NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character) PICS

[KeeperOS]

Last time I posted a NGD I thought I'd want to see how well you know me and made it a bit of a guessing game, not gonna do it now for two reason's; firstly because I got some grief from some of you :9: and secondly because this one is sth completely out of character for me.
Most who know me know that I like Superstrats with 24 frets and a Floyd the most. This one is none of that.

So, with no further ado I give you my new* USA Parker Mojo Fly Single Cut!!!

Specs include:

• AAA Quilt Maple over carved Mahogany body and neck with Parker's unique joint (just look at the part where a heel is supposed to be!)
• Parker's Carbon/Glass fiber fretboard with 22 stainless steel frets w/ 25.5" scale.
• TOM bridge with a tailpiece (sth I'd once swear never to get, go figure)
• Seymour Duncan Jazz (neck) and JB (bridge) pickups
• 3-way, two volumes and a master tone w/push-pull coil tap
• Light as a feather (Parker says 5 lbs)

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

The "new" part has a bit of a story and includes a big healthy chunk of serendipity to it.

As a few of you might know, this model and in this particular configuration has been discontinued for about 4 years. In fact my research points to her being either a late '07 or an early '08 model. The truth is that she's been standing at the window display of a music store for at least the past 3 years. That store was at the same mall I've been working at for about half a year and I would regularly go and play her after work. I must admit I knew very little about that model, I just liked that particular guitar but at about 3500€ starting price I really couldn't see myself getting her. Eventually, as a display item the price fell, first to 2800€ and then to 2600€, a lot lower but still out of my pay-grade. However when she was the very last in the music stores chain (at least in Greece) she, together with about 200 other display items was included in a liquidation-like discount, 50% off, which I discovered purely by chance as I've since been moved to a different workplace and was only there to buy a pack of strings, something I've only done twice in the past (my regular music store is elsewhere).

Needless to say, I plucked 50€ as a downpayment pending my Christmas bonus and there you have it. Funny thing is everyone at the store recognized me and said they were glad to see me finally take her home :9:. Truth is I've had her since Saturday but because of work it was only last night that I could finally put her through her paces and today that I was home during the day to shoot some photos.

I can't yet comment fully on the tone of the guitar since these are at least 3-year-old strings and although it was a climate-controlled store, she also is in dire need of a setup (plus 10-46 gauge strings).
So far I can comment on the fact that the neck feels super-comfy and that once again I reaffirm that I love the Jazz at the neck and I find the JB hit-or-miss at the bridge (this one is shaping to be a miss but I'll know more after a string change plus, I am waiting for a fugly bucker set that is meant to go in her).

EDIT: For the final verdict jump to post #17.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Nice to see your patience has been rewarded. If you ever get bored...

 

[d1dsj]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

I agree with the shop guys, it's great it's gone to a good home after you've wanted it for so long. A very nice addition, enjoy!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Congrats Bro!!!!

 

[Aceman]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

That's a beautiful story ma. I'm tearing up...

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Thanks you guys, and Ace, it might not be one of those "I sold her to pay for hospital bills for my ma and have been searching for her for 20 years" stories but at the very least it's a big part of pure dumb luck at the least.

I hadn't been in that store since I was relocated and even then, I only got there to buy strings and picks. Whenever I have the time I spend it at a different store (the one I got my Michael Kelly and my Swing from and modded all my other guitars).
However I was so damn busy because of Christmas that I only had an hour or so between being off work and the stores closing for the night that I had to go to a closer music store for strings.
Finally it wasn't until after I bought the strings that I noticed a pamphlet they had at the register noting 50% off to 200 display items and asked if she was among them.

That's a lot of little out-of-the-ordinary events that had to be put into motion for me to ever know about it.

Anyways, she's mine now although I neither planned nor expected it and she's been pretty fun so far! Funny thing, I've been playing her for so long that there is no honey-moon period, I just feel like I've already had her for a while now...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

coolness! Light as a feather would be good for my back too!

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Very nice, love the Parkerisms. The reason I don't care for single cuts is the poor fret access most of them have, but I'd hit this (or a Yamaha Weddington). I used to eye the original Mojos closely, SDs and mahogany had me intrigued, but they were $4k, so I just used my imagination and kept my wallet firmly in my pocket. I played an old Nitefly once and liked it quite a bit, the SS frets were very slinky feeling.

Liking the JB? Many here don't seem to care for it in a LP style guitar.

