Parker Guitars Fly Deluxe with Vibrato

This is a 1999 Parker Fly Deluxe made in the USA
with 24 Frets and a solid top. Most know the controls
master Volume Volume and Tone with Volume and Tone for
the Piezo Pickups. Two Humbuckers by DiMarzio and Active
Electronics. Body is Poplar and the neck is Basswood and
for a body style I really think its like a Strat and the
Bridge is Aluminum. It has Locking Sperzel precision tuning
machines. The neck I would say is a very fast easy playing
no other guitar that I have ever owned has a neck like the Parker.
Came with a hard shell case.

I play 50' & 60's music Carl Perkins, Rickey Nelson
Beatles and Paul Revere and the Raiders. My Amp is a
Vox AC30HH Head thru a Egnater Tourmaster-212X. The
guitar and amp is not noisy at all and very bright
sounding when the pickup switch is in the single coil
setting. With the humbucker the sound become full and
I like to combine the Piezo and humbuckers. I just like
every thing about this guitar one of the best that I ever
played.

This guitar was used when I got it and the setup
was great. Chris' Guitars did a great job and there
was one little flaw on the back of the neck and he
showed me and you could not even see it. The action was
low and it didn't buzz that's how I like it.

This is my only guitar and it could withstand
playing live. The hardware will last for ever
just as long as I take care of it. I don't see
the finish wearing off at all and both strap
buttons are solid. Since this is my only guitar
I can depend on it. I see no problem on a gig
without a backup guitar.

Never had to deal with Parker Guitar if I have a problem I
just go the the Parker Guitar Forum. There I can get my questions
answered.

I've been playing since 1986 but before that I took 20 years
off. I had one when they first came out then I sold it looking
back I should have kept it. If it were stolen I would try to
get another if I couldn't the the only other guitar that I would
get would be a G&L Asat Classic or Special. The thing that I love most
is that its very easy to play. To get this guitar I sold my Gretsch
and my G&L Asat Classic. The color is Majik Blue which is my favorite
color. People should give these guitars a try it less the 5lbs.
Nothing plays like a Parker

Standard features you can read in oother reviews. The guitar is looaded with goodies.

Sound of guitar -- rich and rather versatile. Doesn't really do acoustic.

Came in great shape.

Okay, kids, here's the rub. I had this guitar for about a year and played it every day and took great care of it. It never was gigged, dropped scratched etc. Several months ago I started noticing that the switches sometimes wouldn't engage. You'd go to change the pickup configuration and there would be no sound. Further investigation revealed more problems -- rust around and in the piezos and rust on parts of the tuning pegs. All this on a guitar that never left a climate controlled room! I ended up selling it back to the shop where I bought it for much less -- about a quarter of what I paid. Beware!

The website is minimal compared with the better companies. Parker is part of a conglomerate now, and no longer the company it once was. Even trying to register the guitar in the first place was a joke.

It seemed like a great guitar, but the reliability issue trumps everything else. I feel cheated. I would never buy from Parker. I've had a lot of guitars -- Gibsons, Fenders, Martins, Taylors and some cheapies that turned out okay -- Cort, Garrison, Seagull. Parker turned out to be crap.

I just bought mine from ebay. Brand new guitar from an ex employee before they (Parker) was bought out. One thing that was holding me back previously was that I couldn't find one in a hard case, they all came in a gig bag - I'm just not that gratious, Ida killed it by accident. This one has a case so I couldn't walk away.

I gave this a 9 because they could have provided 2 more knobs providing for a vol/tone for each pickup. Wiring the tones so they 1/2 tap the pickups and the vol's to blend both (switch in the middle position). This is how my current guitar is so once the newness wears off I'll probably be adding this feature.

I played one (used) in a music center and was blown away by it's clarity. I found quickly by messing with extreme settings that with the neck pickup, set the tone to off and then mix in the piezo and adjust its tone - all to flavor. Basically the piezo brightened the warm somewhat muffled sound of the pickup. The resulting sound is just thick and RICH. The brightness of this guitar cuts through and greatly complements the band and what we're playing.

I'm confident I can recreate any sound out there with this one guitar.

I was surprised that the intination was almost perfect out of the box. I'm still experiencing it's range of sounds without messing with pickup heights and neck adjustments (just yet). As far as playability, I received this on a Thursday, practiced our list of songs and actually played that Sunday - it was such a comfortable transition.

Since I don't slam my guitars to the stage I don't anticipate having any problems with this. I think studies have concluded that slamming.......just kidding

I don't know...will they teach me how to play??.

I've been playing for over 30 years (and still know nothin). I grew up playng hard rock from the sixties and seventies. I especially love the new stuff (stuff like "NickelBack" etc).

I bought mine used on ebay. I believe it's a 98. I had a friend with one three or four years ago, and I fell in love with it then. He sold his (he was a great guitarist with really strong hands, and he wanted a guitar that gave him more resistance than the plays-like-butter Parker). I wish I'd bought his, but I was playing bass full-time then, so I couldn't really justify it. Anyway, a few months after I took a guitar gig, I bought this one. I got it primarily for the features (weight, piezo/mag blend, locking tuners, playability, etc.), and I don't know whether I'll ever be able to go back to any other brand as my main electric. I never play my '69 tele anymore!

Sometimes I really like the sound; sometimes I don't. The stock Dimarzios are definitely the weak link in an otherwise brilliant instrument. At times they're very strat-like (surprising, given that they're non-coil-tapped humbuckers!), but they really lack in the "beef" department--they just sound thin and brittle much of the time. I've bought a pair of SD trembuckers, but I haven't had them installed yet--I think it's going to require extensive re-routing, given that the stock pu's are extra-thin, and mount in an unusual way (they were custom made for Parker). A place in Vegas (Ed Roman Guitars) does a Seymour Duncan upgrade on the Fly for $250, and I've thought about sending it to them, but I don't want to be without it for the several weeks I'd have to wait.

Here's where the Parker really shines. The guitar is beautifully set up, and is certainly the easiest guitar to play in the world. I can't imagine a more comfortable guitar to gig with--it weighs next to nothing, it has a really ergonomic shape (when you're standing--not so much when you're seated), and it practically plays itself. Plus, it looks cool--every gig, somebody comes up and asks me what it is.

This is the main reason I'm writing this review. Even though I love the Fly more than any other guitar I've ever owned (and I've been playing since 1966, so I've owned a lot of guitars!), it's extremely tempermental and fragile. It seems to be a trade-off for the technology. Maybe the new ones are more durable.

I've had problems with the high e getting stuck under the edge of the second fret or the edge of the neck pickup. I've had problems with the tremelo slowly "riding" up, so that the guitar keeps drifting flat (this was fixed by taking the back plate off and readjusting the relationship between the tremelo resistance control and the metal plate thing). Still, I've learned not to let anyone else play it; I always get it back messed up.

Also, I started problems with the nut, which was cut really deep. The high e and b strings had no sustain, as though the nut was choking them off. Also, I had trouble with intonation on the a string--I adjusted the bridge but this didn't help. So I poured super glue into all the nut slots, and it fixed all the problems. I don't know whether this was a factory problem, or whether the nut had either been worn down (which seems unlikely, if it's made of graphite) or modified by the previous owner.

Also, it pops a lot of strings, especially the high e, which doesn't pop--it unwinds from the end ball! Something about the design of the bridge must put a lot of stress on the ball. At least I can hear it coming--the string will keep drifting flat for three or four songs. Then I know it's about to go.

But here's the worst thing: last night, in the middle of a solo, I felt something snap, like I'd busted a string, but all the strings were fine. Then I noticed it sounded out of tune, but only when I played first position chords--anything up the neck sounded fine. It took me a few minutes to realize that my third fret had fallen off! We had to take a break while I super glued it back on! I love the carbon-glass fretboard and the stainless steel frets, but you'd think they'd find a way to attach them more securely! Now, I'm going to have to start carrying super glue in my gig bag, and bring my tele as a backup to every gig, just in case!

When I bought my guitar, it was missing the trem arm and the 9-gague trem plate, so I called Parker to order these things. They never came. When I checked, I learned that they'd been bought by a larger music company--Washburn or something. Apparently, my accessories order had come right as they were moving their operations around, and it had fallen through the cracks. I re-ordered and got the stuff fine.

Despite all my griping, I wouldn't trade this guitar for anything, except maybe a newer Parker. You could offer me a '57 Strat for it, and I'd trade you, but only so I could sell the Strat and buy a couple of new Parkers. Sure, the guitar is tempermental, but I think of it like working with a tempermental, ego-heavy diva. You have to go out of your way to take care of her, but it all pays off when you hit the stage.

Has all the goodies as mentioned in other places, majik blue finish etc. Basically a sound machine that gets jazzy, bluesy, country, pop, folk and even classical styles done right -- depending on who's playing it and what they are playing it through. This is a great guitar.

I play, blues, jazz, standards, some rock. I play through a Fender Twin, a JC 120 and several smaller amps -- a Roland Cube 30, a Roland Micro Cube and a Fender Amp Can. The guitar gets a wide variety of sounds depending on the settings one uses -- Rich and full, bright and nasty.

Perfect set-up, absolutely no flaws.

Seems quite durable despite its light weight -- 5 pounds. Very durable finish. I carry an extra battery and extra strings -- just in case, but no back-up.

Nice enough website, but no real experience with Parker

In the past, I have owned two Takamines, two Seagulls, three Taylors, one Gibson, one Aria, one Tacoma -- all solid acoustics that played very well. Electric guitars I have owned include a Godin, three Gibson Les Pauls, one Gibson Lucille, One Gibson ES 345, One Fender Clapton Strat, One American Strat, One Mex made Tele, a Gibson Nighthawk, a Line 6 Variax and a National Reso-Lectric. All had their merits and then some. Simply put, however, this Parker Deluxe beats them all and is the only one I currently own.

Year: 1996
I guess it's easy to read about the specs in any other review.

It fits my style, which goes from blues, to jazz, to jazz-rock to pop.
Amps: Mesa Boogie IIC (for the distorted part) and a custom made transistor amp w. 19" Altec Lansing speaker (for the clean vibes.
Effects (in order after the instrument): MXR compressor, DX-100 whammy bar Digitech, Ibanez Tube Screamer s10 (treated), Boss digital delay DD6)

The guitar has always been in great shape.

I don't gig intensively. Because it's so light it doesn't damage easily.

What I want to talk about is my search for a better sound. Although not many users mention the thinness of the original Parker humbucker sound, it is a topic here and there on the web. I've always found it embarrising for Dimarzio who claimed they developed a special humbucker for Parker guitars. Turns out they just used Air Norton or the Tone Zone (existing humbuckers, originally designed for use in mahogany bodies or other heavy tonewoods) and made them fit in the shallow Parker bodies. Of course these pick ups were not well adapted to the subtle vibrations of the poplar Parker body. And guess what: they even started to offer replacements for their own 'specially designed' Parker humbuckers! Specially designed my a....!
I bought the replacement pick ups P1 & P2. They were much louder, but to my surprise they didn't cut through the bigger sound you might have with your band in a somewhat larger venue.
The only other choice you have then is to send your Parker to Ed Roman in the U.S.A. which was out of the question for me. I went on a forum at Seymour Duncan's and posted my questions. Turns out they do rewinds for you to any specification, so I sent the original Dimarzios to the States and had them rewound to the same specs as the ones in the new (2003/2004) Fly Mojo. These are TB-4 (bridge) and SH-2n (neck). This was a risk, as the new Mojo has a mahogany body. But now they're built in!
At first I was shocked because the humbuckers sound as a continuation of the piezos sound, only darker at the bridge and darkest at the neck. This would leave me with a very vibrant rythm guitar but I want to produce fat licks also...But, while playing with my band I noticed the Seymour Duncans don't boost a certain frequency (as the replacement Dimarzios did almost to the level of distortion) but let through ALL the different harmonics and vibrations the Parker (and I) produce. This total sound is an excellent source for both my pedals and my amplifiers . The end result is stunning: less hurting on the ears, endless definition, sustain and excellent audibility. Haven't tried a big venue yet, but I'm confident this Seymour Duncan approach of 'less leading to more' is an enormous approvement for this already great guitar. Only wish Ken Parker had known this before....

