What do you think about the odd Parker Fly?

[SlavaF]

I got one word for that bass: *vomit*

But seriously, I dig the guitars. That shape just does NOT translate well at all to bass guitars.

 

[PilbaraBass]

hmmmm...its not very attractive, is it?

How does it sound and play?

 

[RHFusillo]

I am interested in this bass, but maybe it's because I'm a fan of Steve Swallow. (Yes I know this is not the same bass that Steve used to play.) Haven't had a chance to play one, yet.

I probably would not end up buying one, though. The sound that I am after is Swallow's sound in the early 1980's, when he was playing a Fender. If you have heard his album called Home, that's the sound.

 

[Dr. PhunkyPants]

I think this is yet another example of a bass that incorporates cutting-edge design and high-quality components, yet fails purely on aesthetics.

Everybody has their own list of these, but mine would include: Spalt, Bongos, Kubicki, and anything by Status. You'll all have your own lists.

 

[Tom Howland]

I Played a 4-string Parker Fly.
Light bass, a little neck heavy.
I too think bass was very sterile sounding.
Very thin sounding too.
Not for me.

 

[John Meyers]

Theres is no way I would want one. If it had smoother lines like the guitar. It would be so much better looking, IMHO. The edges look like it would cut the blood flow off. It's cool though. He just needs to make it like his guitars.

 

[slombovia]

New things are always scary, I bet the first time a farmer saw a tractor he thought it fugly, for that matter the first time a bassist saw an electric bass.

Yeah, look how many guys play Fenders. That's where the term FUGLY originated - Fender-Ugly...

 

[slombovia]

Tom, I felt it was very sterile sounding. For me, I felt the tone of the Fly 5 I played sounded about the same as if I had strung up an I-beam. From one perspective, that can be a wonderful thing, kind of like the Modulus neck-thrus that I owned some years back. I suspect that for those who seek piano tones, that the Fly will produce, but it will take some help from electronics to get a tone with classic bluesy warmth. I would say that the Fly also lacked sustain, maybe the neck joint wasn't as tight as it should have been?

For comparison, I have played Zon for most of the last ten years, and those basses really provided the benefits of composite necks while still capturing some woodsy warmth.

Just my opinion, and based on playing one Fly 5 for about 15 minutes.

-Bob

Different strokes, I guess. I found the Fly the opposite - rich and warm but with zing, too. My Zon 6, amazing player that it was, always had a plastic sounding midrange I could never get rid of. I agree about sustain on the Fly but I think less sustain is a good thing for bass.

Tom

 

[Nick Gann]

The Parker guitar look cool, I like them a lot. The bass looks like an overgrown, deformed, tumor infested version of the guitar.


And I mean that in a bad way.

 

[lbanks]

Don't like Parker Flys

 

[Thee]

I just wish they'd have ported the guitar shape directly to the bass, like Ken Parker did with Steve Swallow's, and came close to doing with that one fretless 6 Ken made with no lower horn.

The way the bass came out is totally unappealing to me, and I think the Fly is the finest *guitar* ever created.

I completely agree on both points.

 

[bigbajo60]

I have always been of the opinion that when you transfer a "guitar shape" onto a bass guitar's scale, you will invariably make that "guitar shape" much more aesthetically pleasing. I attribute this to the stretching out of the profile to fit the longer bass scale. Think about the old BC Rich guitars like the Mockingbird and Eagle... much nicer when stretched just a bit into basses.

Unfortunately, the Parker guitar's shape has not been simply stretched into a bass... they corrputed the shape, instead of lovingly adapting it. The flow of the lines on the Parker bass is nothing like on the Parker guitar, and that is sad. Anyone who saw the potential "bad-ass-ness" of the Parker bass prototype made for Steve Swallow wishes that THAT was the bass that Parker eventually marketed.

Hey, I can appreciate the "advanced construction techniques" as well as the next person, but to paraphrase some of my fellow TB'ers, fugly is fugly!

 

[Suckbird]

And people make fun of the Bongos looks. :scowl:

Actually i like the look of this bass better than the bongo..
But the bongo looks alright to..

 

[jvbjr]

The top horn on Parkers dig into my ribcage, Ken should realize not everyone is sporting the spare tire he is.

 

[slombovia]

Since this thread is about looks I have to say I think it looks great; radical but cool. Still, the most important thing is how awesome it sounds.

But given the apparent general attitude that it is not attractive I wonder if the shape is bad marketing. It's obviously keeping players away.

 

[lbanks]

Since this thread is about looks I have to say I think it looks great; radical but cool. Still, the most important thing is how awesome it sounds.

Its not looks; I tried one and was just unimpressed or interested. It sounded thin, IMO. The Squire next to it had a fuller sound.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

You're SOOOO right about this one.
After seeing Steve Swallow's fantastic bass, I couldn''t wait for the release of the Parker "Fly" bass. I went to NAMM, and as soon as I picked it up, I knew they got it wrong. This thing was much more conventional in its construction that the super-advanced composite-skinned 6-string guitars, and it was just another odd-shaped bass with jazz pickups.
Too bad, I was ready to buy a lightweight composite-skinned bass, instead, I was handed something more akin to an expensive Rumblefish. Not that there's anything wrong with those Rumblefish basses, (they're neat) but it just wasn't what I was expecting from Parker, who's Fly Guitars are in their own league of uniqueness in construction and sonic versatility.

 

[slombovia]

First of all, the guitar and bass shapes are still of the same family if you ask me. Second, I think the bass is actually better looking as the horns on the guitar look a little stubby to me. Who's right? Me, of course!

And as much as I'd like to discuss the tone of this bass - which I like, this thread was about aesthetics. See the original post.

 

[slombovia]

Steve Swallow's bass was unreliable. The new design is much more stable. And it sounds good, is light weight, and has a cool look. AND, I'm right...

 

[chalie]

I have not went through the posted messages before but I jump-in to write a little about it since I owned one.
I got this bass with the inspiration from BassPlayer magazine as well. They gave this bass in the top ranking and the appearance is different so I just have it. I was searching for this one in London when they just have it in the market but they were asking for too much so I did not get one. When I am beack home, Bangkok, a month later we have many of them available and was asking for more reasonable price.
I got the priviledged to tried both 4 and 5 also red and tan color for few days and I relucktantly decided to go for 5.
I think iwas expecting something different off this bass and now I did not enjoy playing it. I think if you are a rocker and you have a 4 that would be the best to have this Parker serving you but no more than that.

The down side on 5 are the space between the strings that is much too narrow and very inconvenience to make the tuning as all the tuners are too close together. The general down side would be the electronics that has no control over the mid-range and a useless piezo toning. The limited choice for strings selection as the space between the nut and the last tuner, 4 or 5, is too short. The standard string off the market will not fit in nicely not even the Fodera's as an OEM so I decided to have it custom made by La Bela. If you are the fan of D'dadario this it is working all right. One last comment is the playdability is poor, the squared edge at the bottom of the bass hurt your lap and the neck are too light that keep swinging away from your fret hand every time you have your pluging hand over or off the bass's body.

I think the Parker company is under restructure or something like that and hope they will do a better bass.