Parker Guitars Fly Deluxe with Vibrato

1995 Parker Fly Deluxe with Vibrato in Purple made in the USA. My guitar is a standard Parker configuration model with P/H/H pickup configuration, poplar body with Parker's ultra thin composite cover. The guitar is incredibly well balanced to hold either standing or sitting and amazingly light, about 5 pounds. It has locking Sperzel tuners which even with the Vibrato do the best job of any guitar I have owned (about 15 now) at keeping in tune. Parker doesn't have any inlay work or fancy frills just incredible tone and versatility of sound. The piezeo's give incredible acoustic sounds and the humbuckers give an incredible fat tone when you want to get a bit heavier. The cable connector supports a stereo cable so that you can sepeate the humbuckers on one channel and the piezeo on the other channel... makes a great stereo sound... like two totally different guitars playing together.
The only problem I have had with the guitar is that I wanted to get a MIDI/Hex pickup. Since the guitar isn't a strat or les paul the aftermarket for it is non-existant. You can't buy after market hex pickups or options. The second related issue is that it is such a technically tight guitar and so beautiful in overall design and package even if I could have found and after market hex pickup for it I can't imaging how you could put another whole in it or that you would want to replace what was there. If you have to change the pickups, vibrato/tremolo, and mess with every other aspect of your guitar this may not be the instrument for you.

Incredibly diverse. The piezeo gives beautiful acoustic sounds. Even without a amplifier hooked to it you can here how acoustic this is.. The humbuckers have incredible rich fat full tone. I use it mainly in a very clean jazz or acoustic sound. I mainly use the piezeo and/or the humbucker closer to the neck for the tone I like. But when I need it I can get a great classic rock sound from it. The vibrato is easily adjustable and although it isn't my style you can get enough play up or down with it to do nice diver bumper type effects with it while still poping in tune.

Nice low action. Neck is wide enough that you can use a pick or play fingerstyle, which is how I play most of the time. The guitar was emaculate when I bought it. The finish flawless. You can't buy a fly with lots of inlays and fancy frills... it is built to play. It appears from the players perspective very simple, but in reality there is a great deal of technology in this guitar. The beauty is the technology is hidden from the musician and is there to serve you but never get in your way or distract you.

I have had my fly for two years. I haven't had any trouble with it. I love it so much, I have a second on order. It is very light but it seems to be very solidly built. I have banged it around a bit and the composite finish that gives the body its rigidiy appears extremely strong. The frets are made of steel and although my guitar gets played alot, there is almost no sign that they are wearing.

I have never called or needed support. As a matter of fact I wish I could figure out how to contact them, I can't seem to find the telephone number to call them... not for support but because I would like to see if could custom order by dream guitar... another fly with a hex pickup.

I could have bought almost any guitar when I bought the fly, I wasn't worried about price and I live near NYC so I have access to every brand and model you can think of. I initially bought it because I was traveling by air alot and wanted something small and light I could carry around with me. Initially I was thinking Steinberger (until I found out how much they weigh). However, after I bought the fly I started to find it was all I wanted to play... I stopped playing my other electic guitars (some very good ones) and weirder yet I found I didn't play my acoustics much any more either. Now I am a Parker fanatic. When I was trying to get a MIDI/VG-8 setup going I started looking around for another guitar to put a hex pickup in... I looked at Brian Moore MC1 guitars, Steinberger, top of the line Fender Strat's, Les Paul's, PRS, Tom Anderson, you name it. But the feel and playability of the Fly couldn't be beat and it can hold its own with the sound of any of these. The only reason that I don't give it a 10, is that the Fly Deluxe is not cheap (although it is competitive in price with the ones I just named) and many people probably will not feel comfortable spending that much. However, trust me, if you love your guitar and plan to have it for a while... it is worth paying a little bit more for a great guitar. This is a great guitar. From a collectors perspective, only time will tell if it will hold it value and become the next PRS.