Parker Guitars Fly Deluxe

Typical Fly Deluxe setup, gig bag included, Italian Plum (purple) finish. If you want to know about the features, find a Parker dealer and tyr one out... words don't do it justice.

I play Contemporary Christian in praise band at church and play classic rock and country for fun at home... Parker is the most versatile axe I've found. Three basic food groups, ES335 in the front bucker, Gibson les Paul in the bridge bucker and Fender Strat in the middle position with both buckers split, with careful EQ-ing you can get a Tele, the Piezos can achieve just about any acoustic sound you want if you've got a box that's versatile enough to color the sound.

The super fast neck combined with the graphite fret board and hardened stainless steel frets is the smoothest I've ever encountered. Playing is effortless. Am looking for solution to pick marks on body.

Seems like a workhorse so far... I traded everything but a cheap Les Paul copy to get this so I'm basically without a backup.

Never had to deal with them yet, but am going to run the pick mark problem by them see what they recommend.

I've been playing for over 20 years, nothing in public except for band at church so I consider myself a hobbyist. Have owned lots of guitars including a vintage Gretsch, but this totally redefined my idea of "guitar" when I picked it up. If it gets lost or stolen, you bet I'd take the insurance check and buy another one. Some day I'd love to have a flame top Classic but I'll never own anything but a Parker.

I got my Fly some time ago. It (from now she) was made in USA, in 1996. Italian plum (purple) perfect finish, 24 frets, one-piece Poplar body, Sperzel locking tuning machines, two DiMarzio , Fishman active-piezo bridge pickup, two 3-way switches, separate Volume and Tone controls, Body style? PARKER FLY STYLE!!! gig bag, manual, allen tools and special Y stereo cable included, is the best lady ever! want something else? She is as perfect as Lara Croft.

I play kind of pop-electronic-weird-something-rock kind of music, so she is the perfect match to my stratocaster. I'm using her with a digitech sgs-2112 and rocktron velocity 120 stereo power amp. No noise on any setting. She has a rich bright sound, so, if you are looking for a dark sound or you want your guitar behind your music, look for another guitar...
What kind of sounds can the guitar make? hard question... almost any sound can get out of this beauty, even a pretty decent strat sound... but here is where i disagree with everybody: Why buying a guitar to get "other guitar" sounds? If you want a Les Paul sound, buy a les Paul, If you want a strat sound, then BUY a stratocaster!!!! If you want a Parker Fly sound, then BUY A PARKER. She sounds just like a parker guitar! just a great sound. I'm in love yet!

she is most comfortable electric guitar I've ever played. Perfect action! She came perfectly adjusted from the factory, (the manual even says the brand and gauge of the strings used). I've read a lot about poor finish quality, but mine is just perfect

She (as all ladies) looks fragile, but she is not! she has this "ultra-thin exoskeleton" (can't remember where i read this!) , of course, smashing her against your amp or stage is not recommended. She seems to be made to last forever, of course, I've not had her forever yet, so, can't say... very dependable, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go to ANY gig without ANY backup (and I mean ANY: guitars, fx, rack, amp, roadie, etc!!!). you never know what could happen there.

I've never had to deal with them... little experience so far...

I've been playin for over 10 years now, and she is the best guitar i've ever played and had! If she were stolen, I probably could kill myself, because I can't afford another one, and she has become a critical part of my sound.... sound, that's the word that perfectly describes her: GREAT SOUND... She is a must have guitar, but as I always say: test first... She is not a guitar for everyone: if she has the sound, action, finish, look, feeling you're looking for, then buy one, if not, look for another guitar

See other reviews for major features of this guitar. I bought my guitar with the Hiscox Liteflite case which is a super-tough and lightweight case. My Fly is a mettalic-white finish which looks silver if you turn it in the light. Very beautiful finish!!! Combined with the black hardware and fretboard, this guitar looks great on stage. My particular Fly came with the vibrato, though I think that they sell a hard-tail version. The stereo/mono switch on the bottom is a nice touch. This is something that my Nitefly didn't have.

The pickups sound great on this guitar. The Dimarzio pickups seem mainly tailored to rock, but I think that jazz and blues sounds are possible if you tweak the amp controls. The bridge position sings for days. Lots of sustain. The body of this guitar is super-resonant. The neck pickup is fat and chunky. The middle pickup position is semi-strat-like for that "in-between" sound. The acoustic sound is decent, though it won't fool anyone. The acoustic sound makes this a very versatile guitar. You can combine the acoustic and electric sounds for some very full and innovative sounds. You'll be playing with this guitar for days. The sound is very inspiring and I found myself coming up with all sorts of new music right off the bat.

I special ordered this guitar because the store didn't have the color that I wanted. When it arrived from the factory, I immediately took delivery of it, and took it home. I was just so hypnotized by the beauty of this guitar, that I didn't pick it up and check it out in the store. When I got it home, I quicky realized that something was wrong. The paint on the back of the neck behind the second and third frets had not been buffed from the factory!! There was this horrible rough spot that went all the way around the back of the neck, and was about an inch thick! I began to play the guitar, thinking that I could live with this flaw. It didn't take long to realize that this wasn't the only flaw. As I began to play, I realized that all my notes were fretting out on the D and G strings above the 12th fret, but below the 18th fret. Close inspection revealed that the fret was not completely seated. Ugh! The only thing positive I can say is that the action and set-up from the factory was good and the action was very smooth.

Two days after buying this guitar, the Piezo pre-amp completely quit working. No problem, probably just a dead battery. WRONG! The piezo was dead. Nothing, notta, no dice. It died. I was furious. I have it back from the factory now, and it seems to be working ok, but honestly I don't trust it and wouldn't take it to a gig without taking my Godin LGX as a back... Well, maybe I'll take the Fly as a backup to the Godin LGX.

After the Piezo pre-amp blew out, I contacted Korg USA. They gave me a work order number and told me to ship it back to Parker. They told me that they would expidite the repair since I had just bought the guitar. Therefore, I boxed the guitar up and spent $100 sending it via FedEX overnight delivery. Then, I waited... and waited... and waited.... About three weeks later, I called Parker to see what was going on. They said that they would look into it and call me back. The next day, I got a phone call from KEN PARKER! No Joke! I talked to Ken for about 25 minutes. He's a great guy. He said that he would fix the guitar right up and get it right out to me. YEAH! Well.... I waited... and waited... and waited... Nothing ever showