Parker Guitars Artist

Basically, a Parker Deluxe with a one piece Sitka spruce body in a transparent butterscotch finish. 2 specially wound DiMarzio humbuckers, piezos, magnetic pickup volume pot, , tone pot/coil tap, piezo output pot, magnetic pickup selector, magnetic/piezo/blend switch, bridge stop and spring are adjusted through the back of the control cover. This is a 2007 guitar with the standard Parker tremolo and Sperzel locking tuners. Everything I needed was included: It was furnished in a hard case with owner's manual, "Bullwinkle" hanger adapter, truss rod and bridge hex wrenches, spare spring, and stereo output cable.

Compared to my 2007 Deluxe, it produces richer acoustic overtones when played clean, but it has a tendency to get somewhat muddy if you turn up the gain too much. Like my Deluxe, the range of controls makes this one of the most versatile guitars I've ever played. It is a tad lighter than the Deluxe and the wood grain remaining visible beneath the butterscotch transparent finish is appealing.

This came to me as a factory 2nd. The only distinguishable anomalies were some slight lifts in the clear coat directly adjacent to the fret board. Everything else looks great. The folks at Parker were pretty picky with this one!

Since this guitar shares many of the same features as my Parker Fly Deluxe, I expected the performance to be similar - action and feel wise. Park Fly guitars, along with their carbon fiber fret boards and hardened stainless steel frets, have the slickest, fastest action of any guitar I've ever played. The profile of the neck on this Artist is only marginally thicker than on my Deluxe. The upper fret access is also unrivaled, and the guitar balances beautifully. I've never had any mechanical issues with either guitar, and I've played the Deluxe extensively.

Although I've never had a warranty issue, all of my other correspondence with Parker has been positive.

I've been playing since the mid 1960's and have used many types of guitars over the years. There are about 2 dozen guitars in my current collection. The Parker Fly series have become my favorite workhorse guitars. Unmatched playability, effortless during long sessions, and extremely versatile. If I wasn't so impressed with my Fly Deluxe, I wouldn't have bought this Artist. They're not for everyone - especially those who can't wrap their minds around something so unconventional - but they really work for me!

This is my eleventh Parker guitar, and to be perfectly honest, I bought it primarily because of the finish. Okay, yeah, I'd been looking for a top-shelf Parker for awhile, and had checked out a couple of standard Artists and Supremes, but this is the only one of its kind I've been able to locate: it's one of the first 29 Artists built,and it's the ONLY one of the first-years in the Trans Cherry Burst finish. YES, it's stunning. The body is vertical-grained Sitka Spruce, just like violin makers use for tonal perfection. And that's what thie guitar is all about. There is absolutely NO sound I can't produce with this beast. Mine weighs 3.78 pounds without a strap. Add the Levy's and Strap locks and it comes in at just over four pounds. That means ALL the sound your strings make has to come out of the guitar- there's just not enough mass there to soak up any of the tone. That's really cool until you realize that this same godlike perfection means every squeak and squawk you make will come thru just as hot as the notes you're trying to play. WARNING: THIS IS NOT A GUITAR FOR AMATEURS, INTERMEDIATE WANNABEES, OR SLOPPY PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS! Okay, sure- the $5k price tag for a new one will eliminate most of those. But for those who play this guitar before mastering their art, this will prove either the ultimate training tool OR the most horrible musical instrument they've ever played. Specs change every year, so I won't go too deep with those. The basics are the spruce body, Sperzel locking tuners, 2 DiMarzio Humbuckers, Fishman Active Piezopickus in the cool-as-shitsicles- Parker bridge, floating tremolo, basswood neck reinforced with carbon fiber & epoxy, split or summed voicing via Parker y-cable lets you play heavily effected electric and clean acoustic simultaneously. My only complaint is that there isn't an 11 on this scale.

Tone is inherently bright, but I think it'll be pretty variable depending on the strings. Again with the tiny mass thing... I play it thru a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade head, H&K 4x12 cab with 2 Celestion Golds and 2 Rockdriver Juniors. The piezos sing through a Trace Elliot Supertramp Stereo Quad Chorus 2x12 combo. Perfectly noisless, you'll run out or repertoire before you run out of tones. It'll handle anything from the Doors to Dream Theater with just a touch of the controls. Amazing. Yes, this category also needs an 11.

