Parker Guitars Fly Classic

After the number of reviews on this page, I feel that a rehash of the Fly's features would be a waste of time. However, it can all be summed up with relative ease:

Ken Parker deserves some sort of international prize (maybe a Nobel) for this groundbreaking design.

The Parker Fly is designed with astounding perfection. And although, the features may not make some people happy (previous review), however, I think it can be agreed that the Fly's features work in such harmony that major kudos is deserved on the behalf of Ken Parker.

To sum up, the Fly has a nearly obscene amount of features put together in a perfect way, and for me, it "fits" perfectly.

It disturbs me that a lot of people think this guitar sounds thin and has a lack of sustain. I think a review of physics and an acknowledgment of a few simple facts might help that.

Why are cymbals thin? Why do acoustic guitars have such thin 'walls'? Well, they are designed in this manner for projection, sustain, resonance, etc. And if the wood is right, which in this case is a FINE mahogany (as opposed to this shit Gibson puts in their guitars these days), the sustain and 'tone' can be better than ever.

And it is...whenever I play the Fly, I can feel the resonance throughout my body. Whenever I play a deep, chunky chord, I feel it. Whenever I hit a soaring bend, it shivers through me. This guitar should be hailed for its thin design, rather than dismissed.

The pickups sound GREAT. They're quite hot actually and through my Rivera Knucklehead Reverb, the Fly is quite a fire breather. Yet, the clean tone is still pristine and fat. The middle position on the pickup selector yields a great single coil-type sound and through the Rivera's amazing clean capabilites, it sounds euphoric. And when I fire up the overdrive, the bridge and neck pickups are hot and powerful, yet they retain their clarity through even the most obscure chords. Nod to Dimarzio on this one.

The piezo: Wow, a surprise. When I got this guitar, I didn't really care about the piezo, but it is AMAZING. Plug it into a console or an acoustic amp and it practically sounds more like an acoustic than an acoustic does. You're playing a plugged-in Martin or Yairi without the bulk and the string resistance. Tearing it up on an acoustic is suddenly easy and well...cheating, but the sound is perfect.

In my experimental rock band, this guitar fits like a glove. It can go so many places and with the music I play it's forced to. It handles it with ease and facility.

After you play this guitar for a while, other guitars feel horrible. Even my old Ibanez S470QS felt like a baseball bat after the Fly. The neck is great and the shape going into the thru-neck is really nice.

I got this guitar with no flaws and things were fairly well adjusted. All I need to do is just do some incremental changes, which are incredibly easy to do with Parker's completely original system of doing anything and everything. A couple of Allen wrenched are needed, but the guitar is VERY VERY EASY to work on.

The fingerboard should be a lesson to all guitar companies. The carbon-glass composite feels smooth and it doesn't feel disgusting on a humid day like everything else. Playing outside is a lot more enjoyable with this guitar.

The frets should be yet another lesson. String are normally made of nickel...frets are normally made in nickel. Frets wear down this way. Ken Parker made his frets out of stainless steel and not only will they last longer but they feel noticeably better. Playing this neck in general is like butter.

Completely dependable it seems but only time will tell...it's still very new. I always gig with a backup and soon it will be another Fly (the deluxe probably- not bad for backup!) I can say that the guitar feels and looks sturdy and all the hardware is rugged and built to last.

I haven't needed help and doesn't look I will need to.

I've been playing for about 6 years and professionally for a couple and this guitar is perfect for me. I had been desiring it for a while and when I got it, I was satisfied and even surprised that it met and exceeded my expectations (which I assure you, I have quite high expectations and consider myself to be an avid tone freak).

Ken Parker: genius. And thanks.

Go try it. And those of you disatisfied, reanalyze without the dogma that is the only real conflict to this guitar.

Everyone has hit it on the ball so no need to repeat...

Well I don't see what the hype is about. The tones out of this guitar are decent, nothing great. I play in a jazz fusion band and I bought this guitar hoping for some very versatile tones. Well there are but there aren't. This is strickly my own opinion, but I feel Parker Flys are dead sounding to me. I put it through a Mesa Boogie Mark IV and it really didn't do nothing for me. A lot of people say I am crazy but I am not impressed with this Parker. Even the shape looks funny.

The guitar wasn't set up properly. Although this guitar has been on the floor for about one year (so the salesguy told me) that may have been why. The neck was all out of wack. Strings were rusted. So i can't really blame Parker for this.

No idea, I returned it.

I have been playing for 15 years as a jazzer. I returned this guitar after 30 days. It just doesn't have the tone I want. I went to another store and bought a brand new PRS Custom 22. This guitar sounds 1,000,000 times better than the Parker Classic. Remember just an opinion.

1999 USA-made Fly Classic, two dimarzio custom humbuckers and 6 piezoelectric transducers in bridge ,active EQ 9-volt battery which is this guitars only draw-back is that after a time it needs changing (it lasts forever), with the following controls: one-piece mahogany body (basswood neck), beautiful teal gloss transparent finish. Composite carbon fiber / glass fiber neck with 24 ss frets, ultra modern looking slightly unerving body style. this will go away when its ergonomic lightweight form wraps itself to you. Easily the best whammy bar out there. Sperzel locking tuners, this thing stays in tune for months even if you break a string and whammy hi and lo all night.Stereo output with blending mix of any number of combinations from the pick ups.Or mono if you want. Comes with all the tools and a great hardcase.Everything it has it needs everything works perfectly. If I gave tens this would get it. There are probably other features out to come but I can't think of any.

This guitar makes anyone sound good even thru a crappy amp.It has a complete pallette of tones. You can play folk thru full metal roar. Try one out thru two amps. Run the piezo to any good acoustic amp or straight to the desk. throw a touch of reverb chorus whatever and tweak to your personal Parker acoustic tone that sustains forever. Run your mags to another amp/effects (you can make it your tone slave, this guitar is unbelievable). Adjust your blend, get a box of kleenex, stand back and play, this guitar will make you weep with joy. It will change the way you play. For the better. By far and away the best sounding guitar i have played yet. (30 years of playing on and off). On again now because of this fine ,fine work of art musical instrument

Flawless. Perfect set up for me.

This thing is so precious to me. I treat all things special with kid gloves. But I'm sure if its durability is a close reflection of all other aspects it is indestructable. But I'm not gonna put it to the test. This guitar when set up does not go out of tune even when being thrashed. All the electrics are top notch with no noise.

n/a

I've played them all.
This is the one.
When I ever play another (electric guitar) I just smile to myself 'cos I know. so far there is nothing out there that comes close to this. Plus it was a steal. This would be a steal for msrp $3100.
It will change you.
Don't let it's kinda strange first looks put you off. It was not love at first sight.
Did I say I didn't give tens?

2001 Parker Fly Classic in Teal, Fishman Piezo bridge, custom Dimarzio humbuckers, Carbon Fibre neck and body, Mahogony Top etc. This guitar is the mutts nutts. Having played Fenders, Ibanezs, Kramers, Gibsons and a multitude of other guitars, this one beats them all. Has a list of named components to die for, worth buying for the amazing whammy bar, better than a Floyd rose without the bother of pain in the ass locking nuts. It gets a 9 as the only improvment i can think of would be to have a coil tap to get more strat like tones. The sperzel tuners rule and are great for mid gig string changes and stays in tune really well even with excessive whammy bar abuse

I regularly play sessions covering every imaginable style, funk, jazz, rock, metal, pop and all kinds of ethnic stuff and it can handle it all. The piezo's sound amazingly authentic going direct to a mixing desk or PA and the humbuckers make this an ideal beast for jazz (a la Larry Carlton) or big thick rock tones (a la Nuno Bettencourt) but in truth it can do everything well. I play it through a Mesa Boogie pre amp into a marshall amp and 4x12 with the piezo's going direct to desk and people have been amazed at the huge sound i get in comparisan to Les Pauls or Ibanez's. The three way selector switch can go from a big screaming lead in the bridge position, tight compressed funk tones in the middles split coil position to a warm creamy jazz tone in the neck

The factory set up of my fly was beyond belief, it played well immediatly without ant tweaking whatsoever. The fret board is amazing, no filler in the frets which are neatly rounded off and feels as smooth as hell, this guitar plays itself! The inotation is spot on all the way up the neck. The mahogony top looks great and changes colour from blue to black to teal in different lights, the only bother is that its a sod to keep clean!

