Parker Guitars Fly Deluxe with Vibrato

I have had my Parker Fly for about 4 or 5 years now.I bought one when they first came out in my area, so I paid a little more than you have to now. Maybe alot more. It is a very deep Purple that looks black until bright lights hit it. I thought this was an awesome color to start with but wasn't that impressed later. I found that it takes either a white spot light or sun light at an outdoor gig to make this thing look purple. A few people thought I had bought a new one when I played it outside!! The donwside is that without bright light its kinda crappy black..not good black.. and just kinda lays there. It came with a pretty good hardshell case. The only problem with it is that the outter shell of the case bubbled up and warped. I dunno if it was the sun or not, but I've never had a case do that before and they all get tranported together. The case does do a great job of protecting the guitar though, so I guess it does its job. They should have put more room in the case though..even just a little. There is barely room for my strap in there. If you used a leather strap it wouldn't fit without some cramming.
Lets not forget the 2 things that make this guitar bad ass...Its weight and its sound. Just force yourself to get over the fact that it is shaped like something Prince would play and that the branch coming off the body of the guitar will latch onto your fat roll.... you need to loose that roll anyway. Really this thing is so light..yet feels stable and strong. I have banged mine around and its fell off my guitar stand umpteen times and I have never had any problems. Real giging musicians should check this thing out cause after a 5 set night you WILL love how light this thing is. The lightness does not effect sound quality at all.
Lets talk about sound next

Size and weight are of no matter to this axe !!
Electric sounds are great. I play thought a 5150 stack and a Line6 AX2 depending on the type of show. This guitar will run the table on rock and pop sounds. It will get DEATH METAL HEAVY and POLICE THIN. I don't play any country so I can't rate that. It does Blues and Jazzy stuff exellent to. This guitar stays very articulate even when pushed.
The Acoustic sounds are ultra fantastic. You can bring this thing back through your monitor so loud your ears will bleed and IT WILL NOT FEED BACK !! Sometimes like it or not, stage volume can climb into the stupid zone and a typical acoustic guitar would never be able to have enough volume without feedback to compete. THis guitar just kicks ass. You will love the chance to rip solos and riffs at electric guitar speed and ease, yet sound like an acoustic. Now, does it sound like a miked up real acoustic guitar ? Well, its pretty close..maybe a little thinner in overall tone, but playing out live there is nothing that comes close to this thing ! It plays so easy you kinda play it like an electric and that makes it sound a little different anyway. ONE IMPORTANT THING... DO NOT judge the acoustic (piezo) sound of this guitar unless you are playing through an amp with a horn in it. The accoustic amps by Crate and Fender have one. Without a horn the guitar has no chance to sparkle and you will think it sounds crappy. I ran my acoustic side into a harmonizer to give it that slight chorus feel, then straight to the board. It sounds fantastic. You can here it at www.mp3.com/bungalowtension on the song "Aint that Enough". Just for your information, there are 2 versions on that sight, one studio and one live. Both versions are my Parker. THere are 2 guitars going.. the Parker is the cleaner, brighter of the 2 and is the second solo on the studio version. This is a very good example of what this guitar can do live. Fantastic Sound !!

The quality of the guitar is great. I don't care for the Stupid Battery thing though... I know we had to have it there but the design of the battery holder/case is crappy. No.. VERY CRAPPY.

Reliablilty is fantastic..it is not a string eater and stays in tune while giging like a rock. The only failure I have had was with the nut at the headsock end of the fretboard. As I mentioned earlier it fell off the stand..well the entire nut rail popped loose and came off. I didn't notice it until I was restringing after the gig that weekend. The cool thing is, I just super glued it back on. that was around 3 years ago... no trouble since.
When the battery goes dead not only do you loose the piezo sound but the electric side starts loosing gain like you've turned the guitar volume down. THe power to the battery is turned on by plugging in the guitar cord, so if you forget and leave it pugged in overnight, you come back to a dead guitar. I have done this a zillion frickin times...!! A battery will last quite awhile if you don't forget though !! Keep an eye on the warning L.E.D. on the back of the guitar, cause once that light comes on you have about 45 minutes of normal sounding guitar then the gain starts to slowly go away.

Never had to deal with them... I did call them on the phone once to find out what model of electric pickup they were using. THey gave me an answer.... I forgot what they said now though..that was a long time ago.

