Parker Guitars Fly Mojo

2003 All already known,

Very good to excellent, still little noisy compared to my favorite Steinberger

First class instrument. Still not so classy as some of it's competitiors. Wood texture is humble.

Don't know.

???

Playing for 25 years, own more than 20 el.guitars (from classic Fenders to very up-to-date custom shop Humpers).
It is hard to hate something on Mojo. It simply lacks some classy elements to become Nr.1, but this is more the matter of taste.
Should be less expensive.
The price in US$ 1700-1850 range would match overall quality of Mojo (for Fly Classic and Deluxe 1400-1500), making it top (not final) choice for guitarist with bigger demands. For that reason, this is my first Parker, seems it could be the last, too.

2003 Parker Fly Mojo
24 Stainless Steel Frets
Color: Green Tea Burst
Magnetic Volume(push-pull coil splitting)/Magnetic Tone/Piezo Volume
Toggle switch for Magnetic Pickups (Bridge/Both/Neck)
Toggle switch for Piezo/Magnetic Pickups (Piezo/Both/Magnetic)
H/H Pickup Configuration
Seymour Duncan JB in the Bridge and A Seymour Duncan Jazz in the Neck
Mahohany Body and Neck with a Composite Fingerboard
VERY unique body style
Custom Parker Bridge (allows free floating, dive only or fixed)
Sperzel Locking tuners
Hard Shell Case/Stereo cable and Strap included.

THE ULTIMATE GUITAR!

This think can cover all sounds you need! Jazz - No Problem.... Blues - yep.... Metal - of course.... Electric Blues - you bet.... Country - EASY! The pickups are perfect! The JB is a medium to hot pickup that has GREAT clarity and the Jazz pickup is clean as a whistle!

I plug this thing into my Mesa Road King and feel like I have died and gone to heaven! The JB is a tad bit noisy when using a lot of distortion, but that is expected of a passive pickup.

Click on the Piezo pickups and bam.... Electric Acoustic! BEAUTIFUL!

This guitar is very versatile and covers a good range of music. Sound wise I can accomplish most any thing!

Guitar was set up damn near perfect from the factory. It came with 9's on it, and I changed it to 11s. The guitar tech swapped out the tension spring..... no problems at all. Pickups adjusted very good, I lose no volume switching between the bridge and neck pickup.

No Flaws at all!

Built road ready! Hardware is very rugged. Has a nice thick solid paint job. Very dependable! Would probably gig without a back up.

TOP NOTCH SERVICE! Parker really knows how to treat a customer. I looked at a Parker Fly Mojo over a weekend. Then I emailed Parker (John Page) asking if I should purchase the one at the store and change the strings to 9s later or order one from them already set up for 11s. He sent me an email, literaly within a couple of minutes, stating that I would be better off buying the one at the store since they are selling so good. I called the store on Wednesday (two days after I emailed Parker (John) and realized that Parker had contacted the store for me and let them know what needed to be done to put 11s on it. Talk about service! John Page @ Parker deserves a RAISE! :)

I have been playing rhythm guitar for a number of years on and off. Within the past 9 months I have been working very hard to become a shredder! This is THE guitar to do it with.... BAR NONE! I own several other guitars that I practice with, but when it comes time to play (not practice) I grab my Parker Fly Mojo! It is a beast! If this guitar was stolen or lost I would DEFINITELY buy another, No questions asked! I love everything about this guitar, with one VERY SMALL exception that I can work with. I would have liked the volume knob to be a little lower from the bridge. As I said this is not a big deal. IMHO, this is the ultimate guitar!

Guitar - Parker Fly Mojo / 2003 / American made / Mahogany body and neck.

Finish - Glossy Clear coat

Controls - volume, 3 way toggle with coil splitting and a 3 way switch to go between piezo / magnet pickups.

Pickups - (2) Seymour Duncan humbuckers

Tuners - Sperzel - Locking Tuners

Parker Tremolo System

Hard Shell Case

It sounds incredible, very full, very versatile! can be used in virtually any situation and sound like it was made for that situation.