Only had it a few months but so far all things are good, it feels very reliable unlike some big name guitars that feel like they'd fall apart in your hand. Feel as though it would last a lifetime

Very helpful in dating my fly, even told me what time and when it came off the production line, nice people who seem to love what they are doing and are not just trying to earn a living

Ive played guitars of varying price for 15 years now and this one is worth every penny. It has looks to die for and makes you stand out from the crowd, which is what its all about isnt it?! The women love it and if it was stolen i would certainly buy another one coz no guitar comes close in terms of sound, components and overall sex appeal, yes it is expensive but in my opinion it beats anything else hands down! Dont bother with your Relic Strat or your aged '59 Les Paul, buy a Parker Fly!

Follow-up to a previous review: I still love my Fly Classic, and it just gets better every day. But here's a tip for those interested: I always missed having that sweet in-between sound (you know, the parallel humbuckers thing), and I contacted Parker asking what I could do about that. Those of you who've cracked open the control cavity may have been as intimidated as I was upon seeing a circuit board and ribbon cables. But if you want to change your pickup selector to a traditional Gibson-style switch, there's an easy change you can make: remove the neck pickup red & green wires, and the bridge pickup white & black wires from the pickup selector, making sure to tape each pair together. It's such a sweet little mod and it sounds so great with the mahogany body. FYI... (BTW, Parker ROCKS!!!)

Bought at the end of 1995. This guitar has the cherry finish...like the ones in all of the ads. Same features as all of the "Classics", so I'm not going to rehash them.

I've played straight up rock with this guitar for the past 6 years. From the '60s to present. Beatles to Floyd to Pearl Jam to Metallica to Tool, all in the course of a gig and with just this guitar. I used to run it through Marshall stuff, but am now strictly Mesa Boogie. Either way, the sound was, and still is, incredible! As far as effects go, it's been pretty much either Lexicon or TC Electronic (currently the G Major). The ability to effortlessly switch from electric to "piezo acoustic" is what initially sold me. The only thing negative that I have noticed is that when the tone knob is fully cranked, it can be a bit shrill. I just by habit back it off a tiny bit, and it's perfect. The coolest sound though?....middle position on the humbuckers mixed with the piezo at about half volume...sweet!!

The action is second to none. The fretboard plays like liquid. Honestly, it took about 2 gigs to really get used to, but then there was no going back....to anything! Trying out other guitars in music stores, I have become extremely picky about the necks and feel. Ebony, rosewood, maple....nothing compares with the Parker. Nothing. The factory setup was excellent. I've only made adjustments to the trem when I've changed string gauges. Easy to do though.

OK. It's been 6 years and 200+ gigs. All with this guitar (and a backup...another Parker). I think then that I can say that it has withstood live playing...and a certain amount of abuse (of course, unintentional!)! And I'm absolutely certain that it will withstand another couple hundred! One gripe though...it didn't take all that long for a couple chips in the finish on the edges of the neck on the sides of the fretboard to occur. One potential reason? The frets are soooo smooth that it takes very little effort to bend the strings, so little that I have at times (in the heat of playing) bent the strings right off the fretboard! Thus the chips. The silver lining? The guitar stays in tune, with the bridge "floating", no matter how hard you play it!! Matter of fact, I've even broken the high E string mid solo, reached down and flipped the switch in back to lock the bridge, and continue playing the song, as the guitar stayed in tune! Try that with any of the Floyd Rose-with-locking-nut guitars!! Of course, had the B or G string broken, I doubt the guitar would have stayed so closely tuned... Bottom line here is that the Fly Classic is as dependable as you could ever, ever ask for in a guitar!! But, I still wouldn't gig without a backup. That would be insane.

Here is another area I can offer 1st hand experience with. I stopped by their factory in Massachusetts a couple years back and was graciously offered a tour. Very cool! Got to see the original prototypes, the "fire fly" (if you've ever been there, you know what I mean!), the routers, paint rooms, the whole deal. The heart and soul and talent that gets poured into these guitars makes them worth every penny of their cost. Very friendly folks. I have only had to call once, and my question was answered right then and there...it was about possible replacement pickups a while back. I honestly can't remember the warranty though....I'm pretty sure mine's expired by now.

I've been playing for about 17 years now and have owned way more guitars than I really should have. Strats, Les Paul (1), Ibanez... I have also been lured by the new stuff out there and always try to keep up to date, at least by checking them out. You never know what you might find (that's how I stumbled across the Parker). Of course, if it were lost or stolen, I would buy a new one without hesitation. There is another thing I do love about it. I had a back injury a few years ago, and doing a 4-set gig with the Parker doesn't even bother it! At the time I was shopping for guitars, I compared this one to a Hamer Duosonic (or something like that) because of the acoustic ability. Absolutely no comparison! And the Parker has a trem to boot!! I also met Ken Parker at Guitar Center in Natick, MA last year.....nice guy. Very humble. And did I mention that he designed one hell of a guitar??

This is just a follow-up to my earlier review, motivated in part by the more objective viewpoint I have now that the New Guitar Mystique has worn off. But the real catalyst for this follow-up was reading the "poetic" review below. Without addressing issues of rhyme or rhythmic structure, I'll just respond to some of the main misunderstandings represented in "Anonymous"'s review .

The Parker body isn't light and thin for the sake of being light and thin. (That would be Ibanez.) The reason for the Fly's light weight is resonance. Many, many guitarists think that body resonance is increased by mass or thickness. But in fact the opposite is true. Acoustic guitars are light and hollow / thin, as are drums, cymbals, acoustic guitars (in fact, all acoustic stringed instruments), woodwind instruments, brass instruments, etc. Why is this? Why isn't an acoustic guitar solid? Why isn't a cymbal 1" thick? Because vibration is not easily transmitted through solid material, and the less you have of it, the easier it is to transmit vibration. Thus the better acoustic sound you end up with. And as we should all know, magnetic pickups don't just pick up string vibration - they pick up all sympathetic vibrations from the guitar. And the more the body resonates, the longer the strings will ring anyway. Others have said that you can actually feel the Fly resonate against you when you play. It's true, and it's a good thing.

So what does that mean? That means that my one-piece mahogany Parker Classic is a lot more resonant than the typical "tone machine" Les Pauls or PRSs which are a lot thicker and have glue seams all over the place. The "big tone" you get on those guitars is the combination of two things: volume and EQ. The volume comes from overwound pickups. IMO, overwound pickups destroy much of a guitar's capacity for subtlety anyway. By comparison, the pickups on the Fly simply aren't as overwound as some modern humbuckers. Play a vintage Les Paul sometime and you'll be amazed at how "thin" it sounds compared to what you're used to hearing. The EQ comes from an overabundance of a treble-sucking wood (i.e. mahogany). The irony is that once you actually start playing in a band you find that you have to cut all of those fat mids out of your sound so that you don't muddy up the mix.

And lest anyone think that the Parker Fly is a "toy" guitar made to fall apart in a few years, let me reassure you that most guitar manufacturers are not even capable of producing a guitar like the Fly. That includes your high-end shops as well. The Fly is designed for maximum strength - that's why it has an exoskeleton. I have a buddy who owns a $3000 (lists for $5000) Les Paul. His guitar strap came loose while he had the guitar on and he cracked the neck like a toothpick. So you tell me - which guitar do you want? How many trips will you take to the repair shop with your Les Paul or PRS? How many times will you get the frets filed down or even replaced? How many neck adjustments will you need? Let's put it this way - go out and buy a new PRS and a new Parker and play them both every day for the next twenty years. And never take either guitar in to the shop or perform any adjustments. Never. Which guitar are you going to want to play in 20 years? Which one will even be playable? The Parker is designed to last - that's why it has stainless steel frets (unlike nickel, it's harder than your strings - think about it) and a carbon / glass neck & back covering to prevent the warpage that is inevitable with a wood instrument.

If you couldn't tell yet, my "more objective" opinion doesn't equal any loss of love for my Parker. The guitar has become comfortable and familiar in a "where have you been all my life" sort of way. I would never give it up except for another Parker. I'm spoiled for good. There's no way I could seriously consider another guitar again. Once you play a Parker,

See other reviews

I play blues, and it suits everything I need to do perfectly. An incredible array of possible sounds, very versatile. I play thru a Marshall DSL-100 w/ a power brake and a reissue Super Reverb, and I can produce nearly any tonal response I want.
When playing with both pickups, the output is somewhat less than I would like, though it gives an interesting rendition of positon 2&4 Strat sounds.

It is like a perfect blend of art and technology, and is the first real advance in electric guitar technology I have witnessed in 37 years of playing. Set up from the factory was very precise, though I raised the action slightly to accomodate my playing.
The stainless steel fretwork is beyond description, and the neck plays like a dream.
It took me a few months of thinking prior to purchase to get used to the appearance of this instrument, having been stuck in the incredibly conformist mind-set that afflicts most guitarists specifically,(especially blues guitarists) and men in general. However, when I realized that I was judging based on emotion rather than rationality, it became clear that I was missing the point. I'm very pleased that I woke up.