I have a Deluxe, with the typical dual humbucker + piezo configuration, master volume, pickup vol, pickup tone, and stacked Piezo vol/tone controls. 3 way selector switch for neck/single coil neck+bridge/bridge. Body is poplar, can't remember what the neck is made from. The body style is totally unique, and always makes the guitar stand out in a crowd. Not to mention that the guitar is, what, seven pounds??!!! Sweet. The locking tuners work great, the guitar always stays in tune, and I mean always! The piezo is kind of cool, but I can't think of too many situations where that would be preferable over a real acoustic guitar (kind of cheesy sounding). I gave this guitar a 7 because I felt like the guitar should have had many more tone options for such an expensive guitar (more pickup combinations, maybe more than one tone control). Also, the master vol control sometime gets in the way of playing (without realizing it, its really easy to bump that guy and turn your vol down signifigantly on stage). I'd also like to see an option for straplocks on this guitar (convential straplocks can't be installed on this guitar because the body is too thin)

I know a lot of people were raving about this guitar's sound, but I'd like to politely disagree with all of you. First of all, the DiMarzio's sound really bright, which some people might think is a good thing, but I'd like a guitar that has a balanced, even tone. With the tone rolled back a bit, the guitar sounds muddy, and with it up, it sounds way to trebly/ thin. It's very tough to get an un-obtrusive sound unless you want to play like Yngvie. I've heard some people mention a pickup upgrade that helps the sound... feel free to email me at Bluelightband@aol.com if you've made that upgrade. I'd really like to hear more about it. Anyway, this guitar has its good days and bad days... wierd? Some times it will sound great, some times extremely crappy. I think it has alot to do with keeping the batteries fresh (but I don't want to have to change batteries after playing for a couple hours!) And also amps, but I use a Mesa Mark 4 combo, which is in my opinion, one of the best combos ever made (maybe besides a Matchless). I'm a jazz guitarist, and with a little time and patience, I can dial in an appropriate sound, but with a lot of help from the amps onboard eq. I bought this guitar because I wanted to be able to play jazz and rock, and it covers the rock category ok.

Holy mother of God! I've never, ever played another guitar that plays so well with action THAT low. This is a shredders dream guitar. I bought the guitar used, so I don't know if the previous owner tweaked anything, but, man! Clean and even neck, smooth as a babies butt. This guitar is a joy to play (not so much of a joy to hear, tho) Extremely quiet, too. Nice job, Parker.

Little story... last year, took a nap at school with this guitar leaning up against my bed (in the padded gigbag). When I woke up, I found the guitar still lying against my bed, but broken in HALF! Yes, that's right, the neck literally seperated from the body. Apparently, my roomate jumped on it or stepped on it, but never 'fessed up to anything. (He dropped out of school, but if I ever see him again, I'd give him a VERY hard time about it) At any rate... I got the guitar glued back together for $300. The funny thing is, minus needing a new paint job (despearately) the guitar now plays (almost) like new. So I don't know what to think... the fact that this guitar can be broken in half, and still play is somewhat a testament to the fact that this is a well crafted guitar... but the fact that it broke in the first place? (I don't know how it broke - it could've been thrown out of a third story window for all I know). Besides that, the guitar is very dependable! I would definately play it on a gig with out a backup, and I frequently do.

I bought it used, no warranty, so when it broke, I just brought it in to Guitar Works in Evanston (You guys are miracle workers!) Never dealt with the company, but I may try to contact them about the pickup upgrade.

