# My Parker Fly Mojo W/ Sustainiac!



## zimbloth (Oct 5, 2010)

Hey guys. Some of you who follow my threads or my Facebook know I recently picked up a rare Parker Fly Mojo 'Olive Burl' guitar. My shop is a Parker dealer but decided to keep this one the moment it came in, and since then it has become one of my two main live guitars. Well I just installed a *Sustainiac *in this thing and it's now the coolest guitar I've ever had, I could not be more excited!

I have it setup as follows (controls left-to-right): push-pull on volume knob to engage sustainer, tone knob clockwise for normal sustain, tone knob counterclockwise for harmonic sustain mode, push-pull on tone knob to engage 'mix' mode (blend of harmonic and normal), and piezo volume control remains. There are other ways I could have configured it, but this way enabled me to leave the guitar unmodified.

Words can't express how much better Sustainiacs sound and react versus the Fernandes ones. It's incredible. I played my first show with it a couple weeks ago and it was a blast. This weekend I'll be busting it out when we open for Sevendust, should be cool. ON TO THE PIC!







PS: I also got another Fly in Black Satin for my other tuning, you can see the full gallery here. I'll be popping a Sustainiac in this one too soon


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## teqnick (Oct 5, 2010)

These are sick , Nick. I need to play one for sure!


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## metal_sam14 (Oct 6, 2010)

dang, thats hot!  

Question: how do you adjust the pups on those parkers? I see no screws or anything of the like, is it done from the back of the guitar?


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## zimbloth (Oct 6, 2010)

metal_sam14 said:


> dang, thats hot!
> 
> Question: how do you adjust the pups on those parkers? I see no screws or anything of the like, is it done from the back of the guitar?



Yeah they're true direct mount pickups. There is a tool on the back, but the height is set perfectly for me so I've never even tried to adjust them.


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## metal_sam14 (Oct 6, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> Yeah they're true direct mount pickups. There is a tool on the back, but the height is set perfectly for me so I've never even tried to adjust them.



righto


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## JacobShredder (Oct 6, 2010)

how'd you get the sustainiac in there? I read on that tool ed romans sight you have to get the poles replaces or something..


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## Isan (Oct 6, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> how'd you get the sustainiac in there? I read on that tool *ed romans* sight you have to get the poles replaces or something..



Well there's your problem right there.


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## zimbloth (Oct 6, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> how'd you get the sustainiac in there? I read on that tool ed romans sight you have to get the poles replaces or something..



No not at all. A little bit of routing needs to be done in the neck pickup pocket as the Sustainiac pickup is taller than the Parker-sized DiMarzios/Duncans, but it was no problem. The Parkers with Duncans have slightly deeper cavities also.

Sustainiac themselves installed this for me, just like they do for Parker on the Adrian Belew signature model. Even though I am a Sustainiac dealer and do installations, I didn't trust myself due to the complexity of a Parker Fly.



Isan said:


> Well there's your problem right there.



Haha, yep.


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## aslsmm (Oct 6, 2010)

i have no idea how sutaining p'ups work. i know what htey do but are they considered active or passive? my main question is what pot do they wire in to? 250k or a 25k. also how much do they run?


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## zimbloth (Oct 6, 2010)

aslsmm said:


> i have no idea how sutaining p'ups work. i know what htey do but are they considered active or passive? my main question is what pot do they wire in to? 250k or a 25k. also how much do they run?



The Sustainiac is an active pickup which blends just fine with passive bridge pickups, but can also work with EMGs and the such. I do not know what kind of pot value they use, I'd have to take a peak at the Sustainiac kits I sell. I'd guess 25K.

The 6-string Sustainiac kit runs for about $219 and the 7-string one $229. They come in both humbucker and single coil sizes. Because they're active, they can be configured to have a humbucker sound even if you choose a single coil size. 