It appears, after 8 months of solid gigging and practicing, to be built like a tank. I have never dropped it, or run over it with a truck, but then I haven't done either with any other guitar I've ever owned. It holds tuning when a string breaks and when using the tailpiece, and changing strings is quite simple and quick.

have not needed any

I have been playing for many years, and have owned and played many great guitars and amps. I own several fine Strats, a Les Paul '58 reissue, a Gibson ES-335, and a Martin D-35.
I would suggest relocating the pickup toggle switch, as it is somewhat concealed while playing, and thus a litle difficult to locate while playing.
I do not like the gyrations necessary to adjust intonation, but it rarely needs it, and this is a small price to pay for such a fine instrument.

Blah Blah Blah...zzz...Read other posts.

The cool thing is that its got piezos.

The sad thing is that I dont dig the body of the guitar.

It prods me when sitting down.

It pokes when standing up.

The pickups
are DiMarzios
they are coolio
but this guitar...it no jivey-o
with my dy-bod-o

The Schallers are way cool
They make me drool
They stay in tune
Im over the moon.

The neck, its very thin
like wrasslin with Kate Moss
you would win!

The body, oh, woe is the body
the body everyone like-a
the body everyone loves
the body...everyone say "DUDE!"
but...I think...its not even real wood...

Sound sound all around
you can turn it up
or turn it down.

You play it clean
or play it dirty.
For the tone...
sounds like you're playing through a phone.
Its too thin
and too weak
The body shape
has made the tone weak

Not enough wood
Its no good
Although I like saving trees
this guitar sounds like bees
the bees, the bees
buzzing and buzzing
the tone of this guitar...
leaves me cussing.

Action is good
oh it plays nice.
The playability is good,
just like ice. ice. ice. baby.

Finish is cool
looks like steel wool
it is gunmetal grey.
Thats the way.

Feels like its gonna fall apart.
Apart to pieces.
Like Kathie Lee Giffords bag,
feels like its made by a hag
in a sweatshop, working from night till day
oh Parker...oh Parker...too thin is not the way.

No opinion! Hark!

Oh Parker. Why do you feel
like a toy.
You look like one too.
Little boys make you
in underground basements
windows boarded up
floor of cement.

Mr. Parker
a few words i'd like to say.
Thin is easier on the back
but not on the ears.
I've played for years and years
but the tone is unfulfilling
like Madonnas loose pussy,
this Guitar, it no lub long time docta jones!

2001 USA-made Fly Classic, 24 frets, two humbuckers and piezoelectric transducers in bridge (active EQ, therefore has an internal 9-volt battery) with the following controls: master vol, mag vol, mag tone, stacked piezo vol/tone, 3-way toggle for mag pickups (neck / inside coils in parallel / bridge) and 3-way toggle for piezo / piezo + mag / mag pickups (plus stereo jack for splitting signals, one-piece mahogany body (basswood neck), transparent cherry finish (a la Gibson SG) with ruby red finish on back & neck to cover glass & carbon fiber undercoat, body style impossible to classify, tremolo bridge (with easily switchable free-floating / blocked / fixed options), locking Schaller satin black tuners, 25.5" scale length, fretboard covered with glass / carbon layer with stainless steel frets bonded to the surface (no tangs). Came with Parker hard case, stereo cable, manual, hex wrenches, whammy bar, yada yada yada. I give this guitar a 10 for features based not on the amount of features but rather on their usability and function. Everything about this guitar is usable - nothing is wasted. There's truly too much coolness to describe here. And it's easy to use, but more on that later.

I played a Fly Deluxe side-by-side with the Classic for a long time, trying to exactly determine the differences (which really come down to the different tonal qualities of mahogany and poplar, since everything else was totally identical). They are very similar in sound, and the difference between the Classic and the Deluxe is subtle, but it is definitely there. It comes as no surprise that the Classic had a slightly sweeter tone, and I found it to be a superior sounding instrument. But that's purely based on my personal taste. If you're looking for a sharper sound, I would recommend the Deluxe - the inbetween sound sounded more convincingly Tele-like than on the Classic. But then again, when you really laid into the bass pickup on the Deluxe, it started to sound like a middle-position pickup more than a neck pickup. The Classic retained that warm bass sound under similar playing.

Anyway, I think this guitar sounds just great. A very clear voice and no dead spots or muddiness. It doesn't sound like a Gibson or a Fender or whatever, it just has its own voice. And I like that. I had been so stuck on the "Gibson sound" that it was hard for me to objectively evaluate any other guitar. But once I got past that, I saw what a great sound the Fly has. It's got ceramic pickups that DON'T suck (I'm sure ceramic was chosen over alnico for its responsiveness, in keeping with the Fly design philosophy), and you can wrangle a lot of tone out of them. The guitar is EXTREMELY ballsy with saturated overdrive but yet doesn't sound like one of those obnoxious things that are only good for "11"-type settings. It has a very nice smooth clean sound - I can see why some people use these for jazz playing. And just a quick note about the pickup selector - what an ingenious yet simple idea to have a three-way switch that cuts coils in the mid position. What I mean is this - let's say you're playing and you've got to change sounds. If you're on a PRS, you've got to find the right number on your little rotary dial or worse yet, flip the switch AND pull up / push down the coil tap. It's just not easy or intuitive. And anyway, the PRS gives you two inbetween sounds that are essentially the same as well as a (IMO) useless series coils setting that just sounds like crap. How much better to have a simple three-way layout that stil gives you a single-coil sound when you need it? And despite reviews to the contrary, I haven't noticed this legendary amazing drop-off in volume when I switch to the cut-coils setting. But after all, you are switching from a humbucker setting to a single-coil setting. How should I put it: DUH!! But enough ranting.

BTW, the piezo bridge sounds better than Martin's piezo under-saddle bridge. Everyone slags the Parker for not sounding like a real acoustic, but they forget that a real acoustic doesn't sound like a real acoustic anymore once you plug it in. The Parker has more clarity of sound anyway and won't feed back. Plus, if you're so inclined, you could do a whammy dive in the middle of "Blackbird" or whatever. If you're so inclined.

Well, I bought this guitar from Guitar Center, so I had to do my own setup. But that was no biggie - I probably would have raised the action anyway because I like to really dig in to string bends. I got a deal on this guitar because the finish was chipped in several places. But besides that, it was / is absolutely flawless. Solid, solid, solid. I used to own a NiteFly (traded it in on this actually) and I know Parker quality. It is absolutely unmatched, not only because of their craftsmanship but because of WHAT they're crafting. This is a unique guitar that most places couldn't even produce.

I've heard varying reports about the strength of the Fly, from "I dropped it and it broke" to "it got run over by a truck and still worked". Who knows - at least I don't plan on abusing it (as if I would do that anyway with a $2000 guitar!). That aside, I am most certain that this guitar will last a lifetime and then some. Nothing is flimsy or shoddy or second-rate on this axe. I trust Ken Parker not to put out crap products because I have read about and seen in my own instruments the wonderful care with which Parker makes them. And no, I don't work for Parker guitars!

E-mail isn't as quick as it used to be, but I haven't had any urgent issues yet. So I'm not too upset about that. The warranty is only for one year, which doesn't exactly give me warm fuzzies, but I can't imagine anything going wrong with this guitar that isn't a direct result of human abuse. So here they get a 6. Not sucky, not stellar...

I've been playing for around eleven years (started in high school like everybody else) and I work full-time as a music minister at my church. I play through a Tech 21 Trademark 60 (a similarly simple yet versatile piece of equipment). If this guitar were stolen or lost, I would most definitely buy another one. I can honestly say that there is no better guitar that I could buy. I mean, I could get a more expensive Parker, but I like mahogany better than maple or spruce (which I imagine would sound bright as well), so what else is there? Once you've played Parkers long enough, you tend to get spoiled (and probably snobbish - I admit it). As I said, I had a NiteFly previously and I was looking to upgrade. I looked at every brand you could imagine, including Gibson and PRS. But I could never get past the fact that they were all the same! Every one of them was using 50-year old technology and design. As Ken Parker himself said, by now guitar manufacturers have exhausted every combination of features possible on guitars. You've got the Les Paul clones, the Strat clones, the Les Paul with a bit of Strat, the Strat with a bit of Les Paul, etc. etc. etc. It's all been done. Only Parker is truly advancing guitar manufacture. The Fly is the Stratocaster of the 90's, but unfortunately most guitarists are too stuck in yesteryear to notice. They're driving around in these essentially N.O.S. 50-year-old cars when they could own a car with more reliability and better mileage that goes faster, handles better, feels more comfortable, and looks cooler to boot!