I've been for 13 years. I own a Mesa Boogie Mark 4 12" combo amp, and I sometimes run the Parker thru an Art SGX2000, if I want to play eighties hair metal. If this guitar were stolen or lost (or broken again) I'd probably get something else, something with more tonal possibilities. The piezos are kinda cool to experiment with, but the sound is pretty weak. If you are planning to purchase this guitar, just play through it first... you may find the sound to be appealing (it certainly is distinctive). But it is an aquired taste.

My God. The features on this guitar are unreal. Just look on the other reviews for a full synopsis.

What's ridiculous is, I haven't even bought the guitar. I went into Long and McQuade, saw this guitar, and fell in love. I stole the 'sound room' for an hour and a half. The sound is beautiful. The weight of the guitar does not matter here, folks. This guitar has the most versatile sound, especially with that Piezo pickup system.

The guitar looks beautiful, in my opinion. It's very futuristic. The action was perfect, setup etc. The reason why I fell in love with this guitar was because of its neck. There's NO HEEL....AT ALL. Amazing. It looks like it's one piece! This guitar is also EXTREMELY light. About 3.5 - 5 lbs. Very comfortable.

Not going to give a rating, because I haven't bought it....yet....
So far so good though.

Haven't dealt with them.

I have been playiing for about three years. I play every type of music, and I have to say that Parker wins in this aspect. It's extremely versatile. Ken Parker should be praised for making his guitars for the future...and not stuck in the past. As he says, "I believe that these are the most advanced on the planet." They are! You have to try one out if you haven't. Every single guitar company should strive to better their products using new technology. Parker has done so with flying colours. I can't wait to get one.

I won't repeat on subjects already reviewed by others. One fault about the guitar, in my opinion, is the control system. It is not very user friendly. I'd rather have a five way switch instead of the 3 way, as with other guitars with 2 buckers that allow you to get other useful combinations of the coils taps. On the other hand, I have to say that there is no other guitar in the world with such a friendly neck, weight and comfort fit. It becomes a part of your body, allowing complete freedom of expression. This has come to be a very important feature for me. This makes it a 10!!!
The same goes for the vibrato, which is the best I know so for, not only in terms of tuning stability, but also in feel, it's great.
The finish quality is outstanding.

The piezo sound is ok, nothing spectacular really. It does the trick in a band context, but not to play alone of course.
The electric sounds are good, but for me the best part is the natural acoustic resonance of this body. I'd like to have less dramatic pickups instead of these ones. And a better switching system.

My god, this is the best guitar in this matter, a world apart from standard/normal guitars. No possible comparisons.

It withstands anything. Mine has fallen to the floor and it was still in tune, nothing happened to her. Excelent build quality. Dont'worry about the frets, they will live forever!!

The fit in your body, the playing position, the neck feel and profile, the frets, the vibrato, the no-weight and the middle switch position (stratish) make this guitar worth having for itself. Don't think about it. Buy one. If I could have a Supreme model with Duncans, a five way switch and a more friendly control system, I'd buy my house to get it. It would be heaven on earth.
The battery slot is clever, but the contacts are cheesy: Ken, check this, I have to resolder the contacts every time I change the battery!!!!

I think it's a 2000, and it's a deluxe, and they all have the same specs on # of frets, controls, etc., so I'll skip that. Very very versatile guitar (but can't get any gritty low-end sounds).

I play mostly blues and jazz, but also progressive rock, pop and classical (went to school for guitar, so had to learn pretty varying styles). Very clean and precise sounding, very versatile. All I have to say is, just go play one...

Amazing. Again, just go play one...

Feels skimpy because of the lightweight, but I've had this thing for a while and have played HARD on it - never a problem. It really is solidly built. The weight is misleading.

Never had to deal with them, fortunately.

Just go play one...trust me.

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!!!!