They deliver 3 kinds of sustain: 1) *normal *- whatever notes/chords you play will sustain forever, 2) *harmonic *- in this mode it will provide infinite sustain of the harmonic. Depending on what notes you're fretting, it can produce different harmonic notes and 3) *mix mode* - a blend of the two in a way, where on high notes you get mostly fundamental with a hint of harmonic feedback, and on lower notes you get mostly harmonic feedback with a hint of fundamental.

The pickup itself is a driver which vibrates the strings as described above. The cool thing is, you can do a lot of fun things with your fretting hand and often dont even need to really pick. A hard pick attack will have the harmonic sustain come in more gradual, where as a light attack or a tap will come in instantaneously. You can also get harmonic feedback on clean tones, which is otherwise pretty much impossible. 

Additionally, the Sustainiac when disengaged doubles as a really nice sounding neck pickup. Good for cleans and leads. It's not AMAZING, but I like it as much as the Duncan Jazz pickup that was there before.


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## jtm45 (Oct 6, 2010)

Awesome job on the Sustainiac!!!
I've got a Fly Deluxe and i'd absolutely LOVE to have a Sustainiac fitted but i don't know of anyone in the UK who could do the job competently and it's just way too expensive for me to even consider shipping it to Sustainiac to get it done.
I seem to maybe remember mention of Mansons here in the UK being able to do Parker endorsed work but even if they do they're a really expensive shop to have any work done on your guitar.
I think overall my Fly is probably the nicest playing and best all round guitar i've ever owned.

Do you know if there's any guitar repairers or shops in the UK that are an official Sustainiac approved fitter Nick ?

That Satin Black Fly is totally sexual


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## Prydogga (Oct 6, 2010)

My favourite Parker ever just got even cooler...


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## loktide (Oct 6, 2010)

holy shit man, awesome guitars 

ever since i got my pre-refined fly deluxe, i'm tempted to sell some of my gear/guitars to fund a mojo 

these guitars are so addictive!


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## jtm45 (Oct 6, 2010)

Yeah, i'd love to get another Fly, a mahogany bodied one to give me a bit of a different tone to my Deluxe for variety.
Spotted this lovely green Mojo online the other day and an absolutely stunning Private Reserve Fly Supreme in the same store. The only thing i'm not keen on with the Supreme is the gold bridge. I really don't like the look of these gold and chrome bridges they've put on a few of the limited edition models and specials lately.
Put a regular black bridge and hardware on it and it would be perfect!!!!


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## SYLrules88 (Oct 6, 2010)

damnit i really really need to get ahold of a parker. i was doing some thinking the other day, and besides maybe a midrange jackson kelly, i have no need to purchase any more 6s that aren't high quality. ive been wanting one of these for a while and seeing this thread isn't making the gas any better!

so nick, they make the sustanic single coils and 7 string hums, but do they make 7 string single coils?? if so, how much? i cant drop $219+ on one right now but id probably be interested in one in the future.

again, GORGEOUS guitar. cant be said enough. bulbs recent music man gives yours a run for its money as far as my vision of the perfect guitar goes but i like the figuring of yours just a little more.


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## noob_pwn (Oct 6, 2010)

DUDE THAT IS SOOOO NAIIICEEEE!
I love sustainers/sustainiacs too, soo much fun


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## zimbloth (Oct 6, 2010)

loktide said:


> holy shit man, awesome guitars
> 
> ever since i got my pre-refined fly deluxe, i'm tempted to sell some of my gear/guitars to fund a mojo
> 
> these guitars are so addictive!



Yeah they really are addictive. It's pretty much all I want to play nowadays, though I still enjoy my other guitars too. Also, they started making them with the old-school pre-Washburn ultra-thin necks too. The Black Satin Fly I have and the Solar Flare Mojo I have at my shop are examples of this. This Olive Burl has a slightly thicker neck, but it's still thin compared to any other guitar brands pretty much 



jtm45 said:


> Yeah, i'd love to get another Fly, a mahogany bodied one to give me a bit of a different tone to my Deluxe for variety.
> Spotted this lovely green Mojo online the other day and an absolutely stunning Private Reserve Fly Supreme in the same store. The only thing i'm not keen on with the Supreme is the gold bridge. I really don't like the look of these gold and chrome bridges they've put on a few of the limited edition models and specials lately.
> Put a regular black bridge and hardware on it and it would be perfect!!!!
> [/IMG]



Yeah the mahogany flys like the Mojo and Classic are awesome. I just got a Green Flame Mojo at the shop actually. 