I bought the guitar used but unplayed- and it was perfectly set up out of the box after a week-long ride cross-country. Cosmetically, this is a museum piece. Take a look at some pics of it on Parker's web forum under "Custom guitars." The guys on the forum agree it's one of the prettiest Artist out there, but it's still within the Parker "Bell curve:" they just build stunning guitars. Despite its being ten years old when I got it, there were absolutely no flaws of any kind. The body is solid, one piece, so bookmatching is not a concern here; that's been my only gripe with Parker's veneer-topped guitars. But they're Korean-built imports, and they shouldn't be built to the same standards as the Parkers built in the US. If I hold this guitar at just the right angle, I can see the weave of the carbon fiber in the back of the neck, but I can't feel it. Same goes for the fretboard. I think that just adds to the "cool factor" Frets are stainless steel, so they'll never need to be replaced. I would love to see Parker put nicer knobs on their high-end guitars, though. The rubber ones just don't do it for me.

Hey, it's a Parker. The Fly series is as close as you can get to bulletproof- it's reinforced with the same stuff that keeps the space shuttle in one piece, for f^@%'s sake!. Since it weighs nothing, it's a LOT easier to gig with than your Strat or Gibson. I play out three or four times a week and usually carry the Artist, a Nitefly SA, one or two of my PM20 Pros, and a P-42. But I don't do that because I need a backup guitar- I do that because I like the specfic voice of each guitar for what I use it for. That said, I wouldn't be apprehensive at all about just toting the Artist and leaving the rest of my Parkers at home, except that I'd miss them...

Never had an issue with this guitar. I did have a peoblem early on with a PM20 I bought as a blem... Parker replaced it with a new guitar, offered me a cheap upgrade to a PM20 Pro, and followed up via phone and email. Their forum is always available, and is populated with regular guys like me and you, as well as not-so-regular guys like Dave Martone, Joe Walsh, German Schauss, and Vince Genella. If you have a question or problem with a Parker, the Forum is the first best place to go for advice from pros, dealers, and corporate execs. Customer service is phenomenal.

I've played for 32 years. I play Parker guitars exclusively now, and I can't imagine anything that could change that. I've played literally thousands of guitars, and never found one from another manufacturer that I liked as much as my lowly P-42. I sold a Dave Gilmour Signature Strat to buy my first Nitefly, and never regretted it. The Artist cost me two guitars, a trumpet, two amps, and '72 Dodge Charger, but I'm thrilled to have it. It's made me a better, more precise player. If it were stolen, that would be a trick, because I don't let it out of my sight. If someone pointed a gun at me and threatened to take it, they'd have to pull the trigger to get it... and it would most likely take more than one shot. This guitar is as close to perfection as anything created by human hands.

Could there be any more features? Want an acoustic. Want a Gibson? Want a Strat? Don't want to carry around a 10 pound AX?
This has got everything. Sperzel locking tuners, beautiful sitka spruce top.

OH my.... a limitless mix using the stereo cable to two different amps at the same time. I run the acoustic piezo side through a marshall acoustic amp and the humbuckers through a Fender Cybertwin. Sound is incredible and I can mix them all through the controls on the guitar on the fly (sorry about the pun).

Only guitar that Ive ever bought that didn't need tweeking. IT was set up perfectly. Finish is outstanding. Looks good, no flaws, adjustment excellent

Small and light but built like a truck. Have had it for 6 yeras and doesn't show any signs of wear. Indestructable frets and fretboard.

I guess that the customer support is excellent. I've never had to call them. That is the perfect kind of customer support. The kind that puts a product together so well before you buy it that you don't need their support after you buy it. Think about it!!!

I've been playing about 40 years.... yes 40. I have fenders, gibsons etc. This is the best guitar I own.

If it was lost or stolen, I'd buy another one.

Already covered by in other reviews

The piezo sounds ok but when I run it through my SIB Fatdrive it sounds incredible. The standard Dimarzio pickups are fine but they're pretty tame. They now offer Seymour Duncans which I think is an improvement they must think so too or else they wouldn't offer them.

I've been playing guitar for about twenty years and I love shredding. NO!!! guitar plays as fast as this thing I've owned two other Fly supremes and they play exactly the same awesome!!!