Can you tell I've got an opinion on this subject? Anyway, if you're looking to blow $2000 on a guitar, you really should try out the Fly. It takes some getting used to, depending where you're coming from guitar-wise, but it's a sweet ride once you get in.

Not shure the year made. 24 stainless steel frets, compound radius, Fishman Piezo system, volume and tone controls. Simple, elegant, minimal, precise. The body is so thin, and curves to accept the belly of the player. The whole guitar is one integrated system, the body carved spruce, the neck, wide fat basswood, all joined together by some super tough carbon epoxy layer. It is a guitar that uncompromizingly expresses what can be accomplished with modern technology and modern materials.

You can't compare it to anything. It occupies a weird zone. It can sound like a very nice acoustic electric, it can sound like a nice archtop. You can run it through an fx processor or an overdrive. Its strictly Piezo, but sounds different from any Piezo I've played. At max volume, I noticed no quacking. I am treating it like any other electric guitar. It came with D'Addario flatwounds, which are not the factory standard, but I really liked the sound, so I will probably throw a set of Thomastik Swing strings on it. I'm playing it through a DR that has a Weber BP12 in it, 5751's, and 4024's, and it is very sweet. It struck me as a jazz axe and I can get to places on the map I could not get to before. Havn't found anything to dislike.

You know, its just flawless. A scultured work of art and science.

Looks very durable. Like--its post Space Age, Man! It's tough. Very lightweight. Its not a guitar to set on fire or trash a Marshall with.

No contact, but they have an incredible reputation for prfessionalism and concern for their customers

Been playing since 1964, right after the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Had a ton of guitars over the years, including Wechter electric-acoustic piezo's, Godin piezo synth guitars, Fender Strat's, Schecter's,Gibson SG's. My only other axe is a PRS CE-22 that I rewired to accept Joe Barden pickups. I love the fact that this guitar gets the kind of pure, bell like tones you get from a fine acoustic, but you can run em through a processor, and your arm stays close to your body, and its very light, and the neck is fat and smooth and fast. Might be more efficient for me to have a guitar that combines both the sound of Joe Barden's(best pickups imho) and the Piezo system, but It would not be as lightweight as this, and anyway, this thing is just a butterscotch dream machine. My only wish is that I had the typical Y stereo cable, so I could split it down two separate fx paths--but, that's a minor wish.

Made 1995 in USA. Has 24 frets. It is made of "tone wood". I'm not sure what that is but it is surely the lightest electric I've ever played. It has a master volume, magnetic volume, magnetic tone and a piezo volume/tone control. It is equipped with two Carvin Holdsworth model magnetic pickups. I got rid of the Dimarzios as they were too bright and had an upper mid harshness I could not get rid of. It is painted burgundy and has the Parker Trem bridge with Sperzel locking tuners. The neck is very fast with a nice wide cross section but thin and flat. There are the Parker stainless frets which are worth the price of the instrument.

It suits just about any musical style. The Carvins are very round and sweet with plenty of highs. I prefer EMGs as they have more real highs and lend themselves to processing more readily.

The set up was excellent out of the box. All I did was drop the action just a bit and tighten the trem bar rotation. I would like a roller nut.

The guitar is very robust even though it doesn't seem to be as it is very light. I put straplocks on it as I've had many guitars fall during gigs. It is dependable and seems to be finished well and very resistant to humidity and temperature changes.

Very good at responding to E-Mails.

Playing 20 years plus. I carry an inland marine policy on it for 2000 dollars. I LOVE the neck. I have played $4500 PRS and the like and there is no comparison. I play very challenging jazz and fusion with jazz standards and it is up to all of it. The only thing I wish it had is a roller nut and Kahler trem as on my other guitar.
Other than that it is guitar perfection.

This has been expounded upon by every reviewer so far for these guitars, but I'm sure that it won't hurt to say once more that this guitar has more *useful* features than any other guitar on the market. The sonic palette available to the player is unmatched, and I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

I'm pretty much playing all jazz right now, and while this wouldn't be your traditional jazz box by any stretch of the imagination, who really wants to sound like Wes in 1960, or Joe Pass, or even Hall or Metheny. The point is, if you're looking forward instead of backward, then I don't see any reason you wouldn't be able to get an individualistic tone on this guitar. There are more than enough unique settings to go around.

Perfect, in tune, I just wish I had thought to ask for the tremolo spring for 12's so I could really get on top of this guitar out of the box. Playing on 9's just seems comical to me at this point. But, Parker ships the part free of charge, so I'll just wait on that one for a bit longer. By the way, they seem to have given me the most gorgeous piece of mahogany I could ask for, so I thank the good folks at Parker for that.

Given the space age technology of some of the materials in this guitar, I suspect it's pretty reliable. If not...

... I'll call customer service, and from what I hear, Parker has some of the best in the business. Hopefully I won't need them though.

I've been playing on a '91 Les Paul Studio for 7 years now, and I guess I wanted something new, something light, something I could carry easily around campus. I also wanted to really form my own sound, something that this guitar should contribute heavily to. Anyone thinking of buying a Parker should give it it's full chance by really playing it at the guitar store or where ever, and by exploring its full tonal potential.

This is the in-between of the Deluxe and the Supreme...I prefer the classic cause of the mohagany body...it sort of strikes a good balance..cause parkers are typicall bright guitars...mine is the natural mohagany..beautiful...Dimarzio,Sprezel..all stock actually...the only feature that parker left out on this baby was synth access...they said they cant get their synth syytem to fit in this model.

I play guitar on a cruise ship...Sea Princess..Princess Cruises..this is not an ad...sorry..thanx for the plug...and I play a wide range of ..Reggae,Soca,Calypso,Jazz,Rock,Pop and R&B...so I needed a versatile axe...the main factor though was that the guitar had to be light and withstand the excess humidity and salt in the air...not a easy task indeed..the Parker delivered with ease...stability..and a sound that cuts through anything....it's clean...just bright enough...I'm runign through a Digitech GSP2101 preamp processor..into a Fender Stage 112...real shit amp...but lugging a Marshall on a ship isnt feasible..then again?!?
Likes...everything..the versatility...not strat..not les paul..just a totally unique flavour...may take some time to get used to..lots of ssssuuuuussssstttaaaiiiin, overall..the bomb
I dont like the knobs..quality location...hard to reach selector switch.

It's not set up like say a ESP..ultra low...but playable..semi low action..which I beleive lende to the Piezo sound and facilitates better acoustic type playing..the fretboard is very wasy to bend on...sweet frets..I hate the hex shape of the bar..looks almost like a welding rod..ha...the spongy end doest do it for me either...but hell..it works like a dream..very smooth..very accurate..nice with chords.

What can I say...it's like Dr. Spock's guitar on steroids...very stable..had a strat on the ship...bugger lasted 2 months..befor the switches succumbed to salt...the Parker...bring it on!...I still feel uncomfortable with straplocks though!

Backup..what's that...I busted a string the other day..during a Santana solo...normally I would head for the bar..and just go crazy to cover up for being out of tune..but I hit a note then another..and another..and it was on..wow..this is progress

Did not need any yet...hope never

I've been playing intensly for abou 7 years...used to use mainly Ibanez,Jackson,Fender..almost bought a Ibanez SAX2020..similar to the parker, but I needed somethin different...I wish it had a GK2A installed internally...might spring for it..wish it came with 2 amps to plug into...ha..ha

Share??...Ummm..KIWI ROCKS!...NZ...Hi Nic!!

Purchased new as of 03/2001. Standard fly classic transparent red (or was that cherry?) - beautiful guitar. Same specs as mentioned here in other reviews. Got the hard case with it (highly recommended). Purchased at guitar center for $2150 out the door including the case and CA 8% tax. They originally wanted $2200+ without the case and without the CA tax. I found the same thing on musiciansfriend website for $2079 with the hard case, but shipping was 2.5% of price. I told them about it, they went and checked, and came back a matched the price (I threw in the extra $20 or so just so I could have it NOW :-)).
As far as the features go, it has everything I need and want. The shape of the body fits comfortably on my leg while seated, the playability is awesome. Fit and finish are flawless. Love the tuners and the fact that it doesn't have that big block where the neck bolts to the body on most guitars. Makes playing above the 12th fret the same as elsewhere. Whammy bar is awesome as well - going both ways is too cool.. Don't know what else I need, so it gets a 10...

