the Fly Clone Project

Hey everyone! I recently traded a 2007 Fender Jaguar Bass for this Parker guitar. I was wondering if anyone can help identify exactly what model and year it is. The previous owner was told that it was a 2012 limited run model in a rare color. I posted it on other sites and got answers from its the lowest end model with a custom paintjob and upgraded pickups to its a rare custom model. What also is throwing everyone off is the serial number is 9 digits long with nothing about being made in the USA anywhere. The pickups were upgraded to fishman fluence killswitch engage signature pickups.
Thanks everyone!!!

I think it's closest to an imported PDF85 with a custom paint job and aftermarket Fluence pups installed. Originally sold for about $800, IIRC. Similar to a USA DF622, but:
The tuning keys are imports, not Sperzels (of course, they could be non-original)
The neck bolt pattern looks like the import version, not the USA made bolt ons. See attachment, and note the spacing between the rightmost bolt and the rest. I tried putting a DF neck on a PDF body once and ran into this difference. If the neck hadn't been painted over, you could see whether it was flatsawn (import) or quartersawn (USA), and the imports used imported instead of USA Seymour Duncan pickups. There might be further info in the pup cavities or neck pocket if you ever decide to have a peek and any marks weren't painted over, but I couldn't tell you what to look for. Imports also didn't use steel frets, so if you start to see corrosion or wear, there's another clue.

So, it's not a rare custom USA model. Sorry. But it's not the cheapest import, either. It has the vibrato, and the knob layout and battery compartment say it has the piezo pickups in the bridge. Also, it has the ergonomic neck heel, not the squarish one found on the lowest imports. I have a PDF80 and think it's a sweet guitar, but it's odd to shell out the $$ for a custom paint job and Fluence pups at this level. Also, all of the imports with trem and Piezo had flame or quilt veneers, so why paint over that? Still, with the upgrades I'll bet it's a sweet sounding & playing guitar.

As for the serial, imports had a 9 digit serial, which may have been added back when refinishing. I think it does indicate a 2012, and the PDF85 model was made that year. One other note; this shape was referred to as a Dragonfly, a Maxxfly, a DF, or a PDF. It's never been called a Fly, so the graphic wouldn't be factory.

TheWaltzilla17 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 11:32 pm …help identify exactly what model and year it is.

I noticed that you have this instrument listed for sale on eBay.

Perhaps you’d consider revising the listing title and description since it is, in fact, not a Fly?

According to the concurrent listings on Reverb and Facebook, "everyone is stumped on the exact Fly model."

Though I understand that the waterslide "Fly Guitar" decal pictured and linked below would seem to be a clear indicator of SKU, in this case it's a red herring: The reason for the confusion is that there's no reason for a decal specific to US-built Fly guitars to be on what seems to be an Indonesian-built, non-Fly guitar (as indicated by the serial, tuners, and what appears to be a slab ebony fretboard). Additionally, I don't recall any other commercially produced bolt-on Parker necks in that style being painted. I'm essentially +1ing everything jester700 pointed out.
_files/Documents/Parker_Fly_Waterslides.pdf

Should there happen to be a "Sims" signature in a pickup rout, or in the neck pocket or control cavity, that would pin it down as a refinish by Patrick Sims (who would have used the same paint and decals to refinish Roy Smith's Fly). I'm not claiming that it must be a refinish - Just that it would be sufficient explanation for these incongruities. Were it indeed a "rare custom model", the labels would still conform to production standards to do with the model name and country of origin (Hence "Customized" being what I'd guess). There's a similar situation with the purported "Prototype" Parker bass that's been for sale.

Bump. This guitar was confirmed to have been refinished by Dave Vogele (of Vogele Custom Guitars, Granger Indiana) in the Parker Guitars FB group:


Per Jester700's helpful insights and cited evidence, I feel the guitar is strongly confirmed to be an Indonesian-made, 2012 PDF85 (serial 120905937) which Dave Vogele has confirmed having added an incongruous Fly logo to in the course of refinishing the body and neck green. Dave claims to forego the need for decals by way of using digitally produced stencils to spray the serial digits, "Fly" logo, and side fret markers on.

...and now this zombie guitar is up on Reverb again, from a different seller:
https://reverb.com/item/82222709-parker ... -green-ogb

jester700 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2024 11:56 am ...and now this zombie guitar is up on Reverb again, from a different seller:
https://reverb.com/item/82222709-parker ... -green-ogb

Though this isn't right in any case, a retail store which failed to do its diligence in recognizing what is essentially a fraudulently misrepresented counterfeit finding itself the speculator left holding the hot potato still feels less cruel to behold than if it was a naive individual believing they had purchased their first Fly - Not that Lovie's is going to revise the listing any more than pricing it above what they paid. This is also, incidentally, the first Fly they'll sell which their included fretboard cleaner can actually be used with. As always, caveat emptor.

Perhaps Lovie's will acquire this Fly, next:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R7i-mYTRX4

mmmguitar wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2024 12:58 pm Though this isn't right in any case, a retail store which failed to do its diligence in recognizing what is essentially a fraudulently misrepresented counterfeit finding itself the speculator left holding the hot potato still feels less cruel to behold than if it was a naive individual believing they had purchased their first Fly - Not that Lovie's is going to revise the listing any more than pricing it above what they paid. This is also, incidentally, the first Fly they'll sell which their included fretboard cleaner can actually be used with. As always, caveat emptor.

Yeah. I messaged them with the info and a link to our discussion here, but... I doubt they'll revise. I have no problem letting Reverb know, but I'm not sure they'd care.

Perhaps Lovie's will acquire this Fly, next:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R7i-mYTRX4

Wow. That's the worst. Looks like the only Parker trait they kept was the broken knuckle. I bet that weighs 8 lbs.

jester700 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 03, 2024 1:15 pm I messaged them with the info and a link to our discussion here, but... I doubt they'll revise.

Thanks for trying to help them out. I've previously messaged Lovie's to alert them when their active listings are being cloned by scammers, and they never reply - Now I just skip straight to reporting the listings, with a link to the page being cloned.

I fear the market's going to increasingly consist of DF524s, PDF100s, P-44s, and Nitefly Ms listed as "Flys" for $3,000+ asking prices, which the broader community will conspicuously never seem to note; because the usual speculators are only willing to regard this as signifying that their real Fly must have once again appreciated another 100% in the month and a half that they've owned it without noticing that the truss rod is maxed out, they can't see that the spring has the wrong rating for their string set because it's installed backwards, the neck pickup buzzes when they touch the polepieces, the piezo signal comes through even when the volume pot is turned to 0, there are three frets lifting on the high e side, the serial number indicates that the guitar was in fact not built in 1989, or that there are a dozen new headstock chips from wearing the guitar into the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror.

They haven't noticed these defects, because they've been busy spamming the same two front-facing photos of their acquisition in the comments of every unrelated FB group post asking a specific tech question, before replying to any form of acknowledgement that it's "by far" the best guitar they've ever owned, it's ++MINT++, and that they'd "be willing to part with it for $4,700"; because their Legend of Zelda-themed 9 string Aristides build "will be finished, soon" - Which someone working the same angle will reply to with "That's a good price."