The guitar came tuned and ready to play and it plays fantastic. Very impressive!

so far so good, no problems. Has not let me down.

Easy to reach and very helpful with a couple of questions I have had!

I have had the guitar a couple of months and truly it is incredible. I love the tone, the quality of the parts, it's solid and it play great. The only thing I would change is the top horn rubs into my chest a little when I play sitting down.

Made in USA in 2003. I think they're all pretty similar; in any case, mine is pretty much like the other ones reviewed here previously.

I think it is the most thoughtful selection of features, materials, and ease-of-use in any new guitar since the Stratocaster. They have clearly thought through a lot of input from a lot of very demanding customers.

I have owned a Parker Fly for a long time and love the neck and playability, but was dissatisfied with the sound in some settings (especially live, and through any bright amp like a Fender). The Mojo completely changed that perception for me.

I'm a variety freak and this guitar covers more range than any other guitar I know. I own a 335, a Strat, and a Les Paul and at least in my hands the Mojo can create more unique satisfying tones than any one of the others.

I had an "AHA!" experience in the studio with the Mojo that may make the point. I was recording rhythm tracks for a hard, Texas-style blues tune. There were going to be two tracks, one a gritty full-chord strum, one a higher accent part based on James Brown like chords in the upper register. I planned to do the first on a Strat, the second on the Mojo.

We set up the studio?s very favorite guitar, a Bonnie Raitt signature Strat. We put it through a Fender Twin head driving a Marshall bottom, at pretty high volume. I stayed in the recording room and the two engineers and one intern, all guitarists, were in the control room. We got a great sound and recorded the track - a classic Strat sound. Then we prepared the Mojo to do the second part. I was going to use the same amp and speaker combo on a very different, clean setting.

I walked into the recording room and plugged the Mojo into the amp -- same exact settings we had just recorded. I strummed the guitar and literally everyone in the control room jumped up. ?What did you do?? came through the headphones. ?Nothing? I said. ?It?s the Parker.? They literally ran into the recording room and we all stood there, crowded around a too-loud amp. I am not kidding - people?s jaws were hanging open. I cycled through the various pickup combinations, including the one that most closely matched the Strat settings, and we were struck by how superior the sound was in virtually every position (the bass was a little darker on the Mojo, overall). But the tones were EXCELLENT. No tinkly sound. Nothing hollow. Full, thick, biting, beautiful.

I didn?t take time to retrack that track; instead, we changed the amp settings and recorded the clean ?chink? part. Then we changed the settings again, raising the volume, and I played some lead. A great tone readily came up.

I have since used it in numerous amp combinations. I especially like the evenness of volume and "feel" across the various positions. The pull-switch change from single to double coil is great. The sound is rich, full, and variable. Strong when overdriven, rich when played like an archtop.

Parker charges a lot of money, and they deliver a guitar in perfect shape.

Historically I thought the Parker battery-holder was completely brain-damaged, and I personally don't think a guitarist like me should have the opportunity to mess everything up by playing with the neck adjustment dial. But compared to the Fly, this guitar is simpler and cleaner and seems a lot harder to damage when trying to replace a 9V in the middle of a gig.

The finish is outstanding and seems robust. Never had a problem with my Fly, which has been played a ton.

They're trying to make a name for themselves and they go all out.

I've been playing 39 years, have played many many guitars. To me, this is an important new guitar. It combines the unmatched playability of the Parker neck -- there is nothing like the Parker neck and fretboard, in my opinion -- and the resonance of the sculpted wood body, with brand new Duncan electronics for a much improved sound. Owning the guitars I do, if I had to keep only one, this would be it. I'm sure it costs a lot to make the guitar, but if they could bring the price down $1000 and get Guitar Center behind the product, this guitar would sell enough copies to put pressure on Fender and Gibson to innovate and not just reissue.