Built in 1995. Added Dimarzios P1 and P2 pickups about 9 months ago. Features listed on previous postings

My band plays mostly blues and rock, from Buffet to Metallica. And SRV to Stevie Wonder. Like I said, I bought the guitar with the origional pickups. After playing about a year with these, I heard about the new pickups from Dimarzio. I thought, what the hell, I'm gonna get me some. Instalation was kind of a bitch but once I was done I was very impressed. I had a much beefier sound than before. I liked the sound of the old pickups but the other guitar player in our band has a strat and I wanted my humbuckers to sound a little more like humbuckers. I especially like the middle position now, Very responsive and bluesy. It is a very clean "neutral" sound. I play through a Marshall TSL 100 watt 2x12 combo amp. This is a very nice set up for me. I am not one of those sound obsessed type of guys. I know guitar players that will spend an hour looking for the right sound for one damn song. I don't get it. Like B.B. King said when asked why he plays a Gibson and not a Strat, "I am going to sound like B.B. no matter what guitar I play through, I only chose this guitar because it was comfortable for me to play. I would still sound like B.B. if I was playing through a Fender." Anyway, The reason I bring that up is because My Parker sounds like a Parker and I like it. Its kind of an in between sound between a Strat and a LP. Great sustain and intonation. And I am only talking about the Magnetic pickups here. The Piezos are very nice indeed. I play through a 30 watt Crate that I mic through the PA. I am thinking about getting a bigger acoustic amp though, I need a little more bass. But is does the job for now. The Piezos through the Marshall sound like crap compared to a real acoustic amp. I am overall very happy with the sound.

My favorite part of the Guitar. The smoothness of the frets is unsurpassed. I can play for 5 hours straight without getting sore fingers. The finish is flawless. And after 2 years of playing, there is still not a scratch on it. Although I do take really good care of my stuff. The action is super low. This would be a great guitar for you "shred" guys.

I have had no problems with this thing in 2 years.

don't know. Their new web site looks promising though.

I really love this thing. I can't imagine finding a guitar that I like better. This was my second guitar, (les paul studio was the first) and I played a lot of guitars before buying this one. I fell in love with it the first time I played it. In fact, my next guitar will also be a Parker, hopefully some sort of limited edition model. After 2 years of playing it, I like it even more. I can't really think of anything I don't like about it. The only thing I had to get used to was the positon of the master volume. I was used to strumming a LP and I had to adjust my strum position a little bit but after a couple of weeks I was cured. Now that I am used to the position, I really like it. Its very convenient to change volumes quickly. I almost forgot to mention the weight of this thing. No more sore back after only an hour playing. This thing conforms to my body and its like an extention of me.

According to my serial #, my Deluxe was built on 10/20 of '97, although I bought it new almost 2 years later to the day. Just like any other Deluxe: Made in USA, 24 frets, basswood neck, poplar body, one set of volume and tone controls, master volume, concentric volume/tone control for piezos, 3-way pickup selector switch, 3-way magnetic/piezo/both switch. 2 DiMarzio humbuckers - I don't know the models. Color is emerald green - really beautiful. Has a blueness to it when the light hits it right. Gotta love those locking Sperzel tuners. One of the best necks you'll EVER play, I don't care how much money you spend. Guitar came with a very groovy gig bag, stereo cable (beefier than the ones that come with the NiteFly). etc.

This guitar sounds amazing in any musical situation. If someone tells you they don't like the tones this guitar gets, they either have crap equipment or don't know what they're doing. I have other expensive guitars and this is the most alive & vibrant guitar I've ever played. The intonation is perfect, the fretboard is just alive with harmonics everywhere. You like clean tones - use the middle position - it's beautiful. Then mix in the piezos and prepare to have a religious experience. You like metal in the morning - use the bridge pickup and put all breakables in the next room. As for the neck pickup - I don't know, I was never much into humbucker neck pickups. They're just not my bag baby. Maybe I love the sounds of this thing so much because I like the equipment I play it through. I pass the magnetic pickups into an ART SGX2000 (yummy) and then stereo into 2 Carvin AG100D amps (yummy). The piezos go directly into one of the Carvin amps. God this setup sounds good. The variety of tones you can get with this setup is limitless, although that might have a lot to do with the SGX. I can't fault this guitar on sound. You can go from Robert Cray to Steve Vai with the flip of a switch. The piezos are the best I've played. I even saw a REAL bluesman use one of these for REAL acoustic blues. If you closed your eyes you couldn't even tell he didn't have some beat up old pawnshop acoustic guitar.

