Painting a Parker Fly

[ahmadimran]

I have an idea of asking an artist friend to paint over a Parker Fly, but only if I find one online that is very cosmetically damaged. (I wouldn’t dare do so to any that was still fine as is).

I’m just wondering, what would be the best way to do so? Is dismantling necessary? Or can one just cover up the components with tape?

Also, can one just paint over the guitar straight away or is there more work involved i.e stripping off the current paint job?

Thank you for any advice.

[vjmanzo]

Hi @ahmadimran

The longstanding recommendation for refinishing is to send it to Sharon at Shazrock Paint. Sharon worked at Parker Guitar with Ken in Wilmington and made the journey out to Mundelein to continue with Parker Guitars under USM. She has more experience finishing Flys than anyone. The general tenor of working with Sharon tends to be that she is very busy (naturally), but will periodically take on one-off projects in between larger OEM jobs. You may have to be persistent in following up via phone to get in the queue. FYI--when last I personally spoke with her, she mentioned that she has none of the original materials to add OEM logos and serial numbers. There are certainly other people capable of refinishing the Fly, but Sharon is a no-brainer option in terms of quality.

The main areas of concern for any Fly finish are related to the Flys unique composite materials. As such, chemical stripping and other methods of sanding that are otherwise straightforward for your average guitar are potentially problematic for a Fly. There are many examples of failed Fly finishes out there, so it's best to go with someone experienced.

Would your artist friend do complete refinish or simply paint on top of the Fly? Depending on how much painting you do, you would probably want to remove all of the components first. Again, the more critical concerns are about any chemical or process that could weaken the bond of the frets or fretboard and could damage the composite exoskeleton on the back of the Fly.

[ahmadimran]

Thank you so much. I couldn’t have asked for a better or more complete answer.

It’s not something I will rush into. I feel that this would only be worth doing perhaps on an already damaged Fly as a restoration project.

Hopefully should it be realised, I’ll be able to show the results here one day.

[mmmguitar]

Thank you so much. I couldn’t have asked for a better or more complete answer.

It’s not something I will rush into. I feel that this would only be worth doing perhaps on an already damaged Fly as a restoration project.

Hopefully should it be realised, I’ll be able to show the results here one day.

I have some beater Flys I intend to refinish (a few projects down the line) - We’ll see which of us posts their findings first. So far, my plan is to just gut the body, mask off the board/headstock/routs, scuff the poly, and spray opaque colors over it. I have a serial/logo/fret marker template PDF saved from the Facebook group that I’ll be trying out, as well. I’m hoping that practice in refinishing some other expensive guitars of mine beforehand will give me the confidence to pull off desecrating Ken’s art.

[vjmanzo]

I have some beater Flys I intend to refinish...

I do love a good restoration thread!

Here is a link to the Parker Fly Waterslide template as prepared by @TheGrail. I'm not sure how relevant this info will be, but, for reference, here are some of the PPG paint colors used on some Flys:

[InsideInfo]

You wouldn't happen to know a ballpark of what she charges would you?

[vjmanzo]

I don’t, but I seem to recall $600 or so being the rate others mentioned.

@Ken Parker told me that, in production, about half the cost of an instrument (not just for the Fly) goes into the finish.

[ahmadimran]

I have some beater Flys I intend to refinish (a few projects down the line) - We’ll see which of us posts their findings first. So far, my plan is to just gut the body, mask off the board/headstock/routs, scuff the poly, and spray opaque colors over it. I have a serial/logo/fret marker template PDF saved from the Facebook group that I’ll be trying out, as well. I’m hoping that practice in refinishing some other expensive guitars of mine beforehand will give me the confidence to pull off desecrating Ken’s art.

Excited to see your finished results here!

[InsideInfo]

600 that's not too bad. Wild that it accounts for half the cost!