This Parker Fly Mojo was made on July 25, 2003 in Mass. USA and is absolutely loaded with feature after feature...
* 24 Stainless Steel frets (no dead spots and should last decades)
* Carbon/Glass fingerboard is the ultimate.... smooth, fast and NO dead spots!.. This is easily the best playing guitar I've ever seen.
* Incredibly easy access to upper frets
* Weighs only 5 pounds! -my strap/straplocks are heavier!
* Sperzel locking tuners -string changes under 5 minutes max!
* Tremelo that can be set for floating (floyd rose), down only (strat) or fixed (les paul).. GREAT for alternate tunings or if a string breaks during a song. This can be set on the fly (no pun intended).
* Seymour Duncan Jazz (neck) and JB (bridge) pickups - Infinately better than the DiMarzios being used on all other Flys :)
* Option for Split Coil for each Humbucker (total of 6 pickup combinations)
* Incredible acoustic sound when using piezo thru pa system!
* 200 hours of battery life
* Better knob and toggle switch placement from older Flys
* Good custom form fitted hardshell case (looks to be made for Parker by SKB)
* Includes stereo cable

How could this not get a 10?

I've checked out Parker Flys for years and always wanted to WANT one... especially the way they all play -just phenominal! In the end, the DiMarzio pickups always swayed me from buying one :( I just didn't like the way they sounded. Too bright (for my tastes) and too harsh when breaking into overdrive or slight crunch. I've always loved Seymour Duncan pickups and always wondered why the Flys never offered those?... especially since the pickups installed are not a standard size and can't be easily swapped out for Duncans :(

Probably 150 guitars into my search for a new instrument (see my recent review for my 1991 Kramer Sustainer), someone must have been listening to my prayers... I stumbled across Ed Romans web site and found that others seemed to share my opinion about the DiMarzio pickups... Ed seemed to dislike the DiMarzios as much as I do, but he actually found a way to install Duncans!.. and claimed the sound was "creamier"... "warmer".. better crunch.. just a better sound... and I wanted one of these soooo bad! About an hour later I discovered Parker had a new model -the newly designed Fly MOJO, which offered an all mahogany body AND neck (warm sounding).. and SEYMOUR DUNCAN pickups!

I immediately drove from Cincinnati to Meridian Music in Indianapolis (they always take care of me, so I like to return the favor!) and paid for my new Mojo... unfortunately, it hadn't been built yet :(

To make a long story short... This HAS to be the ultimate electric guitar that exists on planet earth! Seriously. I've played soooo many guitars that it's insane and owned 25 to 30 over the years. Nothing plays like that Mojo (including my Kramer -that I am in love with).

About sound....Great crunch.. warm -with a ton of balls! Really good clean tone, sensitive to different string attacks. The sound isn't a clone of anything -especially Gibson or Fender, but can come close to getting the sounds of either... It excels at it's own sound -articulate, warm, great sustain (and this from the perspective of using infinate sustain with my Kramer Sustainer for years) Good control of feedback -no squeal. When using the piezo pickup alone, I'm running straight thru a pa (stereo) and it's INCREDIBLE!.. clean, good tone and punch... similar to a good acoustic running thru the same pa... dial in a little crunch from the Duncans thru my Mesa Triple Rectifier along with the acoustic signal running thru our pa and the sound is something I've dreamed of hearing, but thought was unreachable. The split coil is a cool funky sound... there isn't a major drop in volume (i.e. the older FLYs) and it's very usable -I actually use the neck Duncan (Jazz) in split coil mode a LOT of the time for rythyms -some leads... great articulation, tone and sensitivity.. bluesy sounding. The back pickup (JB) is total kick-ass for good rock leads.. ESPECIALLY in Modern Mode on my Triple Rec :)
This is incredible :-)

Nothing plays like a Parker -reads their slogan. Believe it -it's true.

