the Fly Clone Project

Hey everyone,

I’m upgrading the pickups on my 96 Fly Classic.

I just got a bridge HB and a neck p90 from Vintage Vibe.

Trying to wire the to the 3 position switch. Original Dimarzios had 5 leads. My new HB has 4 and the P90 has 2.

Any help in this would be greatly appreciated.

Let’s see what we’re working with:

-Are you using the original 12 contact selector switch, and did you unsolder the old pickup leads without knowing the function of the wires you removed? I ask because you use “had” in reference to the original wires. If the original pickups are still soldered to the switch, this will be easier to explain.

-Do you know which color wires correspond to start and finish on the pickups Pete made for you?

If you’re using the original switch, let’s number and divide the 12 contacts/pins as:

1 – 2 – 3
4 – 5 – 6
——————
7 – 8 – 9
10 -11 -12

Let's think of 1-6 as routing the start wires of our two pickups, and 7-12 as routing the finish and series connection wires.

The original switch uses coil splits in position 2. Your P90 won’t split; so your only choice is if you want the humbucker to still split when it’s combined with the P90.

-Let's presume your neck P90 start wire goes to pin 6, and its finish wire to 10. Pin 7 is unused in your case; because it is the coil split pin that the green and red wires from the original neck pickup were soldered to.

-Your bridge humbucker start wire can go to pin 1, and its finish wire to pin 9. If you want the pickup to split in position 2, solder the series-connected wires to pin 12.

If you can let me know the wire colors and functions of your new pickups, I can post a crude MS Paint diagram of the switch.

Thanks mmmGuitar.

Still using the stock 3 way switch.
Here’s a diagram of my VIntage Vibe humbucker.

Pretty much got it figured out but would still appreciate your color coded diagram.

HB sounds good but has a high feedback squeal when I’m not playing. Maybe it’s just a brighter pickup than I’m used to.

Split HB with P90 in middle position is pretty anemic.

How would I go full HB with the p90 in middle position?

@Xrocker, clip or unsolder the humbucker series connection wires from pin 12 and put a piece of electrical tape over the end of their connection (they need to remain braided/soldered together) to keep it from shorting against anything in the cavity.

This diagram, though not perfect*, is better than the one I was drawing up:
It looks like Pete uses red for hot, black for ground, and white/green for series. The single coils on his site appear to only use black and white, though; so I'm only assuming white is what he uses for his P90 hot. If you remove the white/green wires from pin 12 and tape them off only to find the pickups out of phase when combined (which I mention in case that's what's happening with your "anemic" sound), swap the start and finish wires of one of the pickups. Concerning your bridge humbucker squealing - If it's only the one pickup squealing under high-ish gain, it's possible your humbucker isn't potted due to Pete going for something like a 50's-style PAF.

*Parker/Dimarzio wire insulation colors are era-specific, rather than function-specific. Dimarzio has stuck with red, green, black and white colors, but their function can vary (e.g. how one must wire the Fly pickups in order for them to play nice with one another).

Update: After browsing his site, credit for the original diagram drawing appears to go to FlyClone member JMStaehli.

Thanks for all your help!

I’m going to try swapping the leads around today and see if I can get a better middle position sound.

Great info, @mmmguitar! I linked this post from the main Pickups post! Really helpful info

#PickupWiring

Thanks to @mmmguitar I’ve got my old Fly Classic sounding better than ever!

Reversed the polarity on the P90 and kept the coil split on the HB and now it quacks like a duck. Just fantastic!

I’ve never had a P90 before and I’m already getting better edge of breakup tones than I’ve ever had.

My high gain problem was the ground braid from the HB making contact with the Fishman board. I’m really digging the HB now. So much more clarity, and musicality than the stock Dimarzios.

Great to hear, @Xrocker! Congrats!! And way to go, @mmmguitar!

Would love to see and hear this axe in action!! Does the VV P-90 have the same footprint as the stock Dimarzio? Same mounting method?

#PickupPreferences

Awesome, @Xrocker! I second VJ's request for any samples of how the hot-rodded Classic sounds. I often get my P90 fix with my Flys via pickup modeling from Roland 13 pin gear - But there's nothing like the real thing in a guitar as resonant as a Parker.

The diagram I attached was uploaded by a Fly owner on the Seymour Duncan forum around six years ago. I'm afraid I don't know where they obtained the diagram - I happened upon it while trying to research the inconsistent insulation colors used by Dimarzio and Parker once I noticed how random things looked under the hoods of some of my 90s Flys.

I’ll record some clips and get them posted in the next day or so.

Hey guys . Here are a few quick samples of my new Vintage Vibe P90 in my 96 Fly.

So much fun I can’t stand it. Ignore the clams, just trying to get this out quickly.

Here’s a pic of the install.

Fits in perfectly with no routing or modifications at all.
Uses the same hex pole pieces to mount into guitar.

I’ve damn near played it until it fell apart, but I’m giving her a new life. I know it looks like the electric version of Willie Nelson’s guitar.

Super Slick!
The P90 is super chewy and sounds amazing on the surf tune.
Well done.
Damn, I need another classic to dump these pickups in!

I’m in the same boat. Been looking for a years for another dragon fly, but I’m getting everything I want out of these pups.

The quality on the original Flys just can’t be approached

+1 what @Patzag said, @Xrocker! That guitar (and you!) sound terrific!! Wow! I've been thinking about a mod like this for a while, and I have ordered pickups from Pete Biltoft before, so...yeah: I'm so glad this thread exists!

Great selections too, btw! And I love seeing your worn Fly!!

I promised @patzag I’d post a clip of the Humbucker.
Even at brutal amounts of gain it is still shows so much clarity and musicality.

Sounds great, @Xrocker!

Is there a particular model for this/these pickups? Particular magnets? I saw that the P-90s on the Vintage Vibe site come with AlNiCo-II, AlNiCo-III, AlNiCo-V or ceramic-8, so I'm just curious what specs you requested.

I just told Pete that I had a Parker Fly and he said he had a matched set that he would recommend for the best usable tones.

The invoice just says custom P90 and HB for Parker fly.

I’m sure he be happy to explain the differences the options would provide. He was very helpful and easy to talk to in the phone.

Sounds great. Plenty of clarity and punch.
I am wondering though if the humbucker is much different from what the stock DiMarzio could do.