This is the reason I'm writing this. This guitar has stainless steel frets that are held on with glue. The second fret fell off after about two years of playing,it was out of warranty. Parker dosen't want anyone but them to repair thier guitars so there are no authorized repair shops. My guitar was out of warranty when this happened and I didn't wan't to pay $100.00 frieght plus the cost of repair to glue the fret back on. I Talked to 3 repair shops who wouldn't fix it they said send to Parker. So I made a template using epoxy and my other parker neck to make a template and reglued the fret with sattelite city super "T". That held for about two years and fell off again my fault? probably but it shouldn't have come off in the first place. This isn't the first time I've had problems with the adhesives Parker uses, the first Parker Fly Supreme I ever bought had the string nut fall off the very first time I restringed it, but it was under warranty. As i'm writing this I am currently regluing the fret for a second time hopefully it will hold. The bridge pickup in this guitar also failed and you cannot replace it with anything but the custom made Dimarzio fly pickup. You can send it out to Ed Roman and he will install Seymours into it but it's like $250.00 plus shipping. So I bought a Seymour Full Shred it uses allen head pole peices like the Dimarzio, and I cut off the mounting tabs, removed the longer pole pieces from the old pickup and put them in the Seymour. It sounds way better than the Dimarzio ever did. I also had to replace the input jack which again is custom to Parker Flys and ain't cheap I think it was around $150.00. Because they didn't use point to point wiring they used some kind ribbon printed wiring or something the input jack is connected to wiring and cannot be purchased seprately. They don't use this method on the new guitars because it sucks ass! There all point to point now. I am very dissapointed, I think a guitar that cost me $2400.00 without a hardshell case should wear better than this. Don't get me wrong I love this guitar and will continue to play only Parkers I may have gotten the 1 in 1000 that has had this many problems but it still pisses me off that I have to repair this thing like it's a vintage Ferrari.

Only emailed about alternative pickups. No response

Parker makes Kickass guitars I just needed to vent my frustrations. Like I said I will continue to play only parker guitars, I absolutely love them my email even states I own two. I just hope my next one won't need so many repairs.

I like the features, having a stereo mix of acoustic and electric. Some folks have said that the features are limited, I think the opposite. I love the locking tuners, every guitar should come with the Sperzio locking tuners that is on this guitar.

I can play it like an acoustic or like an electric, it truely is the best of both guitars. I like the snap when you want it, but you can pick lighter and avoid the snap. Great guitar for rock, blues, latino, pretty much anything in my opinion. I have yet to connect it to two amps, a tube amp and an acoustic amp, that would be interesting especially if the tube amp were a stereo amp, then the sound would come from 3 distinct sources.

I don't agree that the DiMarzios are weak in any way, I think they are perfect. If you buy this guitar to play metal, then you'll be disappointed until you add a preamp. I've had a metal guitar, that's all they do, this guitar does everything else. You still need a Tele if you own one of these, but you just might get away without having to own a Strat. You will not need a Gibson, PRS, although a Ric would be nice to have, same with a classic Gretsch hollowbody electric.

This is the best playing guitar I have ever played, period. Nothing more needs to be said. I've been playing over 30 years on and off, no PRS, no Gibson, no Fender, no guitar has even come close to the feel of this guitar. The neck is flawless, feels the same everywhere on the neck.

I also love the stainless steel frets. Why on earth do other guitar manufacturers use nickel silver frets that wear out and need replacement. I love the idea of the stainless frets wearing out the strings. That's the way it should be, wear out the strings, not the frets. Can you imagine if tires were made like the nickel silver frets of a guitar, and that every few tire changes on your car would also require replacing the rims and axles? That's the stupidity of nickel silver frets, absolutely as dumb as it gets. The Parker fly has frets that should last forever. If a harder substance could be used, I'd be in favor of making the frets even more indestructable.

I do little live sound, mostly home studio, but yes I would trust this guitar, but I would not want it stolen so it stays home except for very few exceptions.

I called Parker Guitars, they were very friendly and helpful. I think they have to provide good service, that's what makes them a smaller and better company. I doubt this will ever change. I wish these guitars would start getting recognized for the value that they are. PRS is great, a big step up from the major two manufacturers, and I would not mind owning a PRS guitar. I still believe that the Parker is a better guitar, and this says alot in my opinion.