The carbon glass fingerboard/stainless steel fret combo is probably as perfect as a human will ever make. Absolutely no dead spots. Smooth buttery action. The best neck I've ever seen on any guitar -at any price. No heal where the neck joins the body... EASY to climb high :) The finish is a work of art -not even a microscopic blem... it's IMMACULATE. This guitar resonates probably as much as any acoustic guitar.. and it shows -in the sound before AND after being amplified. Everything just works perfectly. It amazes me that with all the problems people seem to have with everything on earth these days, that there is actually someone out there who gives the customer PERFECTION -and seems happy to do it!

The guitar came set up with 9's from the factory, which I immediately changed to 10's. The only issue I've seen is the nut slot for the G string is cut too tight for the G string when using 10's, causing the G string to "catch" a little when using the tremelo bar very much. (This could be what caused others tuning problems in other Fly reviews). I talked with Parker about that and was told their tolerances are very tight. The guitar was originally setup (including the nut cut) for 9's, and the nut just needs to be cut to .017" to take care of it. It was done for free by Meridian Street Music.. and now it's flawless!

Note to anyone using a Parker Fly and having any tuning problems: Make sure the tremelo balance wheel is set so that when switching the tremelo switch from "up" to "down", the guitar does not go out of tune. After doing this, check it out by setting the switch to "down" (allowing full floating) and tuning the low e down to d. The guitar should be out of tune at this point. Now move the switch from "down" to "up" (fixed bridge) and the guitar should be in tune again (with dropped D tuning). If it's NOT, the balance wheel is out of adjustment.. and it WILL affect your tuning stability (I found out the hard way!)

This seems to be a well made instrument. The workmanship is flawless, the sound is phenominal, and is incredibly comfortable to play (a minor jab in the chest when sitting, but it's VERY minor -and you get used to it pretty easily... NOT an issue) Everything on this guitar screams PERFECTION... sooo yeah, I think it would be dependable. I'd still use a backup -for different sounds and more importantly for when strings break during a song. (Actually it WOULD be possible to change a broken string DURING the song -and continue playing, but as impressive as that may be, it probably wouldn't look very professional onstage!)
Fly Mojo is the bomb :-)

I've called Parker several times and each time they've bent over backwards to give me advice, answer any questions I've had or just to talk on occasion... GREAT support! I purchased this thru Meridian Music in Indianapolis.... by far my favorite Music Store anywhere! The best customer support of any Music Store I've ever been to.

I DO think the warranty should be longer than 1 year :( Just my opinion, but when you can get a run of the mill $300 Fender or Gibson with a lifetime warranty, a $2500 ($3500 list) top of the line work of art should offer the same! That aside, I honestly don't think they're be any issues related to that. It's just a really well made instrument -and I think that'll show in the long run.

I could go on forever about this guitar -and it deserves it, trust me!... but I'll just say this.

Some people give instruments they bought a higher rating than they sometimes deserve, maybe because it's THEIR instrument? I'm very particular about any of my instruments (see my Webber Roundbody acoustic guitar or Kramer Sustainer electric guitar reviews). If the guitar is not a true "10", we won't be keeping each other company for long. That said, I didn't give this guitar a "10" because I bought it... I bought it because it was a "10".

I honestly think the Parker Fly MOJO HAS to be the ultimate electric guitar you can buy -for any price. It's not cheap, but then again you get what you pay for. Value is more than money... it's what you're getting for your money. You're not going to get more guitar at ANY price -and that says quite a bit.

This Mojo was made in May of 2003, in Massachusets USA, like all Parkers. The Mojo and the new Fly's have one less knobs. So they have one for Magnetic pickup Volume, Magnetic pickup tone, and Piezo volume. Also, one of my the best additions is a coil tap in the tone knob. So you get a total of 6 pick up selections, plus the addition of mixing in piezo. The reason i bought this over all the other parkers is the fact that it has Seymour Duncans. It has a Jazz in the neck, and a JB in the bridge. The guitar is solid mahogony. This guitar is absoutely beautiful, when i first opened the case it was better than i imagined. I have the Transparent Cherry model, it's stunning. You can see the grains of the mahogony through the wood, but it doesn't show through drastically. It comes with Sperzel locking tuners. With 24 stainless steel frets. Guitar came with the standard sterio cable for splitting the signals to two seperate amps.