Overall this guitar gets a 10 from me for several real world reasons. It sounds great, stays in tune, doesn't break strings and is super light. I would buy one again if stolen. I wish they would make a few options on body shape. If they made something like the shape of a PEAVEY WOLFGANG or LES PAUL I would buy one. Heck, the classic rock look of a LES PAUL without all the fat weight ? WOW !! I really think the look of this guitar scares many people away before they try it.
I had to remove 2 things to make this guitar all mine. I had to pull off the volume knob because when I stummed the guitar my pinky would just knick the knob and turn the guitar down. Without the knob it works fine but people keep telling me "HEY DUDE, YOU LOST YOUR KNOB" and it kinda drives me crazy. This problem is probably exclusive to me and or my particular playing style or position.
I also removed the Dorky foam cover from the WHAMMY bar. I didn't like the look and had thought about removing it.. then one night a guy walked up to me between sets and proceeded to tell me how great my acoustic sounded. He wanted to know where I got that microphone that fit on the end of my whammy bar handle cause he had to have one! I promptly removed my "Microphone" from the whammy handle... funny though...the guitar still works !! LOL!!

Hey, just a follow up to my review. On the advice of one who submitted that he replace the pickups in his '95 with the new P-1 and P-2, I think I am going to do likewise. Judging from his comments, I think this will solve the only complaint I have. I would love to ask him a couple of questions but he did not leave and e-mail address. If you're reading this, please contact me so I can ask you a couple of specific questions Oh yeah, one more thing. To the guy with the frets that came unglued. I think maybe the frets are not the only thing that are "unglued". YOU are the reason they make PROZAC!

All the standard features of a Fly

Great sounding guitar! No, it's not a Less Paul or a Strat but I've got a couple of each and didn't need another. Although I would have to agree that it has a somewhat "thinner" sound than my Paul, it is not "weak" sounding. What I really love is that you can play with heavy overdrive sounds, get plenty of bite and sustain without sacrificing clarity. It doesn't get "lost in the sauce". I play a lot of styles of music and there is NOTHING you can't do with this guitar. By the way, if you're looking for versatility and you need a Paul sound for some things, with a little effor, you can build it wih the right EQ. I play through a Digitech 2101 at home and use a 2120 to play out. What I love is that I can set up patches to emulate just about anything and use ONE guitar that is really a kick to play! Lets face it people, with the processors out there these days you can make almost anything sound like almost anything so why not use something that feels great to play, especially if you have four herniated discs in your back. And as if that isn't enough, if you're in a Ritchie Blackmore mood, go ahead and work the wammy. It stays in tune!! And it's much more "user friendly" than a Rose. I'll give this one a 10 based on the fact that I havn't found any sound that I could not achieve with this guitar and still have every note cut through the rest of the mix. Add to all fo this the extra dimension of the Piezo pickup and it's almost limitless.

Bought it used and it was set up with 11s, a little heavy for my liking. Put a set of 9s on, lightened up the tremelo resistance and here's the real amazing part. Had a Nightfly and could never get the qaction down where I like it without problems. But the Deluxe is Deluxe! I actually got it so low that I decided it was TOO low but had NO problem with fret buzz. I've never had this experience with ANY guitar, although my Taylor acoustic is pretty amazing too. Ass for the finish, I've seen a lot of Parkers and the always look great but if you look closely at mine, it's black by the way, you can see places where it looks a little thinner but only if you look very closely. I'll knock a point off for that.

I have not had it long enough to know for sure, but judging by the gauge of strings it had on it when I bought it and the big ugly sticker the bonehead stuck on the back of the guitar, my guess is it belonged to some three chord bashing moron who thought, "this guitar looks cool", and made daddy buy it for him. In spite of that, it is in great shape. After some serious cleaning up and adjustments I mentioned earlier, it's hard to believe it's used. The sticker I had to remove from the back, seems like it was put on with some kind of rubber cement and has been an oreal to remove. But even using a citrus solvent and a lot of rubbing has not harmed the finish. I'm not complaining though, I picked it up for 850 with a Parker hard shell case. TRY and find one for that price!!

