the Fly Clone Project

Hello everyone,

I've just created a new account to post this question, so I suppose this will also serve as an introduction?

It's great to meet you all! I'm hoping that someone here will know more about this than I do, or at least know someone who does.
Back in 2005, I bought a brand new Parker Fly 10th Anniversary, serial number 0360104BMH USA, signed and numbered (#13) by the man himself. I believe he occasionally drops by these forums? In any case, it's a truly spectacular instrument. Hardtail, translucent aallllmost-black finish, gold hardware, DiMarzio humbuckers plus the requisite Fishman piezo, and refined electronics with push/pull coil split and auto-selecting mono/stereo 1/4" jack. I believe it was made during the transition from pre-refined to refined, as the manual came with a photocopy insert of the newer, refined manual that I guess hadn't been printed for production yet.

I adore this guitar, but I rarely play these days, and I'm trying to narrow down my material belongings in general, so I've begun toying with the idea of selling it. Trouble is, it's been virtually impossible to appraise it or determine what its actual value might be. I know the production run was limited, but after 15 years I don't remember the exact number built. I think it was either 30 or 300?

In 2005, my Fly 10th Anniversary was $3,500 new (I was saving up for a car and decided to just take the bus instead). Adjusting for inflation, that's just north of $4,500 in 2020 money. I have no idea to what extent a limited edition like this would appreciate or depreciate in value, but since I've never seen one of these for sale, that's the only number I have to go on.

I think it's in quite good condition. There's a small dent in the top horn (visible in the photos), the knobs are lightly weathered, and the Parker logo on the headstock has faded a bit. Other than that, it still looks gorgeous, and more importantly it still plays so beautifully that every time I pick it up I start to reconsider parting with it!

Nonetheless, I'd love to know if anyone here has a better guess as to what this guitar might be worth, and if anyone knows exactly how many of these there are. I'd be happy to provide additional photos if you're curious.

Thanks all!

Hey @BurningNorth,

Welcome to the forum! Quite a gem you’ve got there!! Yes, @Ken Parker does indeed check this forum, and I’ll ping him on this.

This is, indeed, a rarer one-off insofar as the unique treatments; it’s a Fly Jazz model, which has the same wood combination as a Fly Classic. I can’t tell in the photo, but I’m assuming the frets are also gold, correct? There’s a really interesting approach they used to bond gold to the stainless steel frets (and, of course, the pole pieces on the DiMaRzIo pickups, and so on).

In terms of market value, a Fly like this should fetch $4,500—in fact, I think everyone on this site knows these guitars should fetch much more than that! A collector might want to buy this for $4,500, but, it is effectively a hardtail Fly Classic, so, beyond the collector market, my guess is that the actual market would be willing to pay up to $3k and under $4k. Again: unless someone really wants this model. Rarer Flys in terms of wood combinations or other distinct models have sold for less. Without a doubt: given everything that went into that instrument, it deserves to be sold for much more, but it’s a niche market at this price point, and, it seems, the same few hundred Fly obsessives keep selling the same guitars to eachother through the internet

If you decide to sell this on Reverb or eBay, $4,500 is not unreasonable, but it may sit there for a while. You’ll also need to be prepared for low-ball offers. I believe a Fly Jazz sold a few years ago for about $2,800 on Reverb, but, if I recall correctly, it was listed for a couple years.

You’re welcome to sell it here, and I/we can help spread the word about; just, kindly, decide on an asking price that you’re comfortable with. It really is a beautiful instrument, and it brought a smile to my face to see it, so thanks for sharing!

This was the Fly Jazz listing I referenced above that I remembered seeing a while back:

https://reverb.com/item/7167787-parker- ... piezo-rare

Yours looks like it’s in better condition, so that’s a plus; also looks like this was being sold outside the U.S., which also makes yours more desirable.

I think this sold just last year, but I recall seeing it up there for a long while. The seller ultimately dropped the price to the $2,300ish and it sold.


And, of course, while we’re talking about this: someone just posted a Fly Jazz on Reverb:

https://reverb.com/item/36246963-parker ... herry-2000

Oh wow, thank you so much @vjmanzo! You've already helped me more in two forum posts than weeks of googling and poking around the dark recesses of the internet. The Fly Jazz comparison clarifies a lot of things, actually. The frets are just standard stainless steel, but everything else is gold, much like that newer Fly Jazz listing you posted.
I'm glad to know my guess at its value wasn't off the mark. Thankfully I don't need to sell it urgently, so I'll probably take your advice, list it initially for $4,500, and just be patient. I may have a chat with my local guitar shop about listing it through them, since they have more social media reach than I do. Regardless, I'm not in any sort of hurry, so I'll take my time before deciding. Naturally, if anyone on these forums is interested, I'd be super excited to sell it here! What's most important to me is ensuring that #13 finds a home that appreciates its uniqueness.

One thing I will have to do is take higher-quality photos, so when I do that, I'll be sure to share those here as well. This is a very photogenic guitar.

Happy to help! That’s a great instrument and I’m sure others here saw your images and drooled a bit!

The serial number suggests, as you noted, that this is from the brief period when “refinements” were introduced to the Fly and Ken was still at the helm. Having his autograph on it is a pretty cool!

hello,
nice Fly !
well as far as i‘ll know they where limited to 25.
two years ago one was sold for 1500€ on bay...

10 years anniversary. Parker Fly No 19 of 25.(Prototype Mojo)This is a limited edition of only 25 pieces.Signed by Ken Parker.Like Mojo but without tremolo.Dimarzio pickups.Gold Hard wear.I have some of the gold hardwear replaced by black, because I find it visually better.The original parts but are there and can be reattached without problems.Comes with Orginalkoffer.Light signs of use,no dents or cracks.Color is black.
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