I play a wide variety of stuff, old black sabbath, Creed, Rush, and some classical stuff as well. I can get just about any tone I need from this beast, and I was pleasantly surprised at being able to get volume dynamics with the peizo's mixed in (very cool). The acoustic sound is more than adequate form my needs, and mixing it in with some effects (delay/comp/etc) gives it as great full sounding tone for the classical pieces I play. I've even found that I like the piezo's mixed in with a lot of distortion as it just seems to 'fill out' the sound. I don't have a lot of effects, other than a Korg PX3 which is enough for what I do (don't play live so..). I can't think of any other guitar that gives me this kind of tonal flexability. I don't mind if I can't get *exactly* that 'les paul' sound, or that 'fender' sound - I just think it sounds great. The only problem I have with it is that the acoustic can get really bright if you max the tone out. So I'll give it a 9.

I'm still struggling with the action. Playing chords (strumming relatively hard) produces fret buzz on the low E and A string. It doesn't persist for very long, but it is there. This is my first high end guitar, so I'm not sure if this is a normal occurance. I've played around with the bridge height to try and minimize it. It looks like there is a compromise between low action and fret noise (as I would expect). Playing lead on it doesn't bring it out as much. I suppose if I was going to strum chords all day I'd raise it, If I was doing mostly lead I'd lower it. I hear it mostly when doing using the piezo's, but it gets buried when using the humbuckers. I will probably change the strings to 10's to hopefully keep the strings from flapping around so much (especially for playing Creed with drop D tuning or some of Sabbath's C# tuning). Someone else can probably make a better judgement in this regard as I lack long term experience with a variety of different guitars.
Outside of that I rate the action a 10 in terms of playability - again I don't know if what I percieve as a problem is one of physics, or one of the guitar..

N/A

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I've been playing about 3 years on the cheapest fender you can find, so just about anything would be better. I chose a parker because I am a fan of high tech, and didn't like the idea of paying top dollar for what is essentially 50 year old technology. It's just plain COOL!
It's fast, light, and can play a wide variety of music.

My USA made Fly is now 2 years old. You can read all of the features and technical specs in the other reviews. Suffice it to say that some of the features are revolutionary when compared to other brands. The magnetic/piezo pups, the thin body, the neck that varies a little from head to body but is extra comfortable are all great innovations. A 9 because although the features are tremendous, the master volume knob was in the way at first and I would unintentionaly lower the volume. I got used to it and quite playing so sloppy. :>)
I have a friend who recently started making basses (for about a year now, an incredible player), he was playing a very nice neck through bass he designed. After about a minute of looking over the Fly, he was utterly amazed at the detail and little things that make the Fly so nice. The way the neck is formed, the head stock appears to be on an angle going down away from the neck but the strings go straight to the headstock, access to the rod in the neck, weight and shape, etc.

Everybody puts a 10 here it seems no matter what they are reviewing. Truth be known people buy a guitar because they like the way it sounds. How a $200 Squire, a $600 Yamaha and a $3200 PRS or Parker or Gibson Les Paul can all rate a "10" in sound is beyond me other than that it is a personal thing and who buys a guitar they do not like.
The sounds this guitar can create are incredible! A PRS, Gibson or name your company cannot match the sound and sound options of the Fly. The abiltiy to combine the electric guitar sound with an "acoustic" yields a vast array of sounds. This guitar can cover a wide variety of sounds. Since buying it almost a year and a half ago, I have seen them in use in everything from rock to country to classical.
I split the signal of my Fly. The magnetics go into a Digitech 2120 Artist, a dunlop crybaby, a BBE Sonic Maximiser 482 (highly recommend)and a Fender Pro 185 (yeah, I know a 185, solid state, am looking for an addition that will have better tone at lower volume levels, the 185 is a monster when it comes to volume).
The Piezo/acoustic sound goes into a DOD Acoustec, the BBE and an Acoustasonic. I compared the sound of the Acoustic w/ the acoustisonic with some $1000+ acoustics. The Fly held it's own when being sent through an amp. No it won't be mistaken for a high dollar Martin, Taylor or custom acoustic. If that's the sound you want go get one! Just for fun, I sometimes run the piezo's into the DOD set at an octave lower and plug into a bass amp. Great fun!!! Hearing the bass run along w/ the guitar, lick for lick is fun. Blasting some serious metal/grunge w/ the bass filling up the bottom end. Let the good times roll. More variety than time or space allows.

(See above about all those who use tens, sorry but I must) I tried everything I could get my hands on in the $1500-$3500 range. I was ready to get a great playing guitar. I tried PRS, Gibson, Fender, all the big names and others. Nothing I played could compare with the feel and playing ability of the Fly. The main thing I was looking for was playability. I was willing to make some minor trade offs in tone but didn't have too!!! I didn't want to put it down in the store but the wife or family (depending on which one at the time, I spent over 2 years comparing guitars [and saving money]).
I had the action lowered at the store only because I wanted it extra low. Everything else was/is perfect.

Haven't had it for 10 years so an 8. It still looks and plays like new. No problems in over a year. Watch out for the battery and always have a spare handy. One other tricky thing, I went to put in a super long life battery but it was too big to fit into the battery compartment. One of the screws for the back plate comes real close to the battery inside the compartment. Everything on it has lasted for the last year and a half with out a hitch. The battery lasts for a long time (except when I accidentally leave the cord plugged in). I have used it on gigs w/ a back up. I have never had to use the back up and don't suspect I will but you never what crazy things can happen.

Haven't had to use them so that's a plus. Did see an email by a guy who helped with their painting and was able to get the specific colors and types of paint used for my guitar!!!

I have been playing for about 13 years. I have one other electric guitar, acoutsic, a bass and amp. I play all kinds of music and find the Fly fits into country, blues, rock/metal, jazz, rockabilly and much more. I usually change song styles multiple times in a set and the Fly sounds great in them all (have played "sets" on many occasions for 3 hours or more straight, no breaks, glad the Fly is so light, what a back saver). My next electric guitar will be another Fly. Hopefully they will come out with a Classic in a SSH.
If stolen or lost, I would visit the isurance man on my way to buy another. So famed is the guitar, I am known and the Parker Fly owner in my town. I love everything about the guitar. Some complain of the "horn" but my gut is big enough that it isn't a problem.
I give the overall a 9 because I am sure there is a better guitar out there somewhere (I don't know where for the money). If I had 10 grand for another guitar, I would take the Fly into the custom builder and have them copy just about everything (bet that would be illegal wouldn't it, infringing on too many patent rights). Maybe a slight change in pup configuration and selectability of the magnetics but that is all. I know they are already making the SSH in some models of the Fly.

Have a great day and may your fingers fly fast and accurate and slow and passionate!

If you don't know the features check another review - no sense in being redundant. THE BIG FEATURE - THE WHAMMY BAR!! I am a heavy trem user (especially on chords) and own at least one of every trem out there (I think) the Parker tremelo unit is one of if not the best. I like a drop/pull action with NO SLACK and the only other unit that works for me is the Steinberger trans trem (the original pre-Gibson machined one not that piece of crap die cast pot metal one). Have to leave room for something better so no 10 but a solid 9 and thats for the tremelo.

Excellent sound, plenty of drive. I don't know what some of the other reviewers are talking about with regard to low output. The Dimarzio pickups on this guitar have a ton of output. I don't use the piezo pickup much but it does some cool things if you want to haul a second amp or run into a p.a.. I like the way these guitars sound! Don't believe in 10's (yet) so it (again) gets a 9.

I have three of these guitars and they all have great fit and finish. I find the action somewhat variable. Ken set my first one up for me and I find it tolerable - I have seen Fly's with better action than mine but I am not that hung up on low action. I hate, let me repeat HATE the back of the upper bout of these guitars (and I told Ken Parker this personally) - it is fine when you are playing with a strap, but sitting down it nails me in the sternum and is extremely uncomfortable. I am a gracious sort so another 9 - no wait, I changed my mind, that damn sharp point on the back pisses me off -1 for that.

Very reliable, very durable - get's a little funny if you change string guages but that can be worked out. I think the stainless frets are a teriffic idea and I can't figure out why someone hasn't used them before this. I never play without backups on everything, but have used the Parker all night on a couple of occasions. The instrument seems fragile because of it's mass but I think with reasonable care it will last as long as any other guitar and need less maintenance.

I have delt with Ken on several occasions, he is a good guy and he has bestowed on me his "most patient customer award". I am suprised they have maintained the quality of this instrument given the volume they are now selling. My first one (one of the first made) had a strange resonance in the neck from the truss rod. Ken had the guitar 6 months (hence the "award") but it was fixed. The repair was at a time when he was trying to make the transition to production and I think the turnaround would now be much better.

The trem and tone sell the instrument for me. I rate it a solid 9 (haven't seen a 10 and must leave room for something better) - but compared to what I have seen to date it would rate a 10.