Only called them once when I was "shopping" to get the low down on serial numbers and feature changes from year to year. They were very helpful. Still, I hope I never need to do frets on this guitar because it would definitely have to go back to them. Given the hardness of the stainless stell frets, I will probably be ready to buy another one by then anyway.

I've been playing for over 30 years and have toured with some folks most of you would know. This is one of those instruments you come across that realy makes you want to play more and inspires your playing, just like my Taylor did and one or two others I've owned. For the record, I've owned probably over 100 guitars and there have been few i felt this good about. Oh yeah, Ken, if you read these things, here are my "wishes" for some new Parkers. An OPTION to split the coils, rather than always split in the middle position, move the toggle switch for the pickups somewhere a little more accessable, and the master volume is right where I like to rest my hand, but I'll get used to it. Also, think about a Hum, Single, Hum, pickup configuration. Talk about VERSATILE! Oh yeah, get your web site straightened out! Manuals don't download, some of the spec info is with the wrong models, and your "Talk To Us" has been down forever! It doesn't make you look like a quality company and your guitars are CERTAINLY quality!

I just got mine used (but like new). It's about 2 years old.
You know the features by now.

WOW!!! This thing sounds amazing. I play anything except top 40 teeny
trash and the Fly fits any style excellently well. Right now, I'm
only using it to practice with at home through a little Danelectro
N-50 (don't knock 'em. for a practice amp they smoke!) but the other
day I got a chance to play it through a reissue Marshall Plexi (100wt)
and all I can say is WOW!!! TONE !!! OOH! AH!! Also I played it through an AC-30 and it really came alive. For some reason it
seems to like the Brit amps better than others. Or maybe that's just
me . . . This guitar is not noisy at all. It can get pretty bright(but not harsh) depending on the pickup setting. This thing has alot of sounds.the neck p.u is really warm (not muddy though) and smooth. Great for jazz and blues. Very much like a 335. The mid position is really great for clean playing. I really like Andy Summers, this gets pretty close to that kind of sound. Very much like the 2 & 4 position on the sweetest Strat you ever played. Plenty of punch and sparkle.
The bridge p.u has plenty of mid range growl. It can scream, sing, purr, growl, sparkle, and do all the stuff that a great bridge humbucker should do. DIMARZIO TONE! Think Satch in terms of articulation. Go ahead...SHRED!
The piezo is cool. Be carefull about turning it up to loud. It really adds a nice "zingy sound" to the magnetics. Be creative with it. Don't
expect it to be your dream acoustic tone. It's not made to do that.
We're talking inovation here.

Excellent construction. Had to do my own set up 'cause I bought it
used. It's extreemly light-weight. I love the graphite fretboard.
All you blues-benders will love that. Everything on this axe is
perfect! Except for some unknown reason the nut is loose. Someone
from Parker is supposed to get back with me about that.

Yeah. It's very strong. Watch the piezo elements though. NOT A HEAD-BANGER'S AXE. You wouldn't want to damage the circuit board. But then
anything will last long if you take care of it, and DON'T POUR BEER ON IT!!! HELLO!!!

Great. Ken Parker has good folks workin' for him. I broke a vibrato
spring, and they sent me a replacement in a few days.

I think that I'll be playing Parkers for the rest of my life. If I were famous, they'd be my endorsers. I played Strats, LPs, Teles,
PRS, Ibanez, Fernandez, Peavey, Godin, and you name it all before
I got the Parker, and I'm completely satisfied. I especially recommend
this guitar if you're looking for your OWN sound and not just another
Fender/Gibson sound (although there's nothing wrong with that).

MIne is a 95 built (USA made as are they all). It is the standard Parker Fly shape, neck etc. Pickups are H/H/P with three way selector for the humbuckers (neck, split, bridge), three way select for pickups, (Piezo, Piezo and H's, or just H's). Separate tone for Humbuckers and Piezo, separate vol for each of those plus an overall vol control.
The electronics are active....I play at least an hour or so most days and have only had to replace the battery once in about 9 months.

The Fly Deluxe is Poplar and Bass wood with the carbon fibre reinforcement making the guitar very light but as far as I can tell very strong. Finish is a superb gloss (black on mine) which as Larry Fishman noted in a Guitar Player article discussing the developmnents in acoustic guitars they had to cut guitars in half to prove to people there was really wood inside the finish is sooooo slick.

The bridge is the Fly trem system which works well and stays in tune (not that I use it all that much).

