Parker Guitars Artist

Been checking out HC's site for a few months and noticed no one's reviewed the Artist. Am I the only one who owns one?

Features and stuff: P-H-H configuration with vibrato. Check out the Classic and Deluxe reviews. All's the same except the Artist is made from solid spruce. Smart idea and a gorgeous instrument.

The piezos are the best sounding piezos on the market, IMHO.I have been able to retire my Washburn EA 20 (not a bad sounding acoustic/electric guitar through a PA, by the way), and as a result, I have one less guitar tho shlep to gigs as well as one less EQ hassle with the sound guy. The humbuckers do what humbuckers do: Just as no one will confuse the 'acoustic' sounds of the Parker with being in the league of a Martin or Taylor, nobody's gonna mistake these DiMarzio pickups with those of a PRS McCarty or PAFs. I like 'em nonetheless, and they can cover a decent range of modern/classic material. I'm pretty certain the all-spruce body brightens them up, and frankly, it suits my tastes reasonably well. The tapped single coil position gives a credible strat cluck.
I want this guitar in a single coil configuration! At the very least, a tapped system like the PRS McCarty (3 humbucking settings; 3 single coil settings) would go a long way in making a versatile even more flexible. Maybe Parker can arrange a retrofit like PRS does for some of their older axes....
Even with the aforementioned gripe, Parkers are a gigging guitarist's dream. I think you really need to be out gigging to appreciate the versatility of accoustic and electric tones and the instant switchability. No more mid-set switching to the acoustic.

One more thought: I had a touch of buyer's remorse when i bought the Artist; I'm a Strat player at heart and the feel and sound of a good strat can't be beat. But once I took the Artist to band practice and y-corded it into my Marshall 50 watt 4-12 half-stack on one side and rehearsal PA on the other, I was floored. Completely. You have to experience the sonic tracking of a slightly processed and overdriven electric sound in conjunction with acoustic tones in realtime, especially when strumming. Fabulous, and it made the guitar essential for me.

Came set up with 009's; changed to 10's immediately. Quick whammy spring change, quick bridge adjustment, quick truss rod tweak. No-brainer, and the guitar plays beautifully. It's been mentioned in other reviews, but here's where Parkers absolutely dazzle: Playability. The neck took a little getting used to--it's a flatter radius and more "C"-shaped than my Strat, but it is fast, smooth, and has no discernable dead spots (Bet you can't say that about your Tele or LP). It's a pleasure for leads, rhythm and especially barred chords above the tenth fret. The stainless steel frets in conjunction with the carbon fretboard make the damn thing fast and effortless. Think Ferarri.
The whammy bar is in a class of one, but I think the bar is too long for my hand placement. I'd like to cut it down by two inches. Maybe I'm just to used to the feel of a strat's vibrato. We'll see. Also, since I don't whammy up, I rolled back the locking switch for a down-position only and trapped it under the big plastic backplate. It seemed the switch would unlock accidentally sometimes as it brushed against my waist or belt buckle. No big deal, but it's an engineering detail Parker might brush up on...
The quality of construction generally shows throughout--from the fine Sperzels (why aren't these tuners mandatory on newer Fenders and Gibsons?) to the snug fit of the battery department. I agree with other reviewers who think the knobs are flimsy and have a less than stellar sweep. While the rubber doesn't bother me so much, they could use a white position dot for dark stages. I also think the controls could be laid out more ergonomically. It's too easy to knock the volume knob when playing, and the magnetic pickup selector switch could hardly be in a worse place for mid-passage switching. That said, the Artist is a truly high-end guitar with the commensurate fit and finish. It is a joy to hold and play, even unplugged around the living room.

I expect it will be durable. It seems strong and well constructed. Who gigs without a backup???

I emailed customer support with a question; they got back to me (Jessie) within a half of a working day. Impressive. Hope I never have to ship the guitar back to Parker, though. What a pain, especially since anybody can work on a Fender, Gibson, Les Paul or whatever. I think Parker should line up more local authorized repair dealers.

Playing 30+ years. I own other nice guitars and amps. My faves are a Clapton strat with Joe Barden pickups and a Marshall JCM 2000-50 watts.
Lost or stolen? Here's a sugeestion: Get insurance for your home and a floater policy for your instruments if you gig. That way if it's stolen, you can like, uh, get a new one. Yeah, I'd get another Parker, but I'd probably forego the aesthetics (and price) of the Artist and get one of the new H-S-S Flys. Overall though, I'm pleased to be a new and enthusiastic supporter of Parker. They're really onto something.