Already said all this, I am open to other guitars, but I do not know of anything like this guitar in terms of versatility, sound, playability, etc. I expect to keep this guitar forever, for thousands of years if I can.

This is a 1999 Parker Fly Artist, stock configuration. See other reviews or the Parker site for technicaly specifications.

Overall, it's an astonishing, unique instrument. It has some downsides, at least for me: when set to use the bridge and neck PUs, they are split so that you the the inside coils. The resulting tone is markedly different in quality from using either of the PUs alone, and much more so than you'd get from a Les Paul-style guitar. To me, the sound becomes thin and squaky and is best avoided. I assume Parker was trying to cover the Les Paul/Strat bases here, but I don't think it works. Also -- and, again, it's just me -- I like having individual volume and tone controls for each pickup. Whoops, that gives me away as a Gibson player...

Otherwise, the guitar is ridiculously tweakable, built like a tank and capable of some truly amazing sounds. It doesn't get a "10" from me, however, because I do think it's got some major compromises for a guitar this expensive.

One thing: the top horn is terribly uncomfortable, to me, at least, if you play or practice sitting down. Design-wise, this guitar is a work or art. Weight-wise, it's incredible. It feels great. But it's not very comfortable.

Pretty much as described by others. It's not a Gibson, it's not a Fender, it's not a PRS or some other take on a Gibson or Fender, it's not a jazz machine, blues machine, etc. It CAN do pretty much anything under the Sun, and in a very unique way. This isn't a guitar to pick up, plug in, play and expect to get a certain sound with which you are familiar. It takes time and effort to get to know and it's capable of making some gorgeous music. Another reviewer called it very resonant. Well, you'd never expect that to be the case, but it is -- it absolutely comes alive in your hands. Magic!

Ab-so-lute-ly not problems. Better than any Gibson or Fender I've picked up in eons. Flawless.

Okay, I think the finish is a tad sensitive. It probably would have been a good idea to use a clear pickguard of some kind, because it does get scratched easily. But it's built like a tank. It stays in tune like crazy. Some parts -- the back panel, specifically, and the trem switch there -- are a little bit cheesy and don't inspire confidence. Otherwise, it's rock-solid.

As good as it gets. Better, actually. I called and griped about something that was no longer policy -- you're supposed to buy springs for strings bigger than 10s these days, but I have an old manual -- and Joe B. at Parker went out of his way to ship me a free trem spring anyway. Didn't even ask for details on the guitar. This is a trustworthy, customer-support oriented company if ever there was one.

I have to give the overall rating a "9" because of some downsides and the fact that this *IS* one seriously expensive guitar.

But, oh, gosh, the upsides. A fantastic company. A masterful instrument capable of an insane variety of tones. That fretboard! The light weight! Even if I didn't play, the sheer beauty and artistry of the guitar is deeply luring.

I finally got the Parker Fly I'va always wanted through an industry connection and didn't have to pay the full price. I got it about two months ago, so I figure it was built sometime in 2001. This Fly Artist model has a beautiful spruce top and has all the features that the other reviewers have mentioned here, so I won't repeat those things here. Overall, this guitar is extremely versatile due to the onboard piezo preamp/mixer. The magnetics on their own sound great, too, but adding and mixing the piezo sounds is what makes this guitar so special. The other features like the unique tremolo system, the stainless steel frets, the ability to lock the trem, the lightweight, etc. are totally unique features that no other electric guitars have. I do wish that I could coax more usable magnetic sounds out of it, but the piezo sounds more than make up for that shortcoming.

This is an extremely bright, brilliant-sounding guitar. But it also has a deep bass and an overall lushness that I've never heard on another solid-body electric. I think it's the most lively and lush-sounding guitar I've heard or played, period -- and that includes fine acoustic guitars as well.

The DiMarzio pickups are somewhat dark-sounding for my personal taste, but I think they match well with the overall acoustic brightness of this guitar. Mixing the magnetic sounds with the piezo sound produces some awesome sounds that no other piezo-equipped electrics can match. I also own a Brian Moore MC/1 equipped with the RMC piezo system and I've also owned the Fender Am Dlx Power Tele for awhile and I can honestly say that the Fly blows both away in terms of piezo sound quality and flexibility.

