Time for a Parker!

[rgatty2012]

New to the forum and thought someone might be able to point me in the right direction. I'd love to know which Parker will best suit my needs. I've mainly played a Strat for the last 20 yrs. and still love it. But at 53 yrs. old and still playing three 1 hour sets a night with a wireless pack, the guitar is feeling heavy on my shoulders. I'd also like an easier playing neck. So "weight" could be considered my number one issue. I love the idea of a 5lb. guitar. Which I'm guessing rules out the Nitefly's and P series.

My second concern is the pickups. I have the Fender noiseless in my strat and love them. I also love the chimey single coil sound, but don't mind a humbucker for the bridge. Is there a specific model of Fly that excels at a great single-coil sound in a stock pick-up configuration better than another? And if not, which Fly is the easiest to drop in a Fender Noiseless if I need? Do any Parkers come with noiseless?

Lastly, I'd like to keep my price range below 3k., which almost certainly keeps me away from the classics. Would a MaxxFly, Deluxe, Mojo etc. be a better fit for me, factoring in the above considerations?

Any feedback and perspectives are welcome and appreciated! Thanks all, ~ Ron

[vjmanzo]

Hi Ron,

Welcome to the forum! Glad you’re here!

I’m sure others have thoughts on this, but I’ll share mine: I think a NiteFly is the best option for you. If you look at the History of the NiteFly can give you some further insights into the differences, but I’d recommend an NFVM 4. It’s an HSS, and you can easily find one for $800 +/-, which is an insane value for what you’re getting. They are about 7lbs, which is, obviously, 2lbs heavier than a Fly Deluxe, but the instrument (like a Fly) is balanced so well that it won’t feel heavy (if that makes sense).

The NiteFly is definitely a good “gateway Parker”, and hits most of the criteria on your list. It comes with Dimarzio Blue Velvet pickups that you’ll most likely love; really: the NiteFly is a “super Strat”, and, if you decide that it’s not for you, it can easily be resold for what you paid.

You can learn more about the various Parker guitar models by looking through the catalogs and manuals here .

[rgatty2012]

Hey VJ...thanks for responding. It does seem like the Nitefly would be the closest to a Strat. And a nice price as well. But they are only 1 pound lighter than my Strat and a big weight reduction is my number one concern. I did take a look at your collection of Parkers. (very nice) I like that you noted the neck profiles of each. I don't have long fingers so I tend to feel more comfortable with the slimmer necks. But not all of them are slim.

There is a used Deluxe I have my eye on at the moment. Do all of the Deluxe's have a chunkier neck?

Thanks for sending those links!

[vjmanzo]

Hi Ron,

Happy to help, and thanks for checking out my page!

All of the necks vary to some degree, but, in my experience, if you’re looking for a thin neck, the most consistent production of thin-neck Flys was prior to 2006 and after 2011.

If weight is a main factor in goin gene Oarker route then, yes, the Fly is the way to go. The Deluxe and Artist are the lightest Flys with vibrato systems and the hardtails are just slightly lighter. The Mojo starts to creep up into heavier terrain (though it has cool-tapping for a quasi-single cool sound), so a pre-refined Deluxe would probably be a good fit.

There is only one Fly model that has single-coils, and it is hard to come by, and, from what others have said it’s not so Strat-Ish, and, in my opinion, the Flys are certainly not Strat-ish.

Still, by blending the piezo single of the Fly with the magnetic pickups, you can sculpt a really great sound that works for a variety of different genres; they’re very versatile systems, but you will likely have to experiment with different amp settings, control combos on the fly, and pickup height.

This article summarizing Fly changes through the years may also be helpful.

Keep us posted, @rgatty2012!

[Patzag]

You'll never get a strat sound out of a Deluxe, but a nice hardtail is the lightest you can get and with the pickups low, you get as chimey as a humbucker can go.
But beware. Once you play a Deluxe, you'll never want to play anything else, except maybe a Classic! (Or a supreme!)

[vjmanzo]

But beware. Once you play a Deluxe, you'll never want to play anything else, except maybe a Classic! (Or a supreme!)

Well-said, @Patzag!

[Notes_Norton]

A US DF (Dragonfly or Maxxfly) is light. Mine is 5lbs and I believe you can put your Fender pickups in.

It's contoured and balanced like a strat, and you should feel at home with it pretty quickly.

It's (obviously) the one on the left and can sound like a Fender(the one on the right is a custom model)

It's wood (no carbon fiber) and they come in many different finishes.



Notes

[rgatty2012]

Happy to report I found a Fly Mojo at a great price at a Guitar Center. Serial # P1007037, which makes it a 2010 correct? It has Seymour Duncans and the straight saddles in the bridge rather than the dogbone or tiny bearings holding the strings. It's still on it's way, but I was wondering if this bridge type is an indicator of which type of piezo is inside?

Also, something I didn't mention in my first post...Our band tunes down to Eb.
I'm wondering if this will be a problem considering how particular the Fly's are when setting them up?

[vjmanzo]

Congrats! Sounds like a 2010 to me; the manual and catalog can help you confirm, but I think you’ve got it all right. Most likely has the Graphtech piezo.

Regarding Eb tuning, as long as the tension is the same for the spring you’re using, you’ll be good to go as far as the vibrato system and its three modes of operation (as per the manual).

Post some photos in the “Show Us Your Parker” section when it arrives!

[rgatty2012]

I sure will. And thanks for responding. I guess I was assuming tuning a half step down would change the tension on the strings and that would throw off the balance created by matching string gauge with tension spring. But maybe I'm not fully understanding how it works. Although I did read the manual on the set up as well as the additional pdf you posted "Yet another guide..." I am fairly handy so I'm sure I'll get it once I dig in and see it firsthand. But it's good to know that it doesn't matter if I'm tuned to normal pitch or E flat. I just hope it arrives with a #9 spring. That's what I'm most used to. Actually I play with .046-.009 splits on my Strat. Using 9's and tuning down a half step always felt too loose.
Is there a way to use splits with the Parker? Not a big deal if not. I could easily switch back to regular 9's.

Cheers! : )

[vjmanzo]

D’Addario had a sight set up at www.stringtensionpro.com that now appears to be offline and redirecting here: https://www.daddario.com/string-tension-pro

The site used to allow you to calculate what the tension is for a given set and what it would be if you adjusted individual strings to different gauges or different tunings as both impact the overall tension. The overall tension is the thing that we need to concern ourselves with when it comes to the Fly: the 9 spring, for example, was designed to work with a set up 9s in standard tuning, so any deviations from that will make a difference, though it’s hard to know how significant those differences will be.

I have a Fly setup with a set of 10s and I have the low String in drop D; once I adjusted the tension on the spring (via the wheel) I had no issue switching between fixed bridge or floating bridge mode. However, if I tune the string up to E, I would need to readjust the wheel (tension on spring) again to compensate. Make sense? So, worth using a mixed set of strings, it’s a balancing act, however, you can’t use a 10 spring with a set of 9s and expect it to float properly. The other modes will work (bend-down only), but it won’t do what it’s supposed to do in floating.