Sperzels tuners are just THE BEST you will find PERIOD>

The neck is superb to use and just plays like a dream. The guitar came with the very high quality Levy gig bag.

I have since contacted Parker to get tools and other bits and bobs that were not with iot when I bought it and have received very helpful and prompt service (from the US to Ozstralia)!

I mostly play acoustic fingerstyle covering blues, some jazz, a littel country occassionally. I have several nice acoustics including a Wise (made in Western Australia)and a TAylor so the Fly was really for when I want to "go electric". In that regard the PIezo really appealed and whilst it does not sound like a fine acoustic, mixing the Piezo and Humbuckers in the mid or neck position with medium base gives a pretty good acosutic tone..and no feedback....comfortable to play for hours on end....you can quickly delve into "real" electric territory if it is necessary/appropriate.

I use the guitar through a Yorkville acoustic amp with a Zoom 505 pedal...this gives me as much sound array as I have found any need for.

The guitar gives beautiful clean sounds either in H or P (or mixed) mode....add effects and it can be as LP bluesy or whatever as you want...extremely versatile. I would like a littel more "oomph" from the H pickups on the clean sound but....its a minor gripe.

Set up of the guitar was outstanding (particularly as it was bought second hand...or maybe its because it was secondhand and already set up!!)...anyway it was right on and I have not had to alter anything.
For a guitar now 5 years old it is in exceptionally good condition all round.

I don't play gigs much so the durability in that regard is not an issue for me although the guitar is so well made that I cannot see any reason it would not prove extremely reliable in sucha situation. I would think depending on the style of music you played this guitar could more than competently meet most requirements in terms of sound reliability, ruggedness etc etc

I have dealt with Parker to get some replacement bits and pieces (tools, trem arm "handle",etc). The response was fast curtious and efficient. Don't know how I'd go if I had to send it back to the US for repair from Australia...but hopefully the problem won't arise.

I have been playing over 20 years. I own a LP Standard and two acoustics one a Taylor the other an OM custom-made from Cocobolo and 70 yr old Alaskan Spruce by a luthier (Scott Wise) here in western Australia. My amp is a Yorkville acoustic (previously a Fender Princeton STereo Chorus) and a 505 Zoom.

I sold a Custom 24 PRS with 10 top and Birds for the PArker and it is without doubt, for me anyway, the right decision......if the pArker were to go I would get another in a minute (blue or green or better one of the clear wood finishes if I could afford it!!)

I love the guitar /.....

Where it was Made:It was made in the USA in 1999. Frets: 24-fret guitar. Controls: master volume knob, magnetic pickup volume knob, magnetic pickup tone knob, Piezo tone and volume control knob (concentric), 3-way magnetic pickup selector, magnetic pickup/mangnetic+Piezo pickup/Piezo pickup selector, and Stereo/Mono switch. Body: Poplar. Neck: Basswood. Pickups:2 humbuckers and Piezo pickup. Finish:Italian Plum (A really dark purple than can only be seen in the light, almost looks black) Bridge: a special design vibrato system made only by Parker. Tuners: Sperzal tuners. ETC: An extremely light guitar (7 lbs, maybe less)

It perfectly suits my musical style of Hard Rock and Heavy metal but can also fit styles when i want to play something Alternative. The Piezo Pickups don't exactly sound like an acoustic but it is still very very very clear and satisfying when playing acoustic rock. I'm using the guitar through and old Yamaha bass amb and it really makes raucous sound. A lot of people say that the Parker's humbuckers have been kinda a bright compared to the other humbuckers, but i don't think so. They do pack a lot of punch into its sound. I think the Parker guitar has a sound of its own, it doesn't necessarily sound like a Les Paul or a Stratocaster. Just make sure to run the guitar through a good cable and a good pedal or the guitar will crackle and skip when playing in distortion.

Action: I think the action was a little too high for me but it wasn't a problem fixing it. Pickups: I decided to raise the pickups a little bit because they seemed kinda low from the factory. All of the guitar's hardware was pretty secure and I am very very satisfied with it, it's just the setup i didn't like too much.

I think the guitar i pretty reliable and can withstand live playing for hours. Though the guitar looks pretty thin and fragile the whole guitar is still in great shape after one year of playing with it and has proved to be very strong and stable. The strap buttons are very secure, i like its design. I can depend on it almost all the time. I would still bring a backup guitar with it but i know i wouldn't have to.

