® Fly Guitar Player's Guide SUPREME · ARTIST · CLASSIC · CLASSIC STANDARD DELUXE · DELUXE STANDARD · DELUXE SINGLE-2 SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES · T-HANDLED 3/32 ALLEN WRENCH (Bridge saddle screws, Vibrato bar "swing" adjustment, Bridge height on non-vibrato models, pickup height adjustment) · L-SHAPED 5/32 ALLEN WRENCH (Bridge height adjustment on vibrato equiped models) · Torx wrench (T27) (Truss rod adjustment) · Stereo Y-Cable (20 feet) · Vibrato Bar (3/16" hexagon stainless steel) · Vibrato Spring (.010 gauge flat spring) CONTROLS Dear Fellow Guitar Enthusiast: Back in 1973 my brother Alan had outgrown his short scale beginner bass. I had been studying furniture-making as an elective course at college, so building an electric bass seemed like a pretty simple project. Researching and planning a new instrument, I became fascinated with the union of strings and wood - the proportions, balance, look, feel, and tone. Alan and I were both happy with the bass and I never really looked back. For twenty years I've been exploring the simple project I'd started at school and it's just as challenging and fun as it ever was. I've built arch-tops, solid bodies, 4-, 5- and 6-string basses, electric violins, cellos and harps. Trying to solve physical problems and expand the abilities of the instruments, I've explored non-traditional materials, studied traditional techniques, sculpted surfaces, and designed and made new hardware. Increasingly, I saw the guitars available to modern musicians as clumsy, limiting and gimmicky. I began to envision advances in form and function. A superlative instrument must be beautiful, balanced, powerful, accurate, versatile, durable and comfortable - a great tool which, at its best, inspires musicians to greatness, but at least doesn't get in their way! Clearly, the evolution of musical instruments is an evolving art form as complex and rewarding as music itself. After teaming up with Larry Fishman in 1982 I knew that my new guitars would also have a unique amplified voice. Since then we've worked together to develop and refine The Fly Guitar into the tool you're now experiencing. Larry and I worked with a dedicated group of artisans - among the world's best instrument makers. Your input will continue to guide and inspire us as we develop new instruments with new capabilities in the years to come. Meanwhile, we expect you'll enjoy many years of faithful service from your Fly. Fly Models - with Piezo Systems Along with the familiar Volume, Tone, and Magnetic Pickup selector found on the Fly Standard, (and most electric guitars), there are also controls for Piezo Volume and Piezo Tone, a Magnetic / Piezo Pickup Selector and a Stereo / Mono Switch. Overall volume is controlled by a Master Volume. Fly Standard Models - without Piezo Systems The Fly Standard models feature two humbucking pickups along with a push/pull tone pot coil-split switch enabling six pickup settings including both humbuckers, single-coil neck, and single-coil bridge. ADDITIONAL FEATURES AND CONTROLS Thanks for your support. Play from the heart! -Ken Parker Stereo / Mono Switch The Fly features a special Fishman® active circuit allowing you to blend the magnetic and piezo pickup signals right on the guitar. The Stereo / Mono Switch makes it possible to mix (sum) the piezo and magnetic pickup signals and play both sounds through a single amp, or split them to two separate amps or mixers. FLY SPECIFICATIONS BODY Fly Deluxe, Deluxe Standard & Deluxe Single-2: Fly Classic, Classic Standard: Fly Artist: Fly Supreme: Neck Fingerboard Neck Radius Scale length Frets Tuning Machines Bridge Poplar Mahogany Sitka Spruce Figured Maple Basswood Glass and Carbon Fiber 10" to 13" conical form 25.5" 24, hardened stainless-steel Locking Sperzel® Custom Parker cast aluminum bridge featuring stainless-steel saddles · Piezo equipped models feature Fishman® active system · High Performance Parker Vibrato Magnetic Pickups Magnetic Controls Custom DiMarzio® magnetic pickups Volume, Tone, and 3-way pickup selector · 5-way pickup selector on Deluxe Single-2 · Tone push/pull coil-tap switch on Standard models FLY MODELS EQUIPPED WITH PIEZOS Piezo System Piezo Controls 6-element Fishman® Piezo pickups and a custom active filtering preamp Volume, Tone, 