Lightweight Mahogany body with Carbon Fiber layer on the back of body and neck, seamless joining of neck and body, making for an extremely lightweight, extremely durable and SOLID guitar. 24 frets, Carbon fiber Fingerboard. By far the fastest guitar I have ever played. Hard shell case included. The bridge is a Floyd Rose type locking trem system with 6 Fishman Piezo's built in. Combination of Active and passive pickups (DiMarzio's), fully switchable via 2 toggle switches and. Locking Sprezel tuners (A huge plus, especislly if you do a lot of bending of strings or a lot of vibrato. Selector switch on back for fixed or floating bridge. Stereo outputs, stereo cable included. Can also select Mono output if you cannot run stereo setup by pressing a button on the underside of the guitar.

I play a lot of metal and rock and when the active pickups are engaged and your amp is fully driven, you can get some ungodly tone out of this thing. I have talked to a lot of Parker players and most don't use them for metal, but like I said above, the neck is VERY fast and that suits metal very well. Whats nice about it's sound is that the piezos let every string ring true. I've had many guitars that seemed as though the response wasn't even across the board, meaning that, lets say your d string always sounded way hotter than the g string. Not so on the Parker. It delivers full sounding tone from the open low e to the 24th fret on the high e. With a good Hi gain amplifier (I play a VHT 50CL into a Soldano 4x12), this thing crushes on dirty channels and delivers crisp clean tone when run clean. I do a lot of channel switching mid song, between clean and dirty tones and the Parker always sounds great. You can always pick out each note you are playing, and it definitely lets you know when you screw up. Some sloppier guitars are a little more forgiving. IMy skills have increased dramatically since purchasing this guitar. I think that is due to a few reasons - first off, it's so light and quick that it doesn't tire you out to practice for a long time, second, it sounds so good when you get something right you just want to keep doing it, third, when you screw up, you know it. I Played it through a Boss GT3 for a year, and it handles all sorts of effects very well, always producing clear notes and tones. I you don't like the way the Piezos sound, it's fully adjustable (You have to take of the back panel and do each ne individually, but it can be done). Best sounding guitar I've ever owned.

The one I purchased had been at the shop I go to for about a year before I bought it. Thusly, I think that with kids and beginners hacking on it, it needed a set up when I got it. There was one mark on the upper bout in the finish, but it is only noticable to the player and virtually unnoticeably even to me, so I thought no bog deal. Everything else was wonderful. It's action was slightly higher than other Parkers I've played, butit is so easy to adjust the action that I had it set up the exact way I wanted it 3 hours after getting it (Replaced strings with heavier gauge, replaced spring with heavier gauge, adjusted piezos). The knobs are a little lower class looking, and do feel alittle loose. I wish Parker would put some hard resin knobs on their guitars. They cankeep them plain and black, but I think that it would benefit from a more tactile feel.

I've owned mine for about a year now and have gigged with it many times. It has never totally failed me (occasional string change). Once the battery almost died on me (tone and volume drop off dramatically and fairly quickly) midsong. I was smartenough to have anothr on-handand replaced it prior to the next song. It is definitely gigworthy. The finish isn't marked or scuffed, which is a true testament to its quality, because my playing style is very aggressive. The hardware seems qulaity enough, althogh I have had some problems with the piezos. I would never gig without a backup.

Okay - here's the one big deal Ive had so far. As I said above, I have had some problems with the pickups. Two of the saddles went bad and I got no sound whatsoever out of the Piezos on my g and b strings. They resonated the other strings slightly, so if set to just piezos, you could kind of faintly hear an awful little sound, which was the plucking of the string. I contacted Jesse at Parker,and he was very helpful in telling me what to do. This just happened a week ago or so, and Jesse said it would take a week or two to get the guitar back, and that they would probably end up replacing the entire bridge saddle. He also said they would setit up for me.
All in all, he's been very helpful. Although I haven't gotten it back yet, and so cant' comment on the quality of work done, I am sure I will be satisfied. They are insuring it on the way back, so all seems well.

I have been playing for about 10 years now and owned a wide wide range of guitars. This is by far - BY FAR - the most quality I've ever seen in an instrument. The attention to detail is amazing and the build quality is unmatched. If it were stolen, I'd probably spend a few days crying and then go out and drop another $1500 on a new one. I love it. Oh yeha - and I'd hunt down the bastard who took it, rip his heart and soul out and asked him if he liked it.
My favorite feature has got to be the neck. It is so slick and fast and comfortable - like I said, my playing has improved exponentially as a result of it.

I highly recommend playing a Parker before buying any other high end type of guitar. I have found that with creative use of gain and pickup selection, you can accurately prodcue the tones found in many other high end guitars. The most versatile guitar on the market.

Mahagony body, basswood neck, 24 stainless steel frets, Neck/Bridge Dimarzio Humbuckers, Piezo in bridge, (2) 3-way toggles, one for electric neck/split/bridge config, the other for elect/both/piezo. Button located on body to select active/passive setup. Finish is a fabulous Emerald Green. Coolest color (IMO) Quiet, active and versatile trem for floating, down only and standard bridge settings. Flawless Sperzel tuners. Keeps in tune well. Wide Fat kind of neck with the best action in any production guitar bar none. Hard shell case. All packaged weighing in @ some 5.5 LBS. I know of no other guitar with more quality features.

I traded up from a Parker Deluxe to this model. I agree with earlier postings that the Mahagony wood has a somewhat darker and (IMO) a better overall sound with TONS of sustain. Nothing wrong with the Deluxe, just really noted and enjoyed the sustaining capabilities from this guitar. I play through a Johnson JM150 and I (and my band)couldn't be happier with my sound. I also have a Peavey Wolfgang and an EB/MM EVH in my guitar arsenal and grab this first mostly due to it's variety. I really like the option to patch the piezo into the PA using the included Y cable. What a wall of sound this creates. I absolutely love the stainless fret action. Mine being a '98 has the gold "Fly" script and fret markings. I understand Parker went back to the color white. (perhaps for player neck references in low light conditions) I personally think the gold selection is a cooler option. I suppose if I had to, I'd gripe about the volume and tone dials. I would agree with an earlier posting that they seem kind of "icky" and a tad over-sensitive to touch for such a high quality and otherwise well designed guitar.

I got this from a dealer and if this is the factory setup, Ken Parker and team deserve huge kudos for the specs delivered. The action, feel, sustain and balance are superb. Pickups were seated well and very responsive. I've found no flaws whatsoever in this guitar. Silent trem and toggle selectors with quality glistening from this guitar.

I wouldn't hesitate to gig with this guitar. I seems fragile mostly due to it's lightness. Again, in twenty years time, I believe I'd be concerned with perhaps the volume and tone dials and pots. I treat all my instruments with care, so I can't imagine this guitar failing without so sort of abuse. Factory strap buttons work well. Without any doubt this guitar can be depended upon. Just keep some batteries on hand just in case. I score it a 9 only because there are sturdier guitars out there, but factoring it's versatality, one must make their best choice using their own preferences.

I have used Parkers website for questions. Prompt and curtious replies were always received. Haven't had to envoke any warranttee issues and can't imagine I will need to any time soon.

By now I'm sure you think I'm a Parker poster child. (Maybe I am) But I highly encourage if your reading this to get your hands on one, run it through your favorite amp and watch your playing style change (for the better). This is an all together different breed of guitar. Parker guitars I found to be the most lively, comfortable excluding the upper horn to some),tonal, responsive and versatile instrument on the market today. If it were lost (shame on me) If it were stolen, the thief would rue the day s/he took my parker. It would immediately be replaced somehow. I love the flexabilty, lightness, trem design, elect/piezo, and fantastic color of this guitar. I hate nothing. My favorite feature(s) are: it's weight and stainless steel frets. As I mentioned, I traded up from a Deluxe for this model. I haven't tried an Artist (yet), but have tried the nitefly's and Godins and became very focused on the model. I'm very happy with this guitar. Let me close by stating I don't claim to know everything about all guitars. I've really tried to be fair in rating each of these catagories. I just can't justify rating this as anything less than a fantastic value. Parkers create their own unique sound to which myself and my band appreciates.

I have a new Parker Fly Classic Teal, 24 frets, 1 volume 2 tone controls for the humbuckers, 1 volume 1 tone for the Fishman Piezo pickup and 2 switches, 1 a three way selector for the humbuckers and the other one a mode selector for the guitar (to switch between acoustic, electric or acoustic/electric mixed), i been around the guitar world for some time now and i would definitely consider the parker fly as 1 of the 5 best guitars ever made, you can use it for anything, an acoustic song, rock, pop, blues, jazz, metal, anything you can get any sound you want from this baby.

Sound??? Divine...

All its body, action fit and finish are perfect for anyone, up to now i dont know anyone uncapable of handling a parker or capable of making it sound bad or unclean.

For its 5 pounds youll be amazed of the strength this guitar has and its paint and finish durability are just perfect.