The Duncans combined with the coil tap and piezo's give me any sound i like. I really enjoy having the guitar in the middle selection with the coil tapped and adding some slight piezo. The Jazz and JB compliment eachother perfectly. Very rich, full sound combined with the mahogony. I play on a Vox Valvetronix which compliments the guitar perfectly. One of thing that pushes this guitar over the edge for me is the Piezo's. One of my person favorite settings is the piezo's combined with the acoustic setting on the amp. If you heard it through a recording its identical to a plugged in acoustic. Rich, lush sound.

The guitar was set almost perfect out of the box. However, the neck Humbucker isn't level and one end is a little too high, the high e gets caugh on it sometimes. The action on a parker's neck is unsurpassed. It is like butter. Flows so brilliantly. Some people seem to not like a slick neck, however i personally love how parkers play, almost effortlessly. You can get any type of pitch from bends. There is absoultely no resitance when bending. The high frets are very accessable. The stainless steel frets give you no dead spots on the whole guitar, and do not wear and get crusty.

You can tell the guitar is very solid when playing unplugged, you feel the sustain of the sound through the wood. The stainless steel frets won't need to be serviced for I don't know how many years. There is no doubt the Fly Mojo will be flawless live. I would definately use it without a backup in a gig. Simply because you have all the sounds you need, and if a string does break, because of the locking tuners, it takes about 4 seconds to put on a new one. Stays in tune great, even with heavy whammy bar usage.

Called Parker because of the lack of manual with the guitar. Very helpfull and informative. Also e mailed them about registering it online, once again, very kind and helpful.

My other guitar is a fender lone star strat. Which is a wonderful guitar. However, I don't think i'll be buying a new guitar for atleast 3 to 5 years. This guitar has everything i could have asked for. Parker has addressed all questionable problems they had in their earlier models. To anyone interested in buying a parker, but unsure which model. I would have to say the Mojo is the best bet. Especially because if you are going to be spending this kind of money on a guitar, you might as well spend it right. The mojo has everything the classic or deluxe has plus 10x better pickups. If my guitar was stolen or lost i would probably mourn for weeks, but never would there be a hesitation to purchase a new one. I love everything. In particular, the way it plays. Before i owned one, i couldn't help but smile when i played one, simply because of how beautiful it was to play. Parker's slogan does not lie, nothing plays like a parker. The use of new technology only improves this instrument. Best money ever spent.

The features are many on the new Mojo.
2003 Model with 24 stainless steel frets. The body and neck are made of solid mahogany. The guitar has 3 knobs, one for magnetic volume, magnetic tone witch is a coil tap for all pickups, and the last knob being the Piezo volume. Two switches are present, one for pickup selector and the other for switching between Piezo and Magnetic.

The Pickups have changed from the regular Dimarizo to the Seymour Duncan Jazz and the JB pickups which pack some serious punch!!
Also included is the piezo bridge which is a definate must.
The guitar runs on a 9volt battery that lasts for approx 200hours as compaired to the 100hrs of the old Fly.

The finish on the instrument is quite spectactular to say the least. You can see the amount of work that has went into it.

The style of the body is the same as the old Fly

Bridge is Parkers own high-performance system. The great thing with it is that it can be set as a fixed bridge or a floating bridge with one small easy adjustment. This is a killer feature.

The tuners are Sperzel tuning pegs making string changes a snap.
The neck is a multi-finger joint that enables you to climb to the stratosfear on the instrument.. Up.. Up... and away.
Some of the cool changes made are larger selector switches placed closer to your hand. The volume seems to be in a better place also. Gone is the thumb wheel that most people had no idea how to use. The stereo/mono switch is gone also and is replaced with a smart jack. The battery compartment is back loaded and you do not need a screw-driver to get at it anymore, and gone is the tone control for the piezo pickup.

