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Update; My latest GAS - my next guitar - and sorry, it ain't a Gibson


Notes_Norton

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Well, last week when I called the first M&P store (my favorite) and spoke to the clerk (not the owner) he simply said, "No". The second store just called and said he tried but couldn't.

 

I have a gig today, so tomorrow I go Internet order.

 

Any suggestions of a good store? (Sweetwater is out, they don't have the natural color).

 

Is MF good? How about GC?

 

Thanks,

Notes

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Bob...

 

GC and MF are the same company, different divisions that operate obviously quite differently. I don't know how they handle call center stuff for GC given MF and Music123 also are divisions of the same company.

 

That said...

 

My experience in general with MF has been quite good - but I've never purchased anything that expensive. My last guitar purchase I bit the bullet to buy at a local store and got a great Dot and a decent trade deal on another branded 335 clone I never bonded with at all.

 

Were I ordering a better quality guitar such as this I'd really prefer it be packed inside a nice new properly-designed case. I don't know how MF would handle that, but my understanding is that it ain't packed together. I had an almost-disastrous experience shipping an Ovation back to the factory for warranty work a few years ago and it came back with about an inch in diameter round hole that even punched a big dent into the case, although it didn't penetrate or affect the guitar.

 

I got a little Epi on a great "deal" from MF a cupla months ago and it came in factory packing and UPS did a lot better job.

 

I think some of it comes down to how the company handles shipping. MF/GC/123, etc., (I seem to recall they also own woodwind/brasswind and more too) and probably most other "biggies" pretty much do a call center and then ship from a warehouse location.

 

As I said, for less expensive stuff I've had generally very good service. A more experienced sales person might be better at ensuring a "more than one bit" order a pro might choose to make. (E.g., case, strings, whatever, all in the same order.) With the less expensive stuff their customer service has "worked" quite well for me. So far. I'm still awaiting a stand "bag" from my latest order that was taken by a new guy.

 

So... dunno if that helps at all.

 

m

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OK, pulled the trigger this morning. After doing the, 12 months same as cash credit card app on-line, I went to place the order. The web site didn't give me the free shipping option so I called and got a salesman. He gave me a better deal than the Internet advertised price, I added an Ultimate Support guitar stand, and the price is still less than the Internet advertised price for the guitar alone.

 

I'll post pictures and a review when it arrives.

 

Notes

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I've never bought a guitar on-line before, as I prefer to pick it out myself. But unfortunately, nobody had one for me to try and that 5pound guitar was just too good to pass up.

 

But there are two things I've learned so far about the experience:

  1. When ordering from an Internet dealer, pick up the phone and see if you can get a better deal
  2. After you pull the trigger, the GAS actually gets worse

 

I didn't get an e-mail tracking number yet, so I guess it won't be shipped until Monday. They are probably busy due to the upcoming holidays.

 

When I get it, I'll post a first impression, and then later if my opinion changes, I'll post a follow up.

 

Of course I have a little sticker shock going, as I've never spend more than $425 for a guitar before. It's the price of a decent saxophone, and I'm a much better saxophonist. Perhaps the price tag will rub off and make me a better guitarist ;)

 

Thanks to all who offered help and/or encouragement.

 

Notes ♫

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Great. B)

 

It's the Parker DF524 - right?

 

Waiting to see some pics after delivery.

Yes the DF524. It's the least expensive one in the line. The wood and electronics are the same on all the models, fortunately the finish I liked best(nat) was the lowest priced one.

 

I'm impatiently waiting for delivery.

 

Notes ♫

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Cool Bob!

(I considered buying one at one time, despite the significant price point)

 

 

I guess the main thing that turned me off over the years is the style they're often used for.

I know how well they're made (or were back then anyhow) and how versatile they are.

But everybody I ever saw use them live had such an effects-laden tone it made me crazy.

I couldn't tell what it was supposed to sound like.

(Wait, there's the pseudo-acoustic tone now to go with the pseudo humbucker and pseudo single coil....)

 

Being a hobbyist with a pretty narrow set list, the Fly just didn't do anything I couldn't do already.

 

I mean, for gigs like you do, the flexibility is a must.

Also, being a multi-instrumentalist (especially wind) I'm sure you have a keen ear.

But if I never hear a real guitar tone during the first set, I'm leaving.