Personally I don't get pumped over the Supreme. It looks cool but the all maple setup doesn't sound as good to my ears as the Artist which is spruce or the Mojo. The Artist is by far the best sounding Parker made IMO, and that's the one I'd get if going for a mega top-end Fly. It's the best of both worlds between a Deluxe and Mojo, but on a whole other level. Simply amazing. I really hope to own one someday.

Really you can't go wrong with any of them though. I love my Deluxe and Mojo equally. My Deluxe sounds absolutely brutal. I have it tuned to A and its crazy tight, clear and aggressive sounding. Lots of snappy attack and growl with punchy bass. Bright but not thin. The Mojo being all mahogany sounds a lot warmer and thicker, but still super heavy and defined. Both of them suit my sound equally as well. I really don't have to adjust my amp settings at all when switching between the two. At most I'd turn the presence down a touch and turn the bass up a tad when switching to the Deluxe.

I will say that the Parker Seymour Duncan Parker pickups seem to have higher quality bobbins, a more solid baseplate, etc and tend to have less feedback in high-gain situations. The custom DiMarzios sound awesome though in Deluxe and Classic, and it's nothing a half-decent noisegate doesn't alleviate 



SYLrules88 said:


> damnit i really really need to get ahold of a parker. i was doing some thinking the other day, and besides maybe a midrange jackson kelly, i have no need to purchase any more 6s that aren't high quality. ive been wanting one of these for a while and seeing this thread isn't making the gas any better!
> 
> so nick, they make the sustanic single coils and 7 string hums, but do they make 7 string single coils?? if so, how much? i cant drop $219+ on one right now but id probably be interested in one in the future.
> 
> again, GORGEOUS guitar. cant be said enough.



Yeah IMO Parkers are as good as it gets for production guitars. Their playability, versatility, reliability, and overall quality is off the charts. They sound amazing also, assuming you pick the right model for your style/rig.

Yes I believe the 7-string one is available in single coil size also, for the same price I mentioned before 



noob_pwn said:


> DUDE THAT IS SOOOO NAIIICEEEE!
> I love sustainers/sustainiacs too, soo much fun



Thanks Josh 



jtm45 said:


> Awesome job on the Sustainiac!!!
> I've got a Fly Deluxe and i'd absolutely LOVE to have a Sustainiac fitted but i don't know of anyone in the UK who could do the job competently and it's just way too expensive for me to even consider shipping it to Sustainiac to get it done.
> I seem to maybe remember mention of Mansons here in the UK being able to do Parker endorsed work but even if they do they're a really expensive shop to have any work done on your guitar.
> I think overall my Fly is probably the nicest playing and best all round guitar i've ever owned.
> ...



Thanks man. And no I don't know anything about technicians in the UK I'm afraid.


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## JacobShredder (Oct 6, 2010)

Comparison between parker and caparison? =P

I'm getting a last 6 after my next 7 which will either be a parker or horus.


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## zimbloth (Oct 6, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> Comparison between parker and caparison? =P
> 
> I'm getting a last 6 after my next 7 which will either be a parker or horus.



You would have to specify which Parker model, tonally they all sound completely different. In terms of playability, they're both awesome. The Parker has a 25.5 scale and the Horus 24.75. Also the Parker has a carbon fiber/glass fingerboard and stainless steel frets, which makes the playing experience different than the Horus' rosewood/nickel frets. They both have fairly thin necks, with the Parker being a touch thinner. Both have world-class trem systems, though the Parker can be set in hardtail mode with the flip of a switch - and have piezos. The Flys are set-thru whereas the Horus is a bolt-on.