I wonder how long before Jerry comes along and trashes your NGD because a guitar that weights 5lb can't possibly be any good .

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Double post.

 

[PunkMetalhead42]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Nice! I love that finish!

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Its appears true, KeeperOS does in fact have a new Parker MIlady.

KeeperOS did NOT have sex with that Parker.

YEsssssss! KeeperOS got the Parker!

Zee Axis Must Have Zis Parker!

WTF KeeoperOS..now you got a PArker and your too good to return my calls anymore??

 

[J E C]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

That is a fabulous set of circumstances, and that is a Beautiful guitar! congrats

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Veddy nice!!!

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Wow, thanks for all the comments guys, the guitar might be a single cut but it is 25.5" scale, the main problem I'm having with the JB, believe it or not (and I think you will not) is that it's too muddy. Yep you read that right. Muddy. The Jazz sounds exactly like how I'm used to but the JB sounds like a Pearly Gates. I'm thinking 3-year-old strings + bad setup are the real culprits here but I was surprised to say the least...

However as I mentioned I'm wanting to put the Fuglybuckers in her so we'll see how that turns out.

Besides that, the frets do feel very slick as does the fretboard, the neck is very comfy and the heel (or absence of) allows access to the 22nd fret with more ease than any shredstick!
All in all a happy camper!

 

[The Dali]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Great story! Enjoy!

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

OK!
Fresh out of a new setup and with new 10s strings.
Impressions now:

Playability:
WOW, I THOUGHT it was comfy before, now it feels like it was unplayable before in comparison, think comfy times 10!

Sound-wise:
Once again, I know what to expect from the Jazz, I know I like it and it has been an especially stable pickup. Wherever I've put it up until now it's behaved more or less the same and I've always liked it. The 59 exhibits similar behavior, except that I've never liked it in any guitar. Go figure.
As for the JB, this one appears to be an extra finicky pickup. This time around it sounded just like I knew it. Pretty good highs without being shrill and decent, not overpowering mids. However this guitar is ultra-thin and extra light as it is and the JB simply did not have enough lows to fill out the bottom. I believe that it'd work wonders in a full mix with the Bass Guitar doing its' thing but on its' own it's just not enough in this guitar. (works wonders in my other Mahogany superstrat though!)

So, I took the plunge and went with a Tom Anderson HN3+. I am pretty familiar with Anderson's "H" line, having had the H3 (ceramic) in my Swing EZ-10 and the HN3 (Neodymium) in my Stinnett custom SS6. In both cases, the number "3" in the name denotes a very hot pickup. However I felt that this guitar called for an extra hot one, hence the "+" in HN3+, which means "as hot as we could possibly make it short of a meltdown".

Andersons have been pretty predictable thus far but this one, it was the most perfect of fits I've ever heard on a guitar, ever.
Usually after installing a new pickup you need to find the EQ sweet spots on the amp.
With this one there was no EQ sweetspot, that is to say, EVERY setting worked!!!
I would scoop the mids and I would still get a tone with plenty of definition or I could turn them way up and they'd STILL not overpower neither the lows or highs!!!
I would turn the lows down and I would still get plenty of bottom from the mid-lows or I would turn them up and the sound would never turn mushy.
Honestly I was in awe.

So, the final verdict is, this guitar rocks so much more than I ever knew (the store I bought it from only had some low-gain, rock-oriented Laneys and some Line 6s, hardly amps I could use to put a guitar through her paces).
She is very very quickly going up there to my best 3, perhaps even 2.
VERY impressed and very much liking her!!!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Very cool update Bro!! Glad its gotten even better for you! Got me curious about those pups now... haha

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Sweet guitar and a great story Glad to hear it's finally yours :fing2:

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: NGD - A Christmas present from me... to me (and one completely out of character)

Thanks guys, SDs are always my first thought but I am also liking the predictability of Anderson and the high fidelity of Suhr pickups.

Suhrs are kinda like very clear and rich Duncans, the tone of the guitar comes through for better or for worse. Andersons for some reason react somewhat predictably on all the guitars I've heard them on. They still allow the character of the guitar to come through, no two guitars with the same pickups will sound the same, but they pretty much set the EQ in a way that kinda overpowers the natural EQ of the guitar. Again, that's not to say that they're like EMGs or even DiMarzios but definitely color the tone of the guitar more strongly than either SDs or Suhrs. Still sound great though.