The Taylor T-5 left me cold the same way.

I know it's a great guitar, I just don't need it.

 

I recall the graphite neck, unique truss rod, and first rate construction, and I hear even the cheap imports are good.

 

[thumbup]

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Thanks.

 

Yes the price point is pretty steep, but since I gig for a living, I have rationalized the cost. This should be my gigging guitar for years to come, and hopefully the price point will be an insignificant fraction of what I make playing it. And it's $500 less than a no-bling Les Paul Standard (and over $5,000 less than the top of the line LP).

 

I firmly believe that we play the pickups not the guitar. I also know that Duncan has a good reputation for building pickups, so they should sound decent when playing clean (I probably play at least 75% of the time with a Twin Reverb model and a touch of reverb only). If not, it's a simple matter to change the pickups.

 

The DF has a maple neck with an ebony fingerboard and Graph Tech nut. Also locking tuners.

 

So right now I'll have a choice of Single Coils, Single Coils with one RPRW, Humbucker (or split), and Fishman "Acoustic". Sounds pretty versatile to me.

 

My partner has a Korean Parker PM10 Hornet, and it sounds great clean. It came with two humbuckers with split coils. The workmanship on her guitar is near-perfect. To see where the neck joins the body you have to take it out in the sunlight and really look hard. The grain almost matches across the seam. Everything else is as precise.

 

I'm hoping that the US workers can work as fine as the Koreans. If not, I'll be seriously disappointed in fellow citizens.

 

As far as FX go; If everybody else wants to play with tons of FX on theirs, they can and it doesn't mean I have to.

 

I envision down the road replacing the Humbucker with a P-Rail. But that won't happen for at least a year (modding voids the warranty).

 

And it only weighs 5 pounds. I do one-nighters, so anything I can do to bring the weight down is a blessing. My Carvin LM15 PA speakers are only 32 pounds each, I use a QSC/PLX amp with a switching power supply that weighs about half as much as the amps with a big transformer in them, and I play direct into the PA with an amp sim /fx pedal. But my saxophone is heavy because you can't get a good tone out of a light one, they are acoustic instruments.

 

I also pick up and set down the guitar dozens of times per night. After schlepping equipment to the gig, and before schlepping back home, there is no need to hoist an almost 8 pound guitar that many times. At least for me. After all, we musicians have a reputation for being lazy, and I have to do my part ;)

 

If the guitar won't do what I want it to do, I have 45 days to send it back, and I'm only out return shipping.

 

I'll post a review and of course pictures when it arrives.

 

Notes ♫

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is the follow up (you won't believe this):

 

I ordered the Parker DragonFly on Friday November 19th and a big package arrives on Monday the 22nd via priority mail (not bad) and I opened the case and the first thing I noticed was the guitar was the wrong color. Instead of light NAT it was dark mahogany colored. The second thing I noticed was that is wasn't a DragonFly at all, instead it was a top-of-the-line Parker Mojo MIDI fly - which retails for $5,600.00 (I paid less than $1,400.00 for the guitar and an Ultimate Support guitar stand). I've never seen the Mojo MIDI Fly sell for less than $4,200.00.

 

So I immediately do the right thing and call customer support (it's a "do unto others" ethic). I tell him I want to return the Mojo for the DragonFly and he tells me there are no more DFs in stock, and they won't be in for at least 99 days. I express my disappointment, and ask for my options. He tells me (1) I can keep the MMFly (2) Return it for a reimbursement [i pay return shipping] (3) return it for credit on another guitar.

 

I can't believe they are going to let keep the MMF so I send off an e-mail and get the autoresponder response that they got the e-mail, but no actual response.

 

Now I ordered a DragonFly that retails at $1999 and get a Mojo MIDI Fly that retails for $5,600, they tell me to keep it, and I'm actually bummed. The MMF is a great guitar, composite carbon covered neck and fretboard (plays as smooth as warm butter) and it has a Roland MIDI pickup. But it has 2 split-able humbuckers which is not the configuration I wanted. It sounds great, but isn't giving me the sound I was looking for. The DF has SSH with the H split-able.

 

So the customer service clerk tells me I can keep the MMF, and there is no answer to my e-mail. If I can sell the MMF for $3500, I can pay for the MMF and a DF from another vendor and have a few bucks left over. But I don't feel right doing that.

