the Fly Clone Project

Status Key*:
modeled — we have modeled this part and can fabricate it
in development — we're working on it
adapted — we have created a modified version based on the original design
sourced — a link to a comparable replacement part or a third-party maker
*This post will be updated regularly as the project continues; we will confirm all sourced parts and modeled parts in due time. Please note that we are currently still confirming sourced parts, so please message me directly if you can contribute in this capacity.

See this post for info on how parts changed through the years.

Note: the Fly Clone Project is a research project intended to maintain, recreate, and adapt parts used on original and early USM Parker Fly guitars; if you are looking for stock OEM parts, we strongly recommend that you contact Mike Gallenberger at Gman.music on Reverb or wiguitar on eBay to see if the part you need is available in his stock.

Vibrato Bridge Components
—Here is a post describing how the Fly vibrato bridge "floats"

-Vibrato bridge with short edge (for original Fly) — modeled
-Vibrato bridge with long edge (for refined Fly) — modeled
-Three-ridge Spring Plate with Bumper (for original Fly) — modeled
-Three-ridge Spring Plate without Bumper (for refined Fly) — modeled
-Bridge Bearings (for original Fly) — sourced
-Bridge Bearings (for refined Fly) — source forthcoming
-Bridge Bearing Posts (longer version) — modeled
-Bridge Bearing Posts (shorter version) — modeled
-Bridge Post Bushing (longer version) — modeled
-Bridge Post Bushings (shorter version) — forthcoming
-Bridge Post Stabilization Rings — modeled
-C-Rings — sourced
-Hex Screw — source forthcoming
-Three-ridge Spring Plate Screw — source forthcoming
-Long Tension Screw — modeled | adapted
-Washer for Long Tension Screw — sourced
-Notched Body Insert for Long Tension Screw — in development
-Step Stop with latch (for original Fly) — modeled
-Step Stop with hole (for refined Fly) — modeled
-Step Stop anchor screw — sourced
-Tension Wheel — modeled
-Rubberized Tension Wheel (for original Fly) — in development
-T-Bar — modeled
-Vibrato Arm Bushing (rounded for refined Fly) — modeled | Custom Made to Order
-Vibrato Arm Bushing (hex for original Fly) — in development
-Vibrato Arm (rounded for refined Fly) — Custom Made to Order
-Vibrato Arm (hex for refined Fly) — Custom Made to Order | This DIY Guide
-Set Screw for Vibrato arm (for original Fly) — sourced
-Set Screw for Vibrato arm (without tip) — sourced
-Flat Springs — in development

Hardtail Bridge Components
—Here is a post describing how the Fly hardtail bridge height adjustment works

-Hardtail bridge — modeled
-Clamp screws (#10-32 R&L x 5/8) — sourced
-Threaded inserts for clamp screws in body — sourced

Saddles
—Here is a post describing the different Fly saddle versions

-String saddles w/screw-style string aligner (for original Fly) — in development | adapted
-String saddles w/dogbone-style string aligner (for original Fly) — in development | adapted
-String saddles w/notched string aligner (for refined Fly) — modeled | adapted
-Saddle Mounting Screws — sourced

Electronics and Knobs
—Note about electronics cavities: all pots have a 3/8” hole; all switches have a 7/16” hole, the red piezo switch cavity is a 1/2” hole
—Note about switches: all original switch shaft heights were 3/4" tall


-Flexible Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (original Fly) — adapted
-Master Volume Pot 10k (original Fly) — sourced | Alt: (TOCOS A10kX2 DCJ - Stereo 10k audio taper; TP96G00 25SK A103 A103 25mm long shaft, Bushing diam 9mm, shaft diam 6mm)
-Magnetic Pickup Volume Pot 500k — sourced
-Magnetic Pickup Tone Pot 250k — sourced
-Magnetic Pickup Push/Pull Tone Pot 250k and coil split (refined Fly) — source forthcoming
-Piezo Pickup Volume Pot — sourced
-Piezo Pickup Concentric (stacked) Volume/Tone Pot (original Fly) — source forthcoming
-Piezo Pickup Concentric (stacked) Tone/Tone Pot (Fly Concert/Nylon) — source forthcoming
-Three-way magnetic pickup switch (on-on-on) [original by C&K] — sourced (7411T1CWZBE2)
-Three-way piezo/magnetic pickup switch (on-off-on)[original by C&K] — sourced (7103T1CWCBE)
-Output Jack (flush mounted) — sourced | sourced
-Output Jack Surface mount — source forthcoming
-Stereo-switch Button Housing (original Fly) — modeled
-Rubber Knobs (original Fly) — comparably sourced (Davies 1106-WA) | modeled
-Rubber Concentric (stacked) knobs (original Fly) — in development
-Dome Knobs (refined Fly) — sourced
-Stereo-switch Button — sourced Note: these switches work just fine (and the original red cap even fits on them!), but they have metal “ears” extending radially from the outside of the switch. We determined that the ears were causing the latch to hang on the outer tube housing, so we filed the ears off by hand in five minutes and, with the ears gone, the switch was free to move in the housing.