This is BY FAR the most resonant electric guitar that I've ever played. The whole guitar vibrates in such a lively fashion in your hands and against your body that it really amazes you. It sounds so great unplugged that it's the only one I play in the living room late at nights when I don't want to disturb anybody. This quality of the Parker Fly Artist really needs to be experienced to be believed. It is truly an amazing instrument in that regard.

The guitar has such a unique modern sound that I don't find it's suitable for recreating the "classic" sounds. This is not the guitar you want to take to your next oldies cover gig. I won't be doing Buddy Holly and the Kinks with this axe. It's not really good at getting the Stratocaster twang, but I guess if you want that, you could pay a lot less and just get a Strat.

The sound is so defined and has so much clarity that I believe it's the perfect solid-body electric for fingerstyle players. It's also ideal for various kinds of rhythm playing and recreating acoustic parts live onstage. For heavy distortion settings, I don't think this guitar is ideal because the natural acoustic sound is so open (dispersed-sounding) with a lot of upper high-end. But then, as I mentioned before, the DiMarzio pickups balance things out a bit and the guitar still sounds great with high-gain settings on a good amp.

My main amp at the moment is the Hughes & Kettner ZenTera digital modeling amp. My effects at the front end are a Fulltone Clyde wah and a Digitech Whammy. I've got my eyes on more Fulltone pedals to add at the front. In the rear, the ZenTera's got very nice modulation, delay, and reverb effects but I will sometimes use the TC Electronic G-Force and the Lexicon MPX-G2 in the effects loop for more exotic sounding stuff. The Parker Fly Artist sounds great through all settings, but I really feel the guitar excels in clean settings with the piezo sounds. It sounds unbelievably huge and lush.

I do wish I can get more Strat-like sounds out of this guitar, but I realize they can only fit in so many controls in the ultra-thin body. The top-end can be shrill if you don't set the amp parameters right. This is a very, very bright guitar with a lot of overtones.

Overall, it's a brilliant-sounding guitar for the progressive guitarist. Personally, I play high-energy, high-speed fusion kind of stuff and for that, I find that my Brian Moore MC/1 and the Ibanez JS1000 suit me better. For the classic rock and cover gigs, my PRS Custom 22 and the new Jeff Beck Signature Strat are more authentic. I find that the Parker Fly Artist sort of sits in its own zone, waiting for the player to come up with some NEW stuff. It's still very versatile and can cover any Top-40 kind of a gig, but its greatest strengths are new kinds of sounds that haven't really been created or "standardized" yet.

Overall, an extremely unique and a totally GREAT sounding guitar... It's not my number one, but I think I just need a lot of time with this one and I'm sure I'll learn to coax great new sounds out of it. This is a guitar that pushes the player to try new, different things and I think that's the greatest complement I

I like my action fairly low and the factory set-up was a little higher than what I would normally like. Still, the overall feel of this instrument is superb. Although I can't get the action as low as I could on my Brian Moore MC/1 without buzzing, this is the silkiest playing guitar I've ever laid my hands on.

The wider fingerboard may take a little while to get used to, but I welcome it because it encourages me to experiment more freely with chord voicings and fingerstyle techniques. The neck shape is a shallow "C" that is very comfortable. It's a little thin, but not wimply feeling at all. I prefer some heft on my necks, but this guitar has a nice shape that doesn't make your hand feel tired after hours of playing.

The fit and finish is superb and that's to be expected on an instrument in this price range. It is a superbly crafted instrument that is only surpassed by the brilliant design vision conceptualized by Ken Parker.

The only thing that I don't like is the quality of the pots. They move too easily while playing and have a flimsy feel.

This is professional, high-end instrument. I expect it to perform reliably and consistently all the time.

Haven't had to deal with them, but I trust that the people there are thoroughly professional and very understanding of their customers' needs.

I own a lot of other great guitars: a Brian Moore MC/1, a PRS Custom 22, an Ibanez JS1000, a Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster, and a Larrivee C-10 acoustic. I wouldn't say the Parker Fly Artist is my favorite, but it is so unique and wonderful sounding that I'd recommend it to any serious player. It's definitely on the pricey side and I would have had a difficult time coming up with the money to pay the normal full price. I'm not sure if it's really worth that much money ($4100 MSR). Would I replace it if it got lost or stolen? Yes, but I will have it insured because the replacement cost would be just too high.