 

So I find the US Federal Trade Commission site and it says:

 

Q. What should I do if the unordered merchandise I received was the result of an honest shipping error?

 

A. Write the seller and offer to return the merchandise, provided the seller pays for postage and handling. Give the seller a specific and reasonable amount of time (say 30 days) to pick up the merchandise or arrange to have it returned at no expense to you. Tell the seller that you reserve the right to keep the merchandise or dispose of it after the specified time has passed.

 

So I write the letter, and am waiting for a response (or lack of it).

 

I ordered the DF from another dealer (it's supposed to be shipped today) and either one or two things are going to happen before next month (1) I'll return the MMF and get my credit card reimbursed - there was no interest on the purchase or (2) I'll put the MMF up for sale.

 

Now I'm an excellent sax player (best in the state each year I was in school and decades of pro experience have been added to that) but only a mediocre guitarist. I've only been playing it a couple of years now. Since it's my 7th instrument, I'm much better than the average 2 year guitarist, I can crank out a decent rock/blues/country solo mostly with pentatonic, blues, and major scale fragments, but I ain't no Jeff Beck. So for me owning the MMF would be like buying a Ferrari to go to the grocery store and back (not that I'd mind that). If it had the pickup configuration and if it was light wood instead of dark, I'd probably keep it. But instead, it's either going back or going up for sale.

 

What would you have done?

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

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Here is the follow up (you won't believe this):

 

I ordered the Parker DragonFly on Friday November 19th and a big package arrives on Monday the 22nd via priority mail (not bad) and I opened the case and the first thing I noticed was the guitar was the wrong color. Instead of light NAT it was dark mahogany colored. The second thing I noticed was that is wasn't a DragonFly at all, instead it was a top-of-the-line Parker Mojo MIDI fly - which retails for $5,600.00 (I paid less than $1,400.00 for the guitar and an Ultimate Support guitar stand). I've never seen the Mojo MIDI Fly sell for less than $4,200.00.

 

So I immediately do the right thing and call customer support (it's a "do unto others" ethic). I tell him I want to return the Mojo for the DragonFly and he tells me there are no more DFs in stock, and they won't be in for at least 99 days. I express my disappointment, and ask for my options. He tells me (1) I can keep the MMFly (2) Return it for a reimbursement [i pay return shipping] (3) return it for credit on another guitar.

 

I can't believe they are going to let keep the MMF so I send off an e-mail and get the autoresponder response that they got the e-mail, but no actual response.

 

Now I ordered a DragonFly that retails at $1999 and get a Mojo MIDI Fly that retails for $5,600, they tell me to keep it, and I'm actually bummed. The MMF is a great guitar, composite carbon covered neck and fretboard (plays as smooth as warm butter) and it has a Roland MIDI pickup. But it has 2 split-able humbuckers which is not the configuration I wanted. It sounds great, but isn't giving me the sound I was looking for. The DF has SSH with the H split-able.

 

So the customer service clerk tells me I can keep the MMF, and there is no answer to my e-mail. If I can sell the MMF for $3500, I can pay for the MMF and a DF from another vendor and have a few bucks left over. But I don't feel right doing that.

 

So I find the US Federal Trade Commission site and it says:

 

Q. What should I do if the unordered merchandise I received was the result of an honest shipping error?

 

A. Write the seller and offer to return the merchandise, provided the seller pays for postage and handling. Give the seller a specific and reasonable amount of time (say 30 days) to pick up the merchandise or arrange to have it returned at no expense to you. Tell the seller that you reserve the right to keep the merchandise or dispose of it after the specified time has passed.

 

So I write the letter, and am waiting for a response (or lack of it).

 

I ordered the DF from another dealer (it's supposed to be shipped today) and either one or two things are going to happen before next month (1) I'll return the MMF and get my credit card reimbursed - there was no interest on the purchase or (2) I'll put the MMF up for sale.

 

Now I'm an excellent sax player (best in the state each year I was in school and decades of pro experience have been added to that) but only a mediocre guitarist. I've only been playing it a couple of years now. Since it's my 7th instrument, I'm much better than the average 2 year guitarist, I can crank out a decent rock/blues/country solo mostly with pentatonic, blues, and major scale fragments, but I ain't no Jeff Beck. So for me owning the MMF would be like buying a Ferrari to go to the grocery store and back (not that I'd mind that). If it had the pickup configuration and if it was light wood instead of dark, I'd probably keep it. But instead, it's either going back or going up for sale.