3-way Magnetic/Piezo Selector Switch, Stereo / Mono Switch MONO: With the Stereo / Mono switch in the IN / mono position, the guitar's two signals are mixed. In this mode, simply use a standard guitar cable and a standard guitar amplifier. Thanks to the Fly's active circuit, in the mono mode, the "Both" position offers many unique sounds! STEREO: With the Stereo / Mono switch in the OUT / stereo position, the guitar's output is stereo. The special cable (stereo "Y"), provided with the guitar, allows you to send the two signals to two separate amplifiers. The full sonic potential of the piezo pickup can be achieved by connecting to a high fidelity, full-range amplification system such as a PA, an acoustic guitar amp, or keyboard amp. · If a mono cable is used and the Stereo / Mono switch is in the OUT / Stereo position, only the magnetic pickup sound will be heard. · If the stereo "Y" cable is used with the Stereo / Mono switch set in the IN / Mono position, both the magnetic and piezo outputs will be heard through one amp and only the piezos through the other. SOFTER Battery Fly models with Piezo and magnetic pickups use a 9-volt battery. It's there to provide power to the on-board Piezo preamp and the internal mixer. This unique mixer circuit uses sophisticated voltage-doubling synthesis circuitry that gives you twice the clean headroom, compared to common on-board electronics. This circuit enables the Fly to blend the magnetic pickups with the active Piezos, expanding the range of tonal options. The battery has a useful life of approximately 100 hours. It's turned on when a cable is plugged into the guitar. To extend battery life, please remember to remove the plug when you're not playing your guitar. The battery status light is on the control cover. When the battery is good, this red LED flashes for an instant when the guitar is plugged in. When the battery is low, the light will glow continuously while plugged in. You then have approximately two hours of BATTERY STATUS LIGHT battery power left. Finally, a distorted output signal or a high-pitched whistle will serve as an audio reminder that the battery is dead. LOUDER Piezo Frequency Response The Piezo system has a far greater treble response than the normal magnetic pickups. Some amps will have no trouble with the additional high frequency output, but others will distort. If you are getting distortion, you may want to decrease the gain of the Piezo pickup. The way to do this is to lower the Piezo volume and/or roll off some of the treble on either the amp or the guitar. Control Cover When replacing the control cover (on piezo equipped Fly guitars), make sure that the red LED battery status light fits inside the clear plastic lens on the control cover. Before replacing the screws that secure the cover, insert a cord into the guitar's jack to activate the light so that you can check its visibility. On vibrato guitars, also insure that the step-stop switch protrudes through its slot. · BATTERY COMPARTMENT: The 9-volt battery slides into the side of the guitar next to the strap button. To replace the battery, loosen the two screws. They are designed to stay captive in the cover plate. The best screwdriver to use is a dime, as it can't scratch the finish on the cover. To replace the cover, hold it firmly in its nest before tightening the screws. Ground Loops Sometimes when using two amps, there may be a loud hum when the guitar is plugged into the second amp. This hum is caused by a ground loop. This ground loop isn't the fault of the guitar (or the amps for that matter), but rather the result of essential electrical safety code requirements. Ground loops can occur whenever two pieces of electronic equipment are connected. NOTE: Do Not Disconnect Or Otherwise Attempt To Defeat Ground Connections On Your Electrical Equipment !! There is ONLY ONE safe way to rid yourself of ground loops: Use a Direct Box with a ground lift to isolate the two amps. Plug the magnetic end of the stereo "Y" cable into one amp and the piezo end into the Direct Box. Plug the Direct Box's output into a balanced input on the second amp. Piezo Balance Trim Pot Your guitar is equipped with a Piezo Balance Control. We set this control at the factory so that the full volume outputs of the Piezo and magnetic systems are equal. Since