The Fly Mojo has a new sound compaired to my Deluxe and Classic. The sound has a very cool warmth to it because of the dual mahogany neck/body combo. The option of all the pickup configs including piezo make this thing come very alive in all playing styles and situations. I can honestly say that it has it's own unique sound. It is not trying to imitate anybody... and that is cool with me.

The only adjustment I had to make was to lower the action of the bridge with the supplied tool. On my other flys it was the oposite in which I had to raise them because they were to low for me. One small adjustment and you are off. Personlly I like the pickups a little higher than were set, but that is a very easy adjustment also. There were no visibal flaws with any part of the guitar. If the Mojo is anything like my Deluxe, I know I will have countless years of pleasure before even a slight set-up. These guitars are pretty amazing that way

Since this guitar comes in around 5lbs and the Deluxe around 3.5lbs, I have no question that it will withstand live playing since I have been using the deluxe on the road for the last 7 years. I have not used the Mojo live yet but am sure it would kick some ass.

I have been dealing with Parker for many years now, and they have went through some changes, but change is good or I would not have this Mojo right now. Support has always been quick and helpfull.

Parker continues to push the envelope with guitar. I have been a lover since 1997 and they have become an extreemly important aspect to my playing. Check them out.

This is Parker's latest edition to the USA made Fly line a 22 fret all lightweight mahogany constructed "improved version" of the FLY deluxe model loaded with two coil-tapable Seymour Duncan humbuckers and that wonderful Fishman piezo bridge/trem set-up and New knob placement. A split stereo active preamp allows you to combine both magnetic and acoustic pick-ups. Locking Spertzel's and a graphite composite nut complete this system.Finished in a transparent glass like coat the premium light mahogany is stunning.A super deluxe padded gig bag and all adjustment tools are included.

I'm a chicken-pickin country,rock and bottleneck blues player,using a VOX valvetronics modeling amp.So what am I doing with a Parker?YOU NAME IT!!!with this guitar tapped I can go from rippin Tele and sweet Knopfleresque Strat tones to un-tapped warm fat ZZ Top and nail an Allman brothers vibe in a heartbeat!!!Dial in a little piezo and Wallah!i'm comping Freddie Green chords on a Super 400!!outstanding versitililty.Crank it up with a load of gain and put Mettalica,s tone to shame. My poor old Tele, I'm sick with this puppy!!!!!!

This guitar came set-up like a champ with a set of 10,s and perfect neck pitch and intonation.saved me a $75.00 out of the box set-up!!!I could find no flaws in the finish or beautiful mahogany .Probably the lightest most comfortable gee-tar i've ever played.The only thing I had to do was raise the rear pick-up a tad.But then again i'm out of control with this one!!

This guitar should pass military specs and weather any chicken-wired Bloody-Bucket club with no problem.light as a feather yet solid as Titanium(Alien-Technology I say!!)you can put strap locks on it but, your strap probably weighs more. If i had only one to be ship-wrecked with out of the herd(yes im a guitar hoarder)well let's just say I'm callin this one "WILSON"

Warranty is as long as you own it.excluding abuse or act of god.Other Parker owner's I have talked too have said,Their customer support was incredible.So far I have not needed any customer support.

I've been profesionally playing for about 30 years and own or have owned just about every imaginable six string fretted instrument available.A 53 Telecaster has been my main Sweetheart most of that time and for me to leave her "Moaning in the case" is a BIG TRAUMATIC DEAL to those who know me!Comfort,versitality and gobs of tone is why the Parker has done this to me.If anything should happen to this guitar I would replace it in a heartbeat.I swear i'm leavin the Paul,Takimine,L.P.Jr and Strat at home.(gotta take 1 Tele so i dont feel bad)the only thing missin on this guitar is a bottle opener!!!