 

What would you have done?

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

 

Wow!

 

I'd probably have done the same, except I would not have thought to contact the Fed. Trade Commission. The price tag doesn't matter - if it's not what you really wanted, the value isn't there.

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I wouldn't have thought FTC. South Dakota's attorney general's office has an excellent consumer protection division and that would have been the call.

 

It sounds really strange. What came out of your credit card would be my next question, though.

 

m

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Parker makes great guitars, I love the sound, tonal options and how they seem to be made to fit the body and hands [thumbup] The only thing I don't really like is how light they are but it's really easy to overcome because of the many features and sound. [thumbup]

 

When you get her you'll probably find it hard to play your other guitars [woot]

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Wow!

 

I'd probably have done the same, except I would not have thought to contact the Fed. Trade Commission. The price tag doesn't matter - if it's not what you really wanted, the value isn't there.

 

I posted the same story on Harmony Central and another poster led me to the FTC site. That was appreciated because I was in a quandary about what to do. The customer service rep told me I could keep it or return it, the e-mail was unanswered, and I was worried that if I sold it, they would be able to charge the difference on my credit card. On the other hand, I didn't want to pay return shipping for their mistake. If they would have offered free shipping back I would have sent it back immediately.

 

I did check the credit card and the approx 1.4K figure is still there. It's the only thing on that card so it's easy to keep track of -- and it's 12 months of no interest so I won't have to pay another cent.

 

The Mojo MIDI Fly is comfortable, has good sustain acoustically (which is odd considering it's so light), and sounds good. It's just not the sound I want.

 

If I don't hear from them by January, it goes up for sale.

 

Anybody interested? ;)

 

Notes ♫

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Very nice guitar. [thumbup]

 

I have an Ibanez S5470 and I really love this guitar but the problem is that is not the kind of guitar that supposed to be used in a blues band.

That's bad because that guitar sounds very well (ok it is not so typed as a strato, a tele or a LesPaul, but it is somewhere in between) and the neck is so comfortable that if I played it during a show, going back to my Gibson or Fender is very difficult.

 

Strange like for some people you cannot play the blues with something else that Gibson or Fender :unsure:

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awel

 

Okay, this is politically incorrect, but...

 

If you love the guitar for playability, and you are happy with the sound, forget what others may say.

 

I fell in that trap many years ago. I regret the guitars I traded when I switched bands.

 

Be yourself. Play the guitar you are happy with. That is what the famous blues people did. I do not like some of their choices for me. So what?

 

Nowadays I play guitars I love to play. I play almost any kind of music on them. I play a little bit of classical music even on an SG. Who says I can not do that?

 

This does not mean I think you should only have one guitar. I love Gibson styles, for example. But make your choices and spend your money on guitars you love, not on what you think other people believe that you should have.

 

m

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The DragonFLy from Funky Munky arrived yesterday, about 2 hours before we left for our gig. So I didn't have much time to play it before going on stage.

 

First impressions:

  1. It's beautiful (pictures will come as soon as I have time)
  2. It's as light as a feather. A few ounces more than my full hollow-body Epiphone Casino and Gibson ES-330
  3. It's well balanced - stays put when both hands are off the guitar
  4. It's very comfortable to hold against my body
  5. Positions 1 & 3 (neck and middle only) sound very strat-ish and 5 (humbucker only) sounds very Gibson-ish
  6. The fishman pickup gives it a very realistic acoustic sound by itself -- plus blending the acoustic with the magnetic pickups makes it sound like a flat top blended with a pickup in the round hole
  7. Positions 2 and 4 (and 4 with the humbucker in both hb and coil tapped) positions sound great too, but I don't know how to describe them (although position 4 with the humbucker in sc mode sounds a little like a tele only fatter). I'll get into this more after gigging, when I can play with it more off the gig without the rest of the band

 

The fit and finish of the guitar are excellent and the frets are dressed well. It came in a decent hard case (not a flight case though) and was set up well - intonation is great, although the action was a little higher than I prefer.