I realize that this guitar is not for everyone. It's not something I'd want to play to cover SRV or the Stones, but it can do things that most guitars couldn't even approach, so I'm happy with the one-of-a-kind uniqueness that this guitar offers. The Parker Fly is a pretty radical guitar no matter how you shake it. And it's precisely why I love it so much. It's expensive, but it offers a uniqueness, a superior sound quality, and a silky playing experience that I believe is unmatched. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

My Parker Fly Artist was built in 2000 with a beautiful Spruce top. I had mine made without the master volume know so that my right hand does not bump into it and change the volume. The neck is wide but very comfortable and absolutely a dream to play. The piezo pickups sound fantastic when the EQ'd properly through a quality PA. I'm pleased that the neck pickup seems a little hotter than some of the earlier Parkers I've played. For instance, I've had trouble using my Ebow on at least one other Artist I've played, but not with this one. I can get a ton of wonderful tones with just a little experimentation. I enjoy playing this instrument through a stereo PA using a foot pedal. This allows me to dial in the magnetics at certain points while playing the piezos. For a tone many might not think to try, push in the little button on the bottom that makes the guitar mono and then mix piezos with both magnetics. The Sperzel tuners are great--so easy to change strings and keep 'em in tune! There is so much more I could say, but I'll just note that until you give a Parker a serious test run, you just cannot appreciate Ken Parker's wonderful engineering of this instrument. I think the fly wheel is brilliant, but it can take a little getting used to.

I play several styles (e.g., mixing finger-picked classical pieces with rock overtones). The Parker does it all. I'm using a Yamaha stereo PA, giving the "acoustic" and the magnetic Parker their own devoted speakers. I run the magnetics through a Line 6 POD and sets of pickups through a Line 6 delay modeler (this makes for cool pedaled effects with the various stereo delays, swells, etc.). The Spruce is bright on the magnetics (but I like being able to distinguish different notes!), and gorgeous when EQ'd properly for the piezos.

The action is terrific. My fingers never get sore no matter how long its been since I last played! I can find no flaws in this guitar.

I have only owned a Parker since January, but I think I'm safe in saying that this instrument is built to last. For instance, the neck, fretboard, and frets are superior in the quality of materials to other guitars. So, though the guitar is not heavy--which is very nice when playing for very long--I believe it will prove to be very sturdy.

I have spoken with the Parker people more than once and have found them to be terrific. I actually got to speak with Ken Parker and discovered him to be a very impressive man who has created a very impressive instrument.

I have been playing for about 40 years and have played many different types of guitars, electric and acoustic. I would definitely buy this very guitar again. I do wish it had the push/pull pot that allowed separating the coils like the new Parker standards, but Ken Parker told me that they cannot fit the requisite Fishman preamp/mixer necessary to blend piezos and magnetics into a Fly body.

1998 Parker Fly Artist, Trans Butterscotch, solid Sitka Spruce body, 24 frets on carbon/glass fingerboard with stainless steel frets, total output volume, electric volume, electric tone, combine acoustic vol. and tone, stereo/mono switch, can go to 2 amps at once (amazing) acoustic piezo pickups, amazing trem system, passive dimarzio kick ass pickups, sleek insane contoured body, sperzel locking tuners, wode thin neck, bought with hardshell case, comes with warantee, stereo cable, extra trem spring, etc.Weighs like 4-5 lbs. THIS IS THE BEST GUITAR I COULD IMAGINE EVER BEING PRODUCED.

I bought a deluxe a year before, and thought it was the best guitar made, but the solid sitka spruce body just adds to perfection. The neck pickup is the large difference between the two. It is so much more full sounding, and sweet, and toneful. The bridge pickup sounds a little more trebly, and keep in mind, they are the same pickups. I run either through a marshall vs100rh head in to a marshall jcm 900 2x12 with celestions, or my boogie dual rectifier with tremoverb in to the 4x12 boogie cab with celestion vintage 30s. I have played jackson, prs, gibson, fender, hamer, carvin, rickenbacker, bc rich, ibanez, kramer, basically anything you can think of, and this guitar has the best stock sound in my opinion, the custom wound dimarzio pickups are killer, and achieve any tone you want them to.. i dont care if anyone disagrees, because i love how this guitar sounds. So if you dont like parkers, you are either retarted, stubborn, or should go kill yourself anyways.