Basically the Parker has a lot more features and due to the carbon fiber reinforcement, is immune from warping. The model that's closest to the Horus tonally would probably be the Fly Classic (both have mahogany bodies). 

The Horus is less expensive, plays great, and with a pickup swap sounds great too. However IMO if you have the means, the Parker Flys are the better guitar for my tastes. I also prefer the tone and features of the Horus HGS model over the standard Horus. Those sound amazing.


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## poopyalligator (Oct 6, 2010)

jtm45 said:


>



Holy crap. That guitar looks freaking amazing. If that had an extra string, it would be my dream guitar. Having a floyd on it wouldnt hurt either


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## mikernaut (Oct 6, 2010)

heh, who needs a Floyd the Parker trems are incredible.

Nick those are beauties, makes me really miss selling my Parkers.

So do you throw them around and do strap spins on stage cuz they are so light?. hahaha


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## JacobShredder (Oct 6, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> You would have to specify which Parker model, tonally they all sound completely different. In terms of playability, they're both awesome. The Parker has a 25.5 scale and the Horus 24.75. Also the Parker has a carbon fiber/glass fingerboard and stainless steel frets, which makes the playing experience different than the Horus' rosewood/nickel frets. They both have fairly thin necks, with the Parker being a touch thinner. Both have world-class trem systems, though the Parker can be set in hardtail mode with the flip of a switch - and have piezos. The Flys are set-thru whereas the Horus is a bolt-on.
> 
> Basically the Parker has a lot more features and due to the carbon fiber reinforcement, is immune from warping. The model that's closest to the Horus tonally would probably be the Fly Classic (both have mahogany bodies).
> 
> The Horus is less expensive, plays great, and with a pickup swap sounds great too. However IMO if you have the means, the Parker Flys are the better guitar for my tastes. I also prefer the tone and features of the Horus HGS model over the standard Horus. Those sound amazing.



I'm guessing id probably be looking at picking up a used parker deluxe or classic those are my 2 favorite models. 

The HGS Horus is amazing on sooo many levels, but I think I'd just get a regular standard horus. I actually have a full printed out template for a 7 string TAT special looking guitar, just couldn't find any screamingly awesome wood to make it with..

So for me it's parker fly deluxe/classic vs Horus. I know what you mean about the fly's having more options though, they definitely do. And the fretboard is...oh so sexy.

But i'm assuming I couldn't get BKP's in a parker? 

Oh or a mojo if I can find a really good deal


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## Adam Of Angels (Oct 7, 2010)

I love those guitars, man. Good taste. You've got fancy and understated covered with the two of them. I think I remember you mentioning that you have the LE setup for B standard or similar - what gauges are you using and did you have any trouble with the tension on the rear side?


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## Adam Of Angels (Oct 7, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> But i'm assuming I couldn't get BKP's in a parker?



I'll let Nick chime in on this, but don't allow the lack of BKP's to discourage you. BKP's kick tons of ass, but they're not the be-all-end-all of pickups. Seymour Duncan makes some equally amazing pickups, as well as Dimarzio and several other companies. However, if you're not into the limited pickup choices available for the Flys, then its a different story.


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## zimbloth (Oct 7, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> But i'm assuming I couldn't get BKP's in a parker?



Yeah the ultra shallow cavities and the unique way they're mounted makes it almost impossible to get BKPs in a Fly. The only exception is the NiteFly because that has a traditional body and pickup cavity.



Adam Of Angels said:


> I love those guitars, man. Good taste. You've got fancy and understated covered with the two of them. I think I remember you mentioning that you have the LE setup for B standard or similar - what gauges are you using and did you have any trouble with the tension on the rear side?