Excellent! A few months ago i accidentally scratched with the cable tip the bottom of the guitar, so i sent a mail to parker asking them for help, thy answered in less than 48 hours with many solutions for my problems, some cheaper than the others.

I have many instruments and many guitars, ive owned over 10-15 guitars and played more than 200 different models owned by friends and on stores, but i have to say...THIS IS AN INVESTMENT YOU WANT TO MAKE IF YOURE SERIOUS ABOUT GUITARS...if it was stolen i would find the robber, get a kidney, sell it and buy 5 Flys, heheh just kidding, but i would definitely be depressed for a while and start saving for another fly.

24 hardened stainless steel frets on a composite fret board, neck thru-body. has two custum dimarzio pickups (humbuckers) and a peizio pickup. custum trem' which locks for a fixed brige feel or can be unlocked and loosened for a floating trem' . spirtzel locking tuners. mohogany wood. CONTROLS ARE: magnetic volume and tone, piezio volume and tone, 3 way magnetic pickup switch, 3 way piezio/magnetic selector switch, stereo/mono switch. this thing is amazing!!!!!!

i play anything from rock to country. the versitility on this guitar is amazing. when you have the 3way pickup switch in the middle position... you get a single coil of each of the two magnetic pickups... giving you a totally different color of tone than the other two humbucker positions. the piezio is great sounding and i am blown away by the tone you can get by combining the piezio with the magnetics for both distortion and clean channel playing. there are so many variations of tone that you can get ... it is awesome! when playing distorted leads.. you can blend a little of the piezio pickup in there with the magnetics and it adds a rich "singing" quality to the tone. The sustain is amazing on this guitar. it just sings and sings and sings for a looooong time. i am using a "line 6" amp and i love it... also on the piezio pickup, i am using a "sansamp accoustic DI" to make the piezio a little more convincinly accoustic sounding.... the sansamp adds a lot to getting the accoustic sound more believable. this guitar has character and really has a "musical", expressive tone.

the action on this guitar is the best i have ever felt BAR NONE. nothing else even comes close... and i have played a lot of guitars. i use "10's" on my guitars and it feels light enough to be "9's". i am thinking that a fella could easily get away with using "11's" without punishing his fingers. who knows, i may try it... everything on the guitar came in great shape... everything adjusted and set really good.

if i had to use just one guitar.... this would be it.... attention to detail is obvious and also functionability was obviously well thought out. i will carry extra batteries in my case though for the active piezio pickup. everything on it seems built to last. Yet i can only give it a "9" because i have yet to take it on tour or anything really demanding like that.

have not had to use support yet.... in my opinion ... that's a automatic "10".....

i have been playing for 8 years. i would definitely replace this guitar with another parker if this one were lost or stolen. i do wish they had put a roller-nut on it... i am thinking about having one installed. i also wish that they had made the midi-fly in a "upper" parker instead of the nite-fly model. here is what really blows me away about this guitar...... it allows you to be WAY more expressive with your playing... other guitars feel like a TOOL that you use to express yourself, this guitar is like a extension of you... you can be WAY more expressive on this instrument. i really discovered this after i brought it home and spent a few days playing it... i realised that i did not need to fight with the guitar to get expression out of it... the guitar responds to subtle nuances in your playing WAY more than other guitars. like the guitar responds to your emotions.. i am convinced that this trait in this guitar will bring new levels of expression in my playing. before purchasing my parker guitar, i read through a lot of the reviews here.... i saw so many 10's .... if you are wondering if people are just being overly optomistic... just go play a parker for yourself... the first thing that you will notice is that it feels like you are playing to "hard" on it.... once you adjust ... you will then be amazed at the way this thing plays... just try one... this is the future of guitar, no doubt!

Features:
late 1998 model purchased in early 1999 for $1530;
American made; 24 frets; solid body; mahogany; transparent blue finish over stained mahogany grain; thin/slim body style;
non-locking tremolo with three options - fixed bridge, floating but only bend-down, free floating;
locking Sperzel tuning pegs;
graphite exoskeleton on body, fibreglass-graphite composite neck, large (jumbo?) frets, not-very-slim neck;
controls include - master volume, magnetic pickup volume, magnetic pickup tone, piezo pickup volume, piezo pickup tone, magnetic pickup selector switch, magnetic/piezo/both switch;
pickup configuration: neck humbucker, bridge humbucker, inside coil combination, piezo trandsucer;
magnetic pickups: DiMarzzio;
piezo pickups: Fishman;
active electronics running on a 9 volt battery;
molded Hiscox hard-shell case, required tools, special stereo cable;

I play mostly 80's rock, with some progressive rock/jazz thrown in. I tend to go for either a crystal-clear shimmering clean sound or completely driven distortion - I don't do much of the in-between stuff. I do a lot of recording, so I play my guitar through a BOSS SE70 effects processor (which I use for distortion as well as for effects) into either a clean amp (I often use a small tube Fender Champ for practice) or a digital recording device/PA system/transparent audio system. I do not drive guitar amps in the conventional way.
Unprocessed, the Fly Classic has a rich tone - somewhat bright, yet a little more warm than that of the Fly Deluxe, however, due to a different wood (mahogany for the Classic). However, the tone is *not* the bell-like tone associated with many graphite-based guitars like Steinbergers. Instead, the sound is more conventional, which is a good thing because the aforementioned bell-like tones can be very cold and clinical.
You can get a lot of tonal variety by selecting either humbucker, the in-between combination, the piezo-pickups, or even a combination of the magnetic and piezo pickups. Further, you can use the stereo cable to send the mag. and piezo outputs to different amps/processors and get a very substantial wall of clean sound.
The guitar is quiet, but with one problem - on high gain, when you roll down the volume from full to zero, you hear an audible hiss when you get very close to zero. So, if you like using your volume control to do swells, you might have a problem. This is a fault with the design of the active circuitry (as I was told by Korg) and there is nothing you can do about it.
Regarding the mag. pickups (humbuckers), they have great tone, sustain and harmonics. They have been designed by DiMarzzio especially for Parker and have been screwed directly into the body for better response. I think this helps. One small complaint - the pickup output is not very high, especially with the neck humbucker. I would have liked slightly hotter pickups.
As far as the piezo pickup is concerned, it sounds like a regular piezo pickup. You are probably not going to fool anyone into believing that you're playing an acoustic - unless you're recording a heavily effected track in a dense mix. The value to the piezo is not in exactly reproducing the sound of the acoustic guitar, rather it is in creating a slightly different kind of sound.
The guitar has tremendous sustain. I haven't seen such sustani in any other guitar. I read somewhere (perhaps in Harmony Central) that the sustain will change the way you play guitar. This is probably true. You can feel the ring and the sustain even when playing the guitar unplugged.

I'd give full marks for the beuatiful transparent blue finish over the stained mahogany. The graphite exoskeleton is painted a certain shade of blue which isn't exactly the blue of the wood, but this is all on the rear side of the guitar body and neck and hence cannot be seen.
In all respects, the workmanship is outstanding.
The factory set-up was good. However, I was *slightly* disappointed as I had probably set my expectations too high. In particular, I was hoping for a yet-lower action. When I did lower the action, I got some fret-buzz. I have happily settled on a very low action (which is simply heaven to play) with the sacrifice of allowing some slight fret buzz which is thankfully not picked up by the pickups.
I have some small complaints about the volume/tone controls. They are made of plastic. While this is done to reduce weight, they do look a little icky, especially on a guitar this classy and expensive. The controls are also (I feel) a little on the looser side and can get moved around in the course of normal playing, if you're not careful.

I think this guitar is tough and will withstand live playing. The company definitely makes a big pitch about its frets being of stainless steel as opposed to some nickel alloy.
I think I would go ahead and use the guitar without a backup - especially given that I can immediately put the guitar into a fixed-bridge mode if a string breaks in the middle of a song and hence not have to go out of tune. String changing is remarkably easy and quick, too.
However, it just *looks* delicate - this is probably because the finish is so fine. The strap buttons are solid - though the left strap button is located on the back of the horn (as opposed to being on the tip of the horn) - and this makes it difficult to use certain kinds of straps with the Parker.

I have dealt with the company, but only to ask certain questions (e.g. how to use the Sperzel tuners, what kind of locking strap could I use with the guitar etc.). My experience has been very good.
I think the warranty is for a year, but I am not sure. Hence, I will not rate the guitar in this category.

