the Fly Clone Project

Hello all,

I just purchased a '95 Fly Deluxe online. Everything looks ok but when I play it the back of the neck feels a little rough, as if I can actually see & feel the carbon fiber through the paint. It's only down the neck and some of the rear body, the rest of the guitar feels smooth .. Do you guys think this was maybe sanded or painted? or something else?? Could I get it back to a smooth finish?? If it was painted they did a stellar job but I dont think so ... I took a bunch of pics to try & illustrate this ... let me knw what you guys think

Congrats on the Fly, @EBParker. You’re correct that the neck finish should be a smooth gloss. Assuming the “rough” spots amount to nothing more severe than uneven poly, you could smooth that out with some 800 grit paper and proceed with higher grits to your preferred degree of satin or gloss.

It looks like a factory finish to me - Does anyone else wonder if perhaps this was an employee “second”?

Thx for the reply.. Yea I read somewhere to try & use 0000 steel wool .. I've owned probably like 8 Pre refined Fly's & never seen this before. Im nervous to start at 800 cause I dnt want to mess anything up .. Its not uneven just gritty feeling. A bit smooth but with a slight bumpy feel if thats makes sense .. its kinda like if you were to paint something with a roller instead of spray can. Lets see if others hv experienced this before

What is an employee second?

EBParker wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 6:13 pm What is an employee second?

According to factory employees from that era of production, Flys and Niteflys which couldn’t meet final QC standards for whatever reason were offered up as “seconds”/B stock for employees to buy or complete themselves at a discount. It’s resulted in a number of oddities from the Ken era turning up on eBay and Reverb which could plausibly explain why yours has a textured finish (from the photos, it almost looks like “orange peel” which would have been sent back to the paint dept to re-do).

I didn’t mean to suggest that you had to go as rough as 800 grit to smooth the neck out - That was merely my first thought upon seeing the photos. 0000 steel wool is good for restoring a satin neck which has glossed from regular use - But the thought of using it to level a rough finish makes my elbow hurt. Still, you may as well start with a grit as high as you’re comfortable trying.

mmmguitar wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 6:56 pm According to factory employees from that era of production, Flys and Niteflys which couldn’t meet final QC standards for whatever reason were offered up as “seconds”/B stock for employees to buy or complete themselves at a discount.

I’ve heard Ken and others contradict this outright and state clearly that some employees stole incomplete instruments from the factory in Wilmington. I’ve asked Ken about a few specific instruments that have surfaced on Reverb and eBay through the years only to confirm, without a doubt, that the statements the sellers used like “Ken let me take this home” were false.

EBParker wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:12 pm …as if I can actually see & feel the carbon fiber through the paint…

The layer beneath the finish and primer would be fiberglass, not carbon fiber.

vjmanzo wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:58 pm the statements the sellers used like “Ken let me take this home” were false.

, indeed. I now wonder if every “second” I’ve seen from that era has been an example of blatant theft.

EBParker wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:12 pm …as if I can actually see & feel the carbon fiber through the paint…

The layer beneath the finish and primer would be fiberglass, not carbon fiber.
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Yes. Fiber glass thanks for the correction. Do you have any suggestions??

Also if you guys have any suggestions for great painters of these great guitars please let me know. I live in the NYC area and many years ago I sent a guitar over to Shazrock who did a phenomenal job but I dnt think Sharon is doing it anymore. Thanks

EBParker wrote: ↑Mon Dec 04, 2023 12:08 am Also if you guys have any suggestions for great painters of these great guitars please let me know. I live in the NYC area and many years ago I sent a guitar over to Shazrock who did a phenomenal job but I dnt think Sharon is doing it anymore. Thanks

I'm afraid that, at the moment, I can't be much more helpful than confirming that Sharon/Shazrock officially stopped painting Flys in recent years, as well as warning you away from Patrick Sims. Many of us have been waiting for a reputable painter or company to step up or be endorsed.

Edit: Dave Vogele of Vogele Custom Guitars, Granger Indiana has since reached out to this poster in the Parker Guitars FB group.

Correction,

Not fiberglass,,,carbon. Here's a pic clearly showing that it is carbon. Of course US Music may have used fiberglass. They did a lot of dumb things !

Best Painter,
I just talked with Chris Raposa. Chris was the first painter at Parker, (92-95) He was the best painter Parker ever had.

Chris is in RI, has set up a paint studio. You might be able to have him paint your Parker. It won't be cheap because he's a perfectionist. If you are interested email him at chrisrap388@gmail.com. He is reorganizing his paint booth so won't be back to painting until early 2024. He is on the road with a band a lot so don't expect immediate results!

marvin wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 11:09 am Correction, not fiberglass,,,carbon.

Thanks, @marvin—and what a great photo!!

@Ken Parker confirmed that in the very early days there was a lot of carbon used on the back of the Fly, but that very soon the amount of carbon used was minimized to just a thin 1" strip with the entire back then being covered with fiberglass:

https://youtu.be/5v__CgvaBkM?si=dUoRmUZehU0vNzYm


Do you recall this differently?

I stand corrected ! I left in 1994 and that change was after my tenure.