Pickups
—Here is a post describing the different Fly pickup options

-DiMarzio Pickups — sourced Note: Dimarzio will wind nearly any pickups in their lineup in a baseplate format that can be installed in a Fly
-Seymour Duncan Pickups (for Fly Mojos and most post-2013 Flys) — sourced Note: Seymour Duncan humbuckers will fit any Fly with existing routing for Seymour Duncan pickups, which includes all Fly Mojos and most Flys made after 2013; you will need to carefully remove the mounting tabs from the side. A “trembucker”-spaced pickup must be used in the bridge position.
-Graphtech Piezo Pickup/System (for all Piezo-equipped Flys and NiteFlys) — PK-0240-00 Graphtech Ghost Acoustic-Phonic Preamp | PN-8011-00 Graphtech saddles
-Fishman Undersaddle Piezo Pickup/System (for Nylon/Spanish Fly) — Fishman Powerjack Preamp | Fishman AGX-125 undersaddle pickup
-Pickup Baseplate and Assembly — modeled
-Pickup Mount, 5-40 threaded wood inserts — sourced | sourced (alternate 4-40 to retap)
-Dimarzio Pickup Pole Pieces — sourced
-Pickup Baseplate Mounting Foam — sourced

Backplates and Related
-Backplate (original Fly with vibrato bridge) — modeled
-Backplate (original Fly with fixed bridge) — modeled
-Backplate (refined Fly) — modeled
-Screws for backplate — sourced
-Battery compartment for backplate-mounting — source forthcoming
-Battery compartment "in body" cover (original Fly) — modeled
-Battery compartment "in body" screws (original Fly) — sourced
-Battery compartment "in body" screw insert (original Fly) — sourced

Headstock
—Here is a post describing the different Fly nuts

-Sperzel all short-post non-graduated inline locking tuners with #5 button — sourced
-Nut — modeled


Strap
-Strap End-Pin — sourced
-Strap End-Pin Screws — sourced (upper horn) | sourced (bottom)
-Strap Pin Felt Washers — sourced


Neck
—Here is a post where Ken describes the Fly fret material

-Fretboard — in development
-Stainless Steel Frets — in development
See also this post where Ken describes the fingerboard.

Tools (included with Fly)
-T-Wrench 3/32" Hex Adjustment Tool — sourced
-Truss Rod T-27 Torx Adjustment Tool — sourced
-Bridge Height 5/32" Hex Adjustment Tool — sourced
-Step Stop 1/8" Round Bar Adjustment Tool — sourced
-"Bullwinkle" guitar hanger — modeled | Custom Made to Order

Cases and other Accessories
-Hiscox Case (unbranded) — sourced (UK-based) sourced (US-based)*
*$279 50% non-refundable deposit plus the cost of shipping
-TRS Cable (split magnetic pickups and piezo) — sourced

Finishes/Paint
-Fly Refinishing — Read this thread
-Fly Paint Codes/Colors - Read this thread




Credits:
This component of the project would not be possible without Ken Parker (of Ken Parker Archtops—formerly Parker Guitars), many Fly Clone forum members, and the exceptional students in my research lab: Alan Hunt, Nathan Rose, Tom Ward, Colin Mashack, Brent Reissman, Shintaro Clanton, Ben Watkins, Ryan Eastwood, Lorenzo Castoldi, Avery Ingegneri, Shane Whittaker, Evan Duffy, Palawat Busaranuvong, Michael DeFrancesco, Ruyue Wang, Abby O'Sullivan, Sam Joy, Nathan Sarachick, Ryan Tougas, and the Lab RATs.
And of course: you!

I recently replaced all pots of a original fly as well as the pickup selector.
Here is what I used:
The switch used in the origial fly deluxe: https://www.thomann.de/de/dimarzio_ep_1111.htm

Piezo Tone/Vol Pot (unfortunately wrong direction when truning, but works) https://www.musikding.de/Alpha-Poti-9mm ... nzentrisch
Since the pot is to small, the axes need to be extended. Thus I used this with epoxy glue to enlarge the outer axis:
https://www.musikding.de/Aufsatz-4mm-6mm
and used the original inner axis where I drilled a whole in and also glued it on the new smaler axis with epoxy glue.
The Pot in general is also to small to put it into the body directly.
Thus I drilled a small piece of metal on the inner side where I placed the pot in.
To use the original knobs I had to rub a nut into the extension of the outer ring.
Now the pot is replaced with a lot of work.

