I still don't know if they would feel right for me.

Greetings...
Nef

[Patzag]

If it ain't broke, don't plan to fix it.
Your guitar should be good for many, many years to come ...

[vjmanzo]

that’s what I said in a private message, @Patzag—it seems like we have (and are gaining) a good sense of what things might go wrong with Flys (and Fly-like DF842s), so why go back to the dating pool?!

My friend has a Strandberg and—whenever I play it—I become the most crotchety version of myself making snide comparisons to my precious Flys!

[jb63]

My friend has a Strandberg and—whenever I play it—I become the most crotchety version of myself making snide comparisons to my precious Flys!

Ha! I have that friend and I totally do that!

[Patzag]

that’s what I said in a private message, @Patzag—it seems like we have (and are gaining) a good sense of what things might go wrong with Flys (and Fly-like DF842s), so why go back to the dating pool?!

My friend has a Strandberg and—whenever I play it—I become the most crotchety version of myself making snide comparisons to my precious Flys!

I suffered the Toxic syndrome and thought that, with the brand gone, my Parker days were over. I bought a Strandberg. (From Guitar Center). I played it for a few days, tried to love the guitar. Then I sent it back and bought another used Parker!

[vjmanzo]

[Nefarius]

I don't expect anything to go wrong and I take good care of my gear in general, but I'm also aware that stuff can go wrong. A Parker definitely isn't a guitar you can take to any old shop when in need of repair. It's my only electric guitar and shipping it around the world and back for weeks or even months to fix something is about as appealing to me as the additional cost of doing so.

The other reason for me considering this step is innovation and me wanting to support companies that actually try and push the envelope. Had Parker continued to exist the NX-01 wouldn't have been the end and I would also be the proud owner of NX-02 and quite possibly NX-03 by now. Thoughts of something in dark purple or ocean blue or natural satin and ideas for something with single coils or P90s or all out heavy pickups were already swirling in my head. One or both of those theoretical guitars would probably have had fanned frets and who knows what other nifty gadgets.

I guess I just want a chance for new ideas and experimentation again.

Greetings...
Nef

[Nefarius]

Well, I guess it happened.

After thinking about it for a long time (and even posting about it here a while ago), being too lazy to make a two day trip to the closest shops stocking the brand for testing, and finding absolutely none whatsoever on the used market in my city or area, I ordered a Strandberg Boden Prog NX 6 in Charcoal Black on Sunday, the 17th of September 2023. It arrived four days later on Thursday and I was ready for a weekend of intense testing.

It immediately felt very nice, absolutely no worries about the unusual neck or the mild fan fret design, but I was absolutely not prepared for a sound that's so radically different to anything I was used to. I've been playing my Parker(s) exclusively for the past 15 years and DiMarzio pickups pretty similar to the ones in my Parkers in the Yamaha I used to have since 2002. Being confronted with the unknown character of the pretty high output Suhr pickups was jarring, when you instinctively knew what pickup combinations and knob positions (to the millimeter) to go for for pretty much every sound you imagined.

So during the weekend I lived though the exploration of many new sounds, the frustration of not being able to immediately switch to old sounds, the panic of almost giving up and sending it back, and - in the end - the joy of getting to know a new instrument and finding out how to get the best out of it.

Different is just different after all and a good guitar is a good guitar.

May I introduce the first new guitar I've bought in 12 years:


Greetings...
Nef

[Patzag]

Well, I guess it happened.

After thinking about it for a long time (and even posting about it here a while ago), being too lazy to make a two day trip to the closest shops stocking the brand for testing, and finding absolutely none whatsoever on the used market in my city or area, I ordered a Strandberg Boden Prog NX 6 in Charcoal Black on Sunday, the 17th of September 2023. It arrived four days later on Thursday and I was ready for a weekend of intense testing.

It immediately felt very nice, absolutely no worries about the unusual neck or the mild fan fret design, but I was absolutely not prepared for a sound that's so radically different to anything I was used to. I've been playing my Parker(s) exclusively for the past 15 years and DiMarzio pickups pretty similar to the ones in my Parkers in the Yamaha I used to have since 2002. Being confronted with the unknown character of the pretty high output Suhr pickups was jarring, when you instinctively knew what pickup combinations and knob positions (to the millimeter) to go for for pretty much every sound you imagined.

So during the weekend I lived though the exploration of many new sounds, the frustration of not being able to immediately switch to old sounds, the panic of almost giving up and sending it back, and - in the end - the joy of getting to know a new instrument and finding out how to get the best out of it.

Different is just different after all and a good guitar is a good guitar.

May I introduce the first new guitar I've bought in 12 years:


Greetings...
Nef

Congratulations Nef! She's very pretty!
Did you manage to find "your" tone with the new guitar?

Please let us know how things are after the honeymoon! I personally could not bond with the Strandberg. But I do know other Parker players who did well with it.