 

I haven't played with the whammy much yet, and didn't on the gig. I've never had one, and it's a skill that definitely needs a little off stage work. I put the handle on before the gig (it came in the floating mode), and as per the instructions tuned the guitar, wiggled the stick, retuned, wiggled the stick and then checked intonation. It didn't go out of tune after the second tuning. (it has Sprezel locking tuners and a graph-tech nut).

 

This will be my gigging guitar for a long time to come.

 

I eventually want to replace the humbucker with a P-Rail so I can also have P90 tones too. Then it will be an "everything" guitar.

 

I still haven't heard anything on the Mojo, but it's too early to sell it.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

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The first thing I'm learning is that the 25.5" scale is easier to play past the 12th fret (fingers fit better) but especially when playing movable chords lower on the fretboard, the jump is farther and for a while I'll have to look at the guitar ;)

 

I'm exploring the sounds and how they mix with my backing tracks. It's a lot of fun.

 

I've e-mailed Parker Tech Support for instructions on setting the bridge height (lowering the action), and adjusting the intonation (mostly where to find the adjustments) and they have been very responsive, answering my e-mails in minutes.

 

I think I'm going to like this guitar for a long time to come.

 

Notes ♫

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After the fiasco in this thread from the dealer who shipped the wrong guitar and then didn't have the right one --- I went to Funky Munky Music. Larry was very helpful and had Parker ship one directly to me (thanks Larry).

 

It's beautiful, and the pictures don't do it justice.

 

First of all it came in a serviceable case (definitely NOT a flight case)

 

df1_case.jpg

 

---------

 

Here is a picture of my first impression.

Notes:

1) This is the only picture that shows the color the way it really looks - I took it on a different day from the rest of the pictures, and not being a photographer, I don't know what I did differently

2) I put the little white markers on the knobs myself (automobile reflector tape)

 

df2_in_case.jpg

 

---------

 

A closeup of the body (see how faded the color looks? Again, I don't know what I did wrong - I'm a musician, not a photographer)

 

df3_body.jpg

 

---------

 

The bridge (I can hear James Brown yelling "To the bridge -- to the bridge!" and the rhythm section accenting the climb)

 

df4_bridge.jpg

 

---------

 

What good is guitar porn without a closeup of the knobs? (again, the tape markers are my own "improvement")

 

df5_knobs.jpg

 

---------

 

Headstock

 

df6_headstock.jpg

 

---------

 

This thing is both light and skinny!!!

 

Note: I "enlarged" the fret marker dots myself with some of the same tape that I put on the knobs. When the stage is either dark or brightly lit from the front, and I have my mouth on the microphone, I need to see the dots out of the corner of my eyes.

 

df7_top.jpg

 

---------

 

The backside

 

df8_back.jpg

 

---------

 

Last one

 

df9_body_angle.jpg

 

Ain't she a beaut?

 

---------

 

It's a dream to play. It's comfortable, well balanced, light weight, and I lowered the action so all it takes is a light touch.

 

So how does it sound?

 

Take all this into consideration ... I'm a pro musician, but since the 60s it's been predominantly sax. I've doubled on rhythm (barre chords) and bass using the instruments from my band-mates when there was no room for a sax. I also play with a Digitech RP355 direct into the PA set (I schlepp a sax, flute, guitar, 2 wind synths, PA set, speakers, another guitar for my partner, a tactile MIDI controller, and a rack full of synth modules. I'm not about to add a guitar amp). Also, I have only played a real Fly for about 15 minutes, so there is no way this is a comparison to that. My other guitars are a 1970 Gibson ES-330, a Epi Casino and an LTD-EC50 that I put GFS Mean 90 pickups and a Varitone in.

 

Positions 1 and 3 (neck and middle) sound Strat-like. Position 2 and 4 sound a little fatter. Position 5 in the humbucker mode sounds Gibson-ish. Position 4 with the humbucker in the SC tap sounds a little like a tele. And the Fishman sounds close enough to a real Flat-Top guitar to tickle my ears - it has the acoustic jangle that most pedal simulations miss. Mix the Piezo with the mag pups and it sounds like a flat top that has a magnetic pickup in the hole.

 

It's still new, I'm gigging with it, and still exploring the sounds I can get from it so the above isn't final.

 

The whammy bar does not put the guitar out of tune if you tune the guitar up, wiggle the bar, and then re-tune.

 

To summarize the review in two words, "I'm Delighted".

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

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