Parker has a website that you can write to, which i have before, but they responded to me like a month later (kinda slow service) Also if you ever need repairs you HAVE TO send it back to the factory since most of the parts are custom made (a real hassle). However you still get a 1 year warranty and if you do have to send to the factory for repairs the chances are that the repairs will be free.

I have been playing for 3 years now since the summer of 97. Through those years, i've been playing a really old 1980's Yamaha stratocaster copy (SE700E) and an old pawnshop Ibanez acoustic (Ibanez Vintage Model 52). Compared to these guitars, the Parker really blows them away and then some! I've compared it to the Gibson Les Paul (which is very impressive as well) but still picked the Parker because of its weight, its feel, its vibrato and its many pickup configurations. If it were stolen, I would go hunt down the person who would try to steal this guitar from me! I love this guitar and it would be very hard for me to part from it. Its a very pricy guitar but its worth it! I've waited for 2 years to get this guitar. I had to get 4.0's on my report card for those 2 years to try to convince my parents and clean my room regularly and do chores around the house but all of that was worth it when i got my hands on the best guitar ever, The Parker Fly Deluxe!

1999 Model. USA Made. Sperzel locking tuners, (2) "Special" DiMarzio humbuckers, Fishman Piezo bridge. Standard Fly Deluxe with the killer Parker vibrato. Mine's a dark green finish. Came with gig bag, stereo cable, etc. Bought used.

I'm playing primarily rock/blues/alternative-type music in my current band. This guitar is the only guitar that I take to EVERY gig. I'm also playing various Ibanez JEM, JS & RBM models, PRS Custom Artist, Steinberger GM series, and various others, as well as some Takamine SantaFe acoustics. Through my Matchless Chieftain, this guitar just sings in every way! The piezo's are incredibly crisp, and make a great rhythm sound. The DiMarzio's are great as well. VERY versatile. Love the neck too...very thin and flat, but extremely solid and sturdy.

Very odd yet comfortable body, great neck, very well constructed. The guitar is almost like one piece. Great sustain, and I like the contours of the body. It is a bit uncomfortable to play sitting though. But, at a little over 4 pounds, there's no reason to sit!

I've NEVER had a single issue with this guitar. Although it goes against everything I believe in, I would use this guitar without a backup. Great live, great in the studio. Indestructable! Finish is very nice as well. Very thick, yet it breathes. A guitar of rare quality indeed!

Never dealt with them, probably never will.

I've been playing for 12 years or so, and have owned everything from a '64 Strat to a Chrome Ibanez "JS10th" Satriani model. The space-age shape of this guitar really turned me off at first, but once I started playing it, I couldn't put it down! Very versatile, easy to play, lightweight, and it actually looks kinda cool on stage.

1996 model, bought used. Came with deluxe Parker gig bag, manual, tremelo bar and tools. Standard Parker FDV features. Features rating as compared to other instruments.

I play all styles of music from acoustic to metal, blues and jazz to rock, grunge to surf. I have played the fly on a peavey 30w tube, a peavey stereo chorus 212, and a couple fender amps. Can't wait to try it with an acoustic amp. The fly has a full range of sounds; it is extraordinary because of the piezos. I haven't been able to get a good strat "single coil" sound yet, but I have only had the instrument for a few days.

Considering my Fly was 4 years old when i bought it, it is in excellent condition. There is a flaw on the back that appears to have been in the original finish. The action is marvelous; fast and slick.

Too soon to tell.

I have played for 35 years and own 14 other guitars and 5 amps. The fly has so many features that it cant be compared to anything else I own. I chose a fly because my son wanted one and this one was a steal at the price I paid. I was amazed at the versatility of sound this guitar can achieve.

Here's were I agree w/ Cypher and Ravioli.The frets suck.I've actually had frets coming unglued at a gig.Those guys did an experiment with us idiot buyers and now the results are just coming in.I've had at least 5 frets come unglued, specially the 1,2, 3 ,4.I can fix them pretty quickly now (becoming an expert) with superglue, but I don't trust the guitar anymore.Currently saving for a real guitar lake Tom Anderson or John Suhr.I will sell the parker to some poor sucker.Sorry but I need the money, as I make my living out of playing guitar and have mouths to feed.If you play guitar professionally, the frets will last about 3-4 yrs tops before you start having trouble.I promise you.