Thanks man. Yes the Olive Burl one is tuned B-E-A-D-F#B with Elixir 12-52. Having no problem at all with tension. Elixirs have a bit more tension as is than most other strings, everything feels great to me. Intonation is perfect as well. On the Black Satin one I used 13s and tuned it to ADGCFA and while the tension was good, there was a bit of an issue with intonation. It's close but not perfect. The saddle ran out of room. I may try a slightly thicker gauge or simply tune it like my Olive Burl and use my Guerilla 7 for A tuning.



Adam Of Angels said:


> I'll let Nick chime in on this, but don't allow the lack of BKP's to discourage you. BKP's kick tons of ass, but they're not the be-all-end-all of pickups. Seymour Duncan makes some equally amazing pickups, as well as Dimarzio and several other companies. However, if you're not into the limited pickup choices available for the Flys, then its a different story.



I'll agree and disagree with this. I agree the Parkers sound amazing stock, and it's one of the only guitars where I don't find myself desperately longing for BKPs. I'll however disagree that Seymour Duncan makes equally amazing pickups. It's of course subjective, but in my experience neither SD or DiMarzio even comes close to what BKP is capable of. I'm a DiMarzio dealer but that's my honest opinion. There are a few BKP models I'm not thrilled with of course, but their best 4-5 models to my ears blow away anything else I've ever heard from any other manufacturer. 

I'm just fortunate that the special edition versions of the Parker pickups SD/DMZ make sound so great. I'm sure the inherent tonal glory of Parkers have a lot to do with that as well. I've never heard a JB/Jazz sound half as good as they do in my Parkers in any other guitar.


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## JacobShredder (Oct 8, 2010)

you know dude, I think your the first person to derail me on my path to a horus. 
The ONLY turnoff on parker's is the lack of exchangeable pickups. All the other stuff is so yummy..
GAH parker GAS.

Idk, I'll have to consider this majorly. Parker fly or Cap horus with BKPs...decisions decisions. Luckily I have plenty of time to contemplate it since I still have to buy a 2x12 and a 7 stringer first =P


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## mikernaut (Oct 8, 2010)

I didn't care for the JB and Jazz set in the Mojo I had. But then again I have never been a big fan of those 2 pups.


I did love the older Dimarzio's in the other Fly Deluxe I owned. 

I seem to recall people mentioning that Tim at Bare Knuckles could do rewinds on various Parker sized Pups. So that may be something to consider too.


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## zimbloth (Oct 10, 2010)

JacobShredder said:


> you know dude, I think your the first person to derail me on my path to a horus.
> The ONLY turnoff on parker's is the lack of exchangeable pickups. All the other stuff is so yummy..
> GAH parker GAS.
> 
> Idk, I'll have to consider this majorly. Parker fly or Cap horus with BKPs...decisions decisions. Luckily I have plenty of time to contemplate it since I still have to buy a 2x12 and a 7 stringer first =P



They're both great guitars, all I can say is that for me, I'd take a proper Fly over about any production 6 on the market. I find them to be pretty much perfect - save for the difficulty of putting aftermarket pickups in them. The necks, tone, hardware, frets, bridge, piezos, comfort, finish and quality is as good as it gets.



mikernaut said:


> I didn't care for the JB and Jazz set in the Mojo I had. But then again I have never been a big fan of those 2 pups.
> 
> 
> I did love the older Dimarzio's in the other Fly Deluxe I owned.
> ...



Yeah I hear you on the Dunans, but it seems like whenever I put Elixir NanoWebs on there and tune them down they come to life. The DiMarzio ones are really cool too though. Yes Tim can rewind them but he doesnt like doing it, they're very sensitive to work with and don't always work out great.


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## rcsierra13 (Oct 11, 2010)

Man the black satin is just so amazing... I want me one sometime.


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## zimbloth (Oct 11, 2010)

rcsierra13 said:


> Man the black satin is just so amazing... I want me one sometime.



Thanks man. I played both of these guitars at our show w/ Sevendust yesterday and they both sounded incredible. I could not be happier right now with my arsenal.


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