The guitar is set up nicely but I do get a string buzz now and then, mostly on the low E. It would probably be easy to fix this but I think it adds a little personality. Makes the piezos sound more real anyway... ;-) The fit and finish on Parker guitars is second to none. Not much more I can say about that. The only flaw I can think of is a very small wrinkle in the paint that you can only see if you know where it is and look for it. As for the action, the Deluxe's neck is the most heavenly neck I've ever played. It's a bit thinner than the NiteFly's. Very flat fingerboard. The best frets ever. Fast, low action. One of the few guitars that actually makes you feel like a better player than you really are.

I can't imagine this guitar breaking. It's beautifully put together. The hardware is all top-line. The paint especially seems very tough. Not thin and easy to scratch. Very thick and glossy. The strap buttons are good quality. I have two minor beefs with this guitar and one has to do with the strap buttons. I don't like where they placed the front button. The other beef is that the upper horn jabs me in the chest every once in a while when playing in the seated position. All in all, I'd gladly put up with those two things for all the good that this guitar delivers.

I haven't dealt with the company.

I've been playing for too many years to not be any better than I am. :-) I would definitely buy another Deluxe (or Classic) if this guitar died a fiery death. I love just about everything about it - with the exceptions of the front strap button and upper horn. I love the body design though, so would never change the shape of that horn. My favorite feature would have to be the neck. It's incredible. The only thing I wish they'd offer on this guitar is a 13-pin MIDI system. And don't tell me about the MIDI-Fly - that's bullshit. They need to do it right and charge a realistic price.
The only things I'd like to add are: 1) The tremolo's awesome. 2) This is the lightest guitar you will ever pickup! 3) If you pay full price you're paying too much. As much as I love this guitar, I wouldn't pay more than about $1500 for it.

24 Frets, dual humbuckers AND piezo that can be used separately or in unison, sprezo tuners that ALWAYS keep it in tune - you can whammy so far that it doesn't play and bring it back up to a perfect 440 - 3 way selector, stainless steel frets, i think it's a rosewood thin neck that feels great. It also comes with a really plush Levy gig bag. This guitar is a features guitar, between the piezo's, great tuners and the fact that it weigh's less than 5 lbs. and look like it's about 1 inch thick. It also came with a stereo cable so that you can plug into two amps at once, one for the humbuckers and one for the piezo's. It really isn't missing anything in this department, but i'm a bit hasty to give out a 10 for anything. It COULD perhaps have a maple top finish like a PRS or what have you. Also, it takes a 9V battery to power the piezo internal mixer and (at lesat to me) it's a pain to have to replace.

This is where I feel my Parker falls short, but let me specify. I play rhythm guitar in my band and the reason I bought it is because it can get a really mean distortion but be very distinct and professional sounding, like perhaps leaning towards the tone of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. However, I haven't been able to get much other than that out of it. I just bought a PRS that can make my crap amp sound great and the Parker just hurts my ears through it. Overall, my Parker reminds me of a Strat in the sense that it can easily be too trebly and harsh to your years. Basically too thin. But as I said, I just bought a PRS that I use for 99 percent of the stuff that I play. But anytime there's a solo piece that is heavily distorted or a part of a song that is acoustic (since you can tap into it at the flick of a switch) I reach for my Parker so i DO get SOME use out of it. So in conclusion, if you can afford to have two guitars, I'd recommend one with a full tone and solid rep (such as a PRS or Les Paul) and this is a great guitar to complement that, but be careful if this is your only axe.

a Ten, period. The action was so low that after playing this (my first guitar) for 10 straight hours after I bought it I woke up the next day and my fingers felt fine and no calouses were even beginning to form. Everything works great, and in terms of this category I understand that Parker has a good Rep. Ken Parker really does care about his customers and intruments and takes special care and pride in each guitar he ships out, and I've never seen a Parker anything but perfect condition.