I got this guitar from guitar center, after sitting there for two years, i had actually played it multiple times before buying it within those two years. The finish is absolutely BREATH TAKING. It is flawless, like anything parker produces. I have taken the factory tour, and their finish facilities are insane. The trans butterscotch fits the natural sitka spruce beautifully, and it looks 3-d in places, its insanely attractive. I got it with perfect action and setup. Parker guitars play the best of anything out there.. try any other guitar against them, i dare you. There were no flaws, Ken Parker is too nice to give someone a defective guitar.

This guitar is very light, thin, etc. It is the perfect live guitar, it is the most well balanced guitar ever. Strap buttons kick ass, it almost never goes out of tune, hardware kicks ass. Finish kicks ass. I can always depend on my parkers. I do use multiple guitars live, but that is strictly for tonal variety. Any guitar I ever buy again other than a Parker is strictly for tonal variety. other than wanting different pickups and wood combos, i can basically say: FUCK ANYTHING THAT IS NOT A PARKER.

Listen to this part. First, these guys are the most humane and friendly guitar company i can imagine. I must have been one of the first people to re-register my guitar once they started their web site. I raved to them as i do to anyone about their guitars, and was featured in their most recent ad campaign with quotes from their customers (i am Jonah B. from MA). I emailed them thanking them for the amazing thrill of being in a huge ad campaign, for my favorite guitar company. Less than an hour later, i get an email back saying you are welcome,and being very nice, and appreciative. These people really do care about their players, they dont even claim to like all the other companies, but they do!! I have seen the whole process of making parkers in person at the factory, and they are probably the highest quality guitar on the mainstream market today, no comparison. They REFUSE to remove the quality and features for more profit, they are not making too much in profit, but they dont care, they love that people love their parkers, and thats what counts. Ken Parker is a genius, and anyone who disagrees is a moron. Even Mr. Ed Roman himself, the pickiest guitarist i have heard of, agrees about Ken, that alone says enough. I love my deluxe, and my artist, and thats that.

i have played 3 years. I play mostly metal. I also do some blues, jazz, classical, neo-classical shred styles, hard rock, anything like that. You wouldnt think it, but this guitar accomplishes those semi muted harmonic minor and natural minor runs and shreds, and those 3, 5, and 6 string sweeps perfectly. I cant think of any type of music this guitar cant handle/ If this guitar was stolen, as soon as i had the money, id get another. I got a steal on clearance, they are usually almost $3000. This is the only guitar that is above $2000 that plays like its price tag says it should. Fuck gibsons.. especiall the historics.. who wants to pay $10,000 for a les paul that plays like a $2,000 one.. come on, enough is enough.. buy a parker

The parker artist is the same as the deluxe except for the type of wood the body is made of. The artsit is made of Spuce instead of Poplar. I love all the features this guitar has to offer!!! The piezio pickups almost killed me with their astonishingly similiar acoustic sounds. If I didn't know that Parker was producing that godly sound I would swear it was an electric acoustic guitar.

The parker lacks in the magnetic pickup department. The magnetics don't have enough punch, and i haven't found much use for the neck pickup or the two inside coil pickups. Since I play metal it's pretty important for me to have a punchy sound. Since I play my Parker through a Mesa Boogie Nomad 100 Head(no fx) I can get a sound I feel very pleasing. If your looking for the crappy new age metal sound (Slipknot, Godsmack) you probably won't like the sound of the guitar.

This is where this guitar excels. The Parker is like no other guitar. (in a good way) The feel of the neck and fretboard is glorious!!!!The guitar is ssssssoooo light! I think it weighs in at a little under four pounds!! The only reason I give it a nine is because of the annoying horn that always pokes me in the upper chest.

Parkers are very delicate!!! I already got a little chip on mine, and believe me I've been VERY careful with it. I would never gig without a backup, and I especially would never foget the damn battery for the Parker.(Unfortunatly my bass is active too!)Strap buttons seem fine, and the finish is great except for the new ding I recently added.

Never have dealt with them, and hopefully never will.

All in all the Parker is a must have for any professional aspiring musician. The feel of the Parker fretboard is what made me want the guitar. I think playing the Parker has made me twice as good as I use to play on my old Mexican Strat with the 1 inch action. If you wanna a great guitar for a lot of money buy a Parker!!!!