The guitar is a great value.
It offers a wide range of sounds, both magentic and piezo. More importantly, these are great sounds (I wouldn't find a wide range of bad sounds very useful at all.) Further it lets you mix these in mono/stereo, which works great for my recording work.
The guitar plays like a dream, the neck is fast and easy with great intonation (see my above comments on the action, however). I don't think minor temperature changes have any effect on the neck at all. This means that truss rod changes are not required frequently.
The tremolo is very good - it is much simpler than the Floyd Rose on my Ibanez, yet works a great deal better. It stays in tune despite a lot of whammying around. (Owners of Steinbergers might report yet better whammy bar performance with their TransTrems, but that's about it.) String changing and intonation adjustment can be done in fixed-bridge mode, which is a wonderful change from spending hours on my Floyd-Rose.
I also play an Ibanez 450 S with DiMarzzio pickups. It is a great guitar with very good sound and playability, but is simply not in the same class as the Parker (it is also costs only half as much).
Bottom line: the guitar is exceptional, but expensive. It all depends on what you want. If you want customization (e.g. your choice of finish, abalone inlays etc.) you could easily buy a very nice Carvin for that money. If you want the ultimate in whammy-bar ability and don't mind a colder sound, a Steinberger with a TransTrem is probably better for you. And so on. However, the Parker Fly Classic offers its own unmatchable mix of quality, options and price. Finally, you might want to try Parker Niteflys which seem to give you more bang-for-the-buck than their upmarket cousins.

The Fly classic is the same a the delux, but with a mahogany body and a transparent finish. This guitar has far too many features to list, and I'm sure you've already read about them from other reviews. Let it just suffice to say this is is a very well thought out instrument. The only thing you could add to this guitar is MIDI control.

I have been playing a Strat w/ EMG's for the last six years and obviously the sounds are very different. The Parker is much brighter and crisp in the high end. All of my effects patches had to be tweaked a bit, but this would be so for any different instrument. Overall, I like the range of sounds availiable from this guitar. LOTS of variety, and when mixing electric and piezo tones you can get very lush clean tones that I love to use when I play live. In fact I've even had people come up to me after a show and comment on how rich the chorus sounded that I was using. I attribute this to the chorused electric signal I mixed with a dry piezo tone. Very cool. I think the problem most people have is trying to compare it's sound to another guitar's. You can't. This guitar is a Parker, not a strat or a paul. If you want a strat - buy one. But if you like what you hear from the Parker, I highly recomend it - easily the most versital guitar I've ever played.

Action : perfect, wonderfully low, no buzz, great intonation
Finish : virtually flawless. The finish on my guitar is the "Emerald Green" It's a very deep green and it's shows off the mahogany top very well. One of the best looking Fly's I've seen.

I have been playing with this guitar steadily for five months now. I take the guitar to practice at least once a week and play a show at least every other week. Not once have I had a problem with it. I ususally don't even have to tune it when I arrive. Thanks to the Locking Sperzal's this guitar stays in tune wonderfully. (and string changing is a snap!) The hardware on the guitar is all top notch and the stap buttons are decent, though not designed for a strap lock system because the horn is too thin. I did, however find a way around this by using the stock screws to mount the locks in place. This has worked very well and has perserved the beauty of my guitar. My only doubt is in the finish. Any guitar that is consitantly used for gigging will inevitably show signs of wear, perhaps it's just that this guitar is soooo light it just FEELS more delicate. I worry every time I take it out, but that's just because I take very good care of my instruments. Being that I've not had a single problem in this area, I'd give it a 10.

Never had to deal with them (knock on wood). Though I have heard good things about Ken Parker and his customer service.

I work in a large music store. I have access to literally hundreds of guitars and I could afford any one of them I wished. This is by far the most versitile guitar I've ever played. It is also the best playing guitar as far as action and feel. The body, although awkward at first, really becomes like an extention of your body and is very easy to play. I noticed today when I picked up my strat for the first time in months that it felt clunky and awkward it made me realize how well this guitar is balanced and designed. I love the light weight (5.5lbs) for live playing - no backache after a long gig here! The electric/acoustic tones make this THE ultimate live guitar. If something happened to this guitar I would definatly replace it. The only thing I wish this guitar had was MIDI control. I have considered selling it for this reason in order to buy the new model comming out that does have it. But, besides that, this is a very fine instrument. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Made in 1998 in the U.S.A. 24 frets, solid mohogany body, two volume controls (one for piezo one for humbuckers), two tone controls, balance control. Pickup configuration is H/H/Piezo. Humbuckers are made by Seymor Duncan. Active pickup system. Body is Mohogany neck is composite. Finish is a beautiful translucent burgandy color. George Jetson strat. stlye. Tuners are locking sperzels. Parker only floating/locking bridge system (by the way best I've used and I have Floyd Rose, Wilkinson, and Fender). Came with excellent manual all tools necessary for adjustment and very nice hard shell case.

I've been playing for 28 years and have played almost everything though every pedal and amp you could imagine. I can truely say that this is the best sounding guitar that I have ever played, it stands on its own in this category. If you are a professional or weekend warrior you gotta try one, it's produces the best tone I've heard. It is very suitable to all styles of guitar playing.
One thing that really stands out on this guitar is its sustain. It's so long that it actaully begins to change your playing style.

At this point you're probably thinking that I work for Parker, I don't. This is the easiest to play guitar that I have ever owned. I have never found a guitar could play and feel so good.

Seems very rugged to me.

I didn't need to contact them so I can't say.

I've been playing for a very long time and truely rate this as the best guitar that I have ever played. It's is very inspirational!!!

Well, if you're looking into a fly, chances are you've read the other reviews already, but here's a run-down of features anyway.
DiMarzio Dual Humbuckers Fishman Piezo Acoustic System Active Pickup Blending/Switching Mahogany Body (5.5 lb weight) Switchable Bridge w/ flat spring Sperzel Locking Tuners Others I've forgotten
For features this thing can kill almost any other guitar out there with the possible exception of a Godin or some custom-made double-necked-four-pickup-phase-switchable-with-native-distortion-chorus-trem-with-a-cherry-on-top-guitar that cost you six Hawaiian islands worth of cash. The parker has features in spades, and quality that nearly matches on every one.

The guitar pulls off a bright sound on every level. It has a more Les Paul sound than its cousin the Fly Deluxe, which is a little more like a strat, but for the most part it's transparent. I was very disapointed playing it through tried and true amps (like a Fender w/ chorus and trem, a Marshall JCM, and a Line6 AX2) but I'm just lucky I hauled along my old Kustom Vintage bass amp. It's my magic cheap amp and it's a dream with every instrument I own except my bass. To my great surprise, it did the trick adding body to those lows and fattening up the distortion. It's still a little bright but I can get a sweet Brit-Pop sound out of it. My only complaint is that the bridge pickup is weeker than anything you've used. The strat sound isn't very authentic, but why would I buy a guitar to sound like a strat when it costs twice as much. For the acoustics a clean amp works best but you can get them dirty with a little crunch from a pedal. You aren't going to make the pickups sound acoustic without a PA or a keyboard amp (they work quite well actually) so don't bother. And finally, you're going to have a tough time getting out of that industrial-metal Rammstein rut, but once you do it'll be worth it.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory. Love the steel frets, every note sounds more reliably. The finish is a dream. You can truly feel this thing vibrate like a living thing in your hands before you plug it in. I LOVE THE FRETBOARD. I would buy this guitar for the neck, which is second to a PRS Dragon III if anything. It's fat and thin and looks awkward, but WOW. You simply have to wrap your arms around it to beleive it. All is not perfect however. There is some buzz, but you can raise the action. I have killer sound right now though, so I ain't touchin' it. The most fatal flaw is the tiny body to which I attribute the too bright sound. It's good stuff though

I am scared to death of dropping this guitar. I have heard of people dropping them once and having them come out unscathed, but I've also heard tales of chipped finish, sizeable lost chunks of wood, and of a couple that were snapped in half. I always bring my strat with me to gigs because I fear something will happen to the Fly. Once you get it safely out of the case and around your neck it is one of the most solid guitars I have played on. Just bring a battery. I have also heard that some of the flat springs for 10's can snap and shoot from the guitar, but it hasn't happened to me.

I've never dealt with Parker, so I couldn't tell you, but I hear from a lot of people that "Ken Parker is THE MAN." In every case I've heard of, the guitar was fixed and returned in perfect condition or replaced with a completely new guitar. Good stuff.

I'll only say it once more. It's not a strat, it's not a tele, it's not a LP, and it's not that custom beast. Of course it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be something new. I tried EVERYTHING. When I'm putting out this kind of money, I get obsessive. The strat's and pauls are too generic for me, the sweet PRS would require me to sell organs on the black market, and everybody I know has some form of an Ibanez. The Fly was a breath of fresh air, it's like a little thing that you can horde for yourself and carve out your own niche with. It's not meant to be those other guitars, and it doesn't have to be.