Once again, a bit of a drawback for this guitar. It has never stopped working on me altogether, but I have had instances were brand new 9-volt batteries don't work to power the guitar and either no signal or a distorted, dead signal comes out. Also, it seems to be very erratic in terms of when it wants to sound good and bad. I know that some blame would fall on my horrible amp, but as i said earlier my PRS makes it sound good all the time. I used to use this at gigs without a backup, but I wouldn't recommend that. of course, I would never recommend not having a backup for anything, but we must be reasonable and economical. Another thing about this is that it chips very easily, as i have 3 in various places around the edge of my body. This was a result of the guitar falling 3 times in a row, due to the no fault of the guitar. i was very tired and in the middle of a song in front of our largest audience ever and the strap gave, and when i tried, in a nervous panic, 2 more times in the middle of the song to put it back on and play it lasted about 2 seconds each time. I ended up finishing the song on my back and taking some money off the resale value.

I have heard stories of Ken Parker visiting a customer in person to help him with thie guitar, which I think is great. but I've never dealt with them personally.

i've been playing about 3 years and own a Digitech 2120, a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 stereo power amp, a Marshall 1960A cab, a PRS Custom 22 (my baby) and a crate 60 watt peice of @#$% that i referred to once or twice earlier. i just bought the mesa/boogie and marshall cab. If this guitar was stolen I'd only replace it if I had a lot of money to throw around. the features and action are great, but the sound and reliabilty just make it too much of a hassle for me. however, if you're a lead guitar player maybe you'd like it. It is a neat guitar and just may be a premiere guitar in about a decade once they get the sound a little thicker. If you have any questions at all I'd be more than happy to answer, even if you think it's stupid. Believe me, I've asked millions of dumb questions to people about gear and no matter how dumb I sounded (and thinking back to some of them I DID!) i was never made fun of and learned alot. i promise you'll at least learn alot :) just kidding - please e'mail any questions.

Mine is a white '95 model - the Sperzel tuners are terrific. The neck is comfortable and very playable. DiMarzio pickups really do the trick.

Fantastic - the DiMarzio pickups were a good choice. I only use the Fly in a home studio with no amp - but the sound quality is great with no noticable noise.

The action is great and the finish is deep.
I play sitting down and the fin does get uncomfortable after a while.

To me, everything about the Fly says quality.

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Having played one only once before, I was sold - except for the few reviews I had read that said the high E slips off the neck as well as it breaks E's easily, and that it doesn't stay in tune after a dive bomb with the vibrato bar. Having played this now for about 40 hours - the E problem is not there - although the dive bombs do send it out of tune. However, that is the only problem I have had with it. It stays in tune perfectly with moderate use of the vib bar. I also use a Godin LG, but the weight alone of the Fly makes me grab it first.

ANOTHER UPDATE FOR REVIEW OF PARKER FLY DELUXE!!! Man, I keep screwing up!!! I received an e-mail from someone stating that the Parker Fly pickups are NOT wired out of phase (when switch is in the middle position). To my ears they sound out of phase because of the large volume drop and rubbery tone however 'they are wired in the standard parallel configuration. What you (and many others) describe as "out of phase" is actually just phase cancellation that occurs naturally because of the close proximity of the two inside coils. This is exactly the same thing that occurs on a Strat. Strat pickups are not wired "out of phase". It is the short distance between the pickups that causes the cancellation of certain frequencies (primarily mid range). The fact is that any two guitar pickups brought into close proximity will produce frequency cancellation. The resulting tone depends on the type of pickups, how close or far apart they are, and where along the length of the strings they're positioned.' There you go!!! I hope this clears up any misconceptions I may have caused by my review!!! Hopefully this is the end of any serious mistakes!!! Anyway, get yourself a Parker as soon as you can! Yes, the middle position does sound out of phase even though it isn't (technically).