The accurate word here is nonexistent.I live in Spain, so the importer told me the ax had to be shipped back to the states for a fret job.Yeah, right, after I pay all shipping expenses I figured I could buy almost half of one of the guitars I mentioned above.VERY IMPORTANT:if you live outside the states, DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT buy any of parker guitars with glued on frets.You will greatly regreat it.I guarantee that you will become an expert at fret setting with superglue.GOD I hate this thing so much!!.I tried to call and sent many e-mails to Parker's web site, but those guys don't exist!! No signs of living entities there. I wish I could talk to ken Parker so I could tell him where to stick that cute spectacle he wears over his right eye.The word here is GLUE, guys, you have to use EXPENSIVE glue.Like an Epoxy or something like that, or the kind used to glue a car's mirror to the windshield.It's actually stronger than the materials it's bonding, and will not deteriorate.Did you read, Ken?
BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!!!

i'M REALLY PISSED OFF AT PARKER, BUT THE GUITAR PLAYED EXTREMELY WELL AT FIRST, oh yeah another thing, the curvature of the bridge does not match the fingerboard radius, that's the reason the g and d strings are allways lower than the rest, and if you set the action fairly low, those 2 strings will fret out at some spots.If you own a parker and don't believe me, take out your ruler from "national" brand sold at sears and check the action.Yep, another cahcah.

I think this is a '98-'99 model Deluxe with Vibrato. Grey satin finish. I love it.Bought it from a friend.Really cheap, as it has a minor ding in the upper part.But it is so little, is not noticeable.Same specs as all Parkers. It played nicely when I got it out of the padded gig bag(very nice indeed) even though it was tuned to D.Set it up to E again and it plays sweet.Also included a stereo cable to run piezo and magnetic pick ups separately.Nice accesory.I think this guitar is the future.No weight at all(I'm a weight freak!!)Only 5 pounds.I may sound kinda drastic, but I sacrifice "tone" for playabilty and thisone, along with my Ibanez S470, are the most versatile, weightless guitars around. I have not tested Abel Aluminuim axes yet..Got to :).

the piezo is awesome. Parker has the most real "acoustic" sounding piezos out there.I've ran it through a carvin Legacy, a Marshall 2X12 combo and my own Zoom9150 processor and everywhere I'll get the same crystal clear sound out if it. The magnetic DiMarzio direct mount custom pick ups are a little thinner. It may sound like a Strat with a blue lace sensor on it, but you can get a lot of crunch, depending on your effects and set up. The mix between the piezo and the magnetic pick ups is outstanding..It fattens up the piezo, as it gets a little too crispy for my ear. But it is ok. For this price(I know list prices are way expensive than the one I got)it is a killer axe.

Action was perfect. I brought the tuning back to E from D and it went just smooth.Although, I had to take my time to set the vibrato(which I am using as a Non-vibrato now) and the action up to your personal taste.But once done, it plays sweet. The carbon composite fretboard and the stainless steel frets make this guitar a very easy one to play. No hand wear or sore hands at all.I love this Grey/Satin finish. It gives this guitar a "space-age" look that I definitively love. Craftsmaship is flawless.Sperzel locking tuners a pus.Every detail has been covered.No paint drops, no fret misplacement. everything came just right to fit what I was expecting.Excellent.

I've been told that the only part that needs extra care is the headstock, as this guitars are made of wood and a carbon/epoxyl composite that goes through the guitar.But I think that all parts are just endless.I see myself playing with this guitar in some 30 years or so.It came with straplocks, so I never saw the original starp buttons.I surely play the gig without back up, having this sweetie at my side.Totally dependable and adorable axe.

Great. I contacted them for the plate used as tremolo springs and they ship them at no cost, once you have talked to the guys at parker. Ken knows how to really attend customers.Also, I know that Ken is running the company again.A plus.Really excellent customer support.

Perfect. No complaints at all. I own an Ibanez S470, an Ibanez 7 String, two Jems and this beauty.I love this one.Really really good...
So, there is nothing else I might say.

To all guitarists out there, I can recommend something: Get out there and BUY A PARKER!!!!