Talk me out of it...

[Dingus]

Fucking dying to get this one

https://reverb.com/item/50412155-parker ... -of-a-kind

As much as I actually love the Parker tremolo, OFR still reigns Supreme for me at the end of the day. I never knew Parker ever put a factory floyd on Fly. So yeah, I need talked down on this one please lol. I think at 6500 it would already be mine but 8500 really hurts. Thoughts?

[vjmanzo]

You might have a difficult time finding people here to talk you out of this in principle, @Dingus, but FWIW: that is a lot of money for a Fly relative to cost of other Flys.

I'd happily own this Fly, and a Floyd that is set up, installed correctly, and ready to go can be a beautiful thing! I think I'd, personally, still be a little hesitant to buy this particular instrument at that price without knowing how that Floyd holds up well in that Fly—it's just the nature of prototypes and one-offs, ya know? They're not really tested like those hundreds and hundreds of '80s Kramer Pacers that had Floyds in them—the particular variables and quirks are well-known and there's a great deal of support out there for how to compensate for subtle nuances/nuisances.

Having said that, to repeat: I'd happily own this Fly! I would, however, jump into that relationship with the understanding that, at times, it might be a love-hate relationship

[TheResseler]

I'll also jump in on this and say I think that price is pretty steep and you definitely shouldn't just take it at face value. I'm surprised the seller didn't leave it open to offers. If you'd be into it at $6500, message the seller and offer them like $6000. I still think that's high, given how limited the market is for this particular Fly. It's not a desirable spec to most people and the build wasn't under Ken's oversight- which is concerning to say least, considering the scope of it. I, along with many others, don't like to see pickup rings on a Fly, let alone the EMGs they mounted with them. Most people would also prefer the Parker trem, despite the spring situation. I think it's cool that it appeals to you, I'm just letting you know the popular opinions. The popular opinion when this was posted to the Facebook group was that this build strips all the character out of the Fly. But if the things that were changed are the things you don't like about a Fly, then it's the perfect guitar for you!
So in summary, I wouldn't pay $8500 for it because I don't think that's market value. That's my two cents anyway lol.

[Dingus]

Thank you guys that's exactly what I needed to hear. I feel the sentiment that it's not even really a parker anymore. I wasnt thinking too much that it could also have issues being a 1 of 1. I'd sure hate to have some nagging issue that just could not be easily fixed. I don't hang guitars I play them all, I would be extremely disappointed. Probably the comment about Ken not overseeing a huge design change such as this gets me thinking more than anything. Would love to know if Ken thought there could be potential issues in this instance. Would be interesting!

[vjmanzo]

Would love to know if Ken thought there could be potential issues in this instance.

@Ken Parker is my friend and we've spoken about these sorts of things at length many times, and—without speaking on his behalf—while he loves innovation, I don't think he would consider any of the design revisions @TheResseler noted to be all that noteworthy and, in fact, I think he'd feel very much the same way that TheResseler feels about this: "if the things that were changed are the things you don't like about a Fly, then it's the perfect guitar for you!" Ken made the electric guitar he wanted to make in 1993 and then continued to experiment with different tonewoods and some aspects of the production, but I'm sure he never thought "How can I get someone else's vibrato bridge to fit inside of my guitar"—he made the philosophical decision to go with an integrated design for the Fly and then stuck with that as long as he could. Remember: he wanted the Fly to be this thin and light, so, really—the idea of changing anything without a great reason was something he constantly fought against during that 10-year period let alone using an off-the-shelf third-party anything; right out of the gate, he made major compromises to the thickness of the body just to accommodate Korg's demand they use name-brand pickups! He had good reasons to make the guitar thinner and lighter and use his own pickups, but "market forces" forced his hand. Imagine if he'd been able to produce what he wanted to produce without constraints! You’d have this!

My understanding is that USM made the body thicker to accommodate that Floyd, so, if this were me, I'd be asking myself "what are the pros to having that Floyd and do they outweigh any cons associated with the thicker body". Same question with the EMGs and the pickup rings—were those mission critical parts of this design?

Ultimately, at that price point, while I'd love to own this instrument, I'd probably be leaning toward buying a different FR-equipped non-Fly guitar at a lower price or into doing the mod myself on a Mojo.

[methylblues]

I see your point. But curiosity is killing me and really, if it weren't for the way Parkers were crafted I doubt I would have fallen in love with playing guitars at all as my fingers are so short/stubby. I acquired a Parker Concert after falling in love with the Mojo and although this EMG Frankenstein may be concerning to many, I will cherish it and maintain it well. It still has a really cool place in the Parker history books and I want to help preserve that.

[mmmguitar]

Congrats on your purchase, @methylblues - Though, at the time time, I must apologize for failing to do my part in talking you out of it.

Should you ever decide to part with such a treasure, I’m sure other entomologists in our community would also pay for the opportunity to cherish such a unique specimen of DragonFly.

[vjmanzo]

Very cool, @methylblues! Congrats!!!

[methylblues]

I will sell it only back to the seller and I told him that, too. They really are playable works of art and for it to be in this condition is astounding to me.

[methylblues]

But swaps are fine...especially if any grabs this one up!!! Wow!
https://reverb.com/item/55559856-parker ... rans-honey

[mmmguitar]

But swaps are fine...especially if any grabs this one up!!! Wow!
https://reverb.com/item/55559856-parker ... rans-honey

I have one of those with a Sustainiac and 13 pin-out. Maybe we can swap toys at some point down the line, with the same gentleman's agreement that I sell it back to the original owner when he wants it.

[methylblues]

Completely. There are too few Parkers already. I'm going to get a deluxe next if it's in the cards!

[methylblues]

that 13 pin out would open up a whole other bag of worms. I can't even imagine what Sustainiac Mode sounds like!

[Gregsaab]

But swaps are fine...especially if any grabs this one up!!! Wow!
https://reverb.com/item/55559856-parker ... rans-honey

Looks like he dropped asking by $1 recently

[methylblues]

it would have to come down a lot more than a dollar for the wife to let me acquire another so soon!

[Gregsaab]

But swaps are fine...especially if any grabs this one up!!! Wow!
https://reverb.com/item/55559856-parker ... rans-honey

I have one of those with a Sustainiac and 13 pin-out. Maybe we can swap toys at some point down the line, with the same gentleman's agreement that I sell it back to the original owner when he wants it.

Can you share some pics of this?

[mmmguitar]

Can you share some pics of this?

I posted a crummy photo in this thread. I’ll try to remember to take more photos.

[Gregsaab]

Can you share some pics of this?

I posted a crummy photo in this thread. I’ll try to remember to take more photos.

That’s a beaut. The two tone on those really catches the eye.

[methylblues]

Not only gorgeous but the harmonics you probably catch with the Sustainiac...goals for sure! Wow. I'm in awe of the expertise of the mod!

and now I've definitely fallen down a rabbit hole.
https://reverb.com/item/53127261-parker ... 1998-black

I can't say I like it any less but I can't wait to lay down some tracks and see how they blend. The EMG pickups really offer a different tone but the strings are a heavier gauge set. I need to spend a ton more time tinkering!