This is the combined Vol pot, I used: https://www.reichelt.de/drehpotentiomet ... ol_1&nbc=1
This is the Mag Vol pot, I used: https://www.reichelt.de/drehpotentiomet ... ol_6&nbc=1
This is the Mag Tone pot, I used: https://www.thomann.de/de/allparts_ep_5 ... ni_pot.htm

Small note: to use the original Fly Knobs, the holes need to be extended by drilling. After that the knobs need to be glued on the axis of the pots, or, like I did it: Use a small piece of metal piepe in the correct diameter. Drill a small screw into it and place it in the knob. Now the pots can be screwd onto the pot axis.

If you need pics, let me know.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.
Best regards
Chris

Excellent.
This just makes me want to play "outside" out instead of "inside" in.

Thanks for sharing that info, @Klampfer!

That’s mostly correct, but I know a couple original parts on my 97 classic are a little different, and I have sources exact replacements. I’ma luthier and bit of a fly guy myself and do a fair amount of work on them. I’ll look up where I got those parts and share if you care to add it to your list.

Musikron wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:39 pm I’ll look up where I got those parts and share if you care to add it to your list.

Thanks, @Musikron; your help is absolutely welcome and appreciated!

This is a really great resource. thanks guys.

I notice that the output jack is still showing as to be confirmed. Is there any news on this? I want to replace the output jack on my 96 Deluxe but seem to remember that they are quite specific and difficult to locate. Am I remembering this correctly or losing my marbles

Thanks @Wheresthedug; we have this modeled and, somewhat related, we designed a new T4RS jack around the same shape/size.

As far as an immediate replacement, Fishman still makes this jack and sells it with many of their products; I don’t think it can be bought separately though. I bought a Fishman AGX-125 Pickup recently, and that jack had the same dimensions as the one in our Flys.

Hope this helps! Let us know how it goes!

Is this correct one?

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... -jack.html

Actually, on further digging it looks like the Fishman is a rebranded Switchcraft 4 connector stereo end pin. Could this be the case?

Would this work? If so it would be a lot cheaper for us folks in the UK and Europe than ordering from Stewmac.

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-B ... gLh1fD_BwE





Alan

If i had to bet, I’d bet that was it!! If you end up buying it, and you can confirm that this is a suitable replacement, I’ll update the post above, so others will know.

Will do

I’ll order today and let you know how it goes.

Wheresthedug wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:08 am Is this correct one?

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... -jack.html

Actually, on further digging it looks like the Fishman is a rebranded Switchcraft 4 connector stereo end pin. Could this be the case?

Would this work? If so it would be a lot cheaper for us folks in the UK and Europe than ordering from Stewmac.

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-B ... gLh1fD_BwE
Alan

As vj says, those look right. I'm wondering about the end-cap. I think they're interchangeable, but I'd like to find a source for the flush one that Parker used on the Fly, since we don't need our strap to hook over this. Also, I'm hoping to find a source for the wrench that can tighten the flush cap for this jack. If the jack is loose, it will shred the circuit tape when your guitar cord rotates. I'm looping my cord over the strap to stop that, but it's easy to forget.

Brian

What about the actual trem spring itself? That was the only part I didnt see listed for the trem system. And just so happens that I would like to get a couple in each different size if anyone has a source.

Hi @iroc07; the flat springs are, in fact, listed.

You can follow the development in this thread

:: added a brief video to the original post in which Ken elaborates on the use of carbon fiber and fiberglass on the Fly ::

I have an 02 NFV-M and it seems the output "smartswitch" jack has failed. I didn't see a replacement at the Stewmac link. Can someone please point me to a resource to buy a replacement for the jack alone. Fishman doesn't sell direct to consumers. Thanks in advance.

@writewheel, the smart-switching occurs in the preamp, so the Switchcraft jack linked above is most likely the one you need.

@vjmanzo VJ I bought a Fly Mojo 2011. It's my first 'post-refined' Fly. I'm a little concerned because the Piezo/Mag pickup selector only has two positions. The back position is piezo only (works); the forward position is magnetic only (works); but the middle position should be the mix between piezo and magnetics (just like in a pre-refined) and it doesn't produce any sound at all. So the middle position turns off all the sound. I have to either select the back position for the piezo or the forward position for the magnetics. I was wonder if you could comment with your thoughts on this. Again, it's my first 'post-refined' but it should be basically like all of my 'pre-refined'. I'm thinking the selector was changed by a two position selector where the middle means OFF rather than the original 3-way selector ON ON ON.

Alejandro wrote: ↑Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:33 am I'm thinking the selector was changed by a two position selector where the middle means OFF rather than the original 3-way selector ON ON ON.

Given what you’ve shared, this is most likely the case. Fortunately, any generic, Gibson-style ON-ON-ON selector switch will replace it.

Alternatively, a 4PDT selector switch such as the Dimarzio EP1111 can be wired so that the “mag” selection bypasses the Fishman preamp and battery (a mod I wish Parker themselves had standardized).

Awesome. Is there a way to figure out the wiring of these 'post-refined' Mojos with graph-tech preamp? The Gibson switch is the easy part. The thing is to get the original wiring done right and not screw up the guitar lol