string gauges and pickup height affect the output of the magnetic pickups, you may want to change the relative levels of the two systems by adjusting the Piezo gain. To do this, remove the control cover, and adjust the small, white knob mounted on the circuit board. This trim pot controls the gain (output) of the Piezo pickup. ADJUSTING YOUR PARKER FLY GUITAR As with all fine musical instruments, a little care and maintenance go a long way toward preserving your investment. If you're unfamiliar with adjusting instruments, we suggest that you take your Fly to a qualified guitar technician. He or she can help demonstrate these adjustments and you can decide which ones you might prefer to have made professionally. Additional support information can be found on the Parker web site at: www.parkerguitars.com. Action Most Fly models are strung with D'Addario .009-.042 strings at the factory. They are all adjusted to a very low action of .070 on the bass side and .050 on the treble side, measured at the twelfth fret (while fretting the first fret). If you lower your action even further, be aware that some buzzing may occur. The Fly's bridge is designed and made exclusively by Parker. The radius of the bridge exactly matches that of the neck. Therefore the Fly doesn't require the individual height adjustment devices that detract from tone and sustain. ® Pickup Height Each DiMarzio® pickup is secured to the body by two pole-piece screws. These screws also adjust pickup height. · HUMBUCKERS: On the coil closer to the bridge, adjust the screw under the B-string. On the other coil, adjust the screw under the A-string. Turn the screws clockwise to lower and counterclockwise to raise the pickup. · ADJUSTING ACTION ON FLY GUITARS WITHOUT VIBRATO: Action is set with three screws from the back of the guitar. Using the T-handled 3/32 Allen wrench LOWER supplied with your guitar, turn the screws clockwise to raise the bridge and counterclockwise to lower it. Since these screws also adjust the angle of the bridge to RAISE the guitar, to make more than a small adjustment you must adjust all three screws a little at a time, being careful not to tilt the bridge in its cavity. Do not adjust a screw more than a 1/4 turn at a time. RAISE LOWER · SINGLE COILS: Adjust the pole-piece screws under the B-string and A-string to raise and lower, or remove the pickup. Truss Rod Adjustment The truss rod is easily accessible via the hole located on the bottom side of the headstock. To adjust the rod, use the Torx wrench (T27) supplied with your guitar. Turn it clockwise to tighten the rod and counterclockwise to loosen it. Be aware that the rod is very sensitive - onesixth turn yields a lot of movement. The Parker Fly guitar is built with the correct amount of neck relief "dialed" in; therefore it is impossible to adjust the neck to completely flat. · ADJUSTING ACTION ON FLY GUITARS WITH VIBRATO: Action is set with two screws from the back of the guitar. Using the Lshaped 5/32 Allen wrench supplied with your guitar, turn the screws clockwise to lower the bridge, and counterclockwise to raise it. If you're changing the action a lot, it's good practice to alternate between the two screws, making no more than a 1/4 turn at a time. LOOSEN TIGHTEN If you're unfamiliar with adjusting action, we strongly suggest that you take your instrument to your favorite guitar technician. NOTE: If you're unfamiliar with adjusting a truss rod, we strongly suggest that you take your instrument to your favorite guitar technician for this adjustment. Intonation To set the string length or intonation, loosen the screw that clamps the bridge saddle in place with the supplied Thandled 3/32 Allen wrench. If the string plays sharp, slide the saddle back to make the string longer. If the string plays flat, slide it forward. Re-tighten the saddle screw. The piezo-electric elements in the bridge are delicate, so be careful. The eraser end of a pencil is a safe tool for sliding the saddles. VIBRATO SYSTEM OVERVIEW Many of the Parker models are equipped with a vibrato system designed exclusively for the Fly guitar by Ken Parker. This simple, straightforward vibrato system offers all the options and flexibility a guitarist could want. Two controls are used to select from three modes of operation. No tools ...