the Fly Clone Project

Hello, I don't have many good photos, but am wondering how serious these lines are on my Parker. It's really hard to capture them in the light.

There is a single line that goes through the entire center of the body, front and back, and there are several more striations going the same direction below the piezo pickup and below the rear panel as well. If I were to sell this, does it affect the quality much or does this just happen over time?

Thanks

floydisbest wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2024 4:19 pm If I were to sell this, does it affect the quality much or does this just happen over time?

Hopefully I can offer some grounded assurance:

In all respects but one, the Nitefly body is identical to any Strat or other typical guitar body made from wood blanks joined with glue, cut to shape, routed to depth, and finished in layers of sealer and polyurethane paint. What distinguishes it is that the routing for the pickup and trem spring cavities meet; and go all the way through the guitar. This missing section along the center line results in a body which is more susceptible to flexing under string tension than if there was wood there (as is the case in most any other guitar body).

If I was to guess, the striations result from variations in string tension at the neck joint causing the body wood to flex somewhat along its glue joint(s) under the finish between the anchor points of the neck and bridge; and are not cause for concerns to do with structural failure or anything more severe than what I would expect of a twenty seven year old guitar finished in white. And I expect many other Nitefly bodies exhibit these same striations, but are even more difficult to spot than they are in this pristine, albino specimen.

I think you'll find the twenty one competing Nitefly listings currently on Reverb a bigger factor in resale value - Every Nitefly for sale is used, many of them are as old as your '97, and none should be expected to be in like-new condition (even if they're advertised as such).

Maybe someone more familiar with Niteflys will chime in to the contrary - But I happen to think that hard-to-photograph flaws showing up in a twenty seven year old guitar with a white finish are to be expected; and that you have nothing to worry about. And welcome to the site.

It's hard to say without being able to examine the guitar in person, but that 'center line' appears to be simply what we call lacquer sink (even though Parkers were finished with polyurethane). The most common cause is because wood 'moves', it shrinks and expands with humidity changes and as it ages. You can find lacquer sinks wherever two different pieces of wood are glued together, or if the wood wasn't fully dry when used and movement occurred as it aged. It is normal.

I can't make out the other striations you mention, but if they are along the grain, it was most likely more 'sinking' as the wood aged.

Thank you both for the valuable information!

I was guessing/hoping it had no affect on it's structure and that all makes sense what you are explaining.
If I were to list it, it definitely wouldn't be like new condition, but perhaps good to very good I guess. The lines are only noticeable if you tilt it in the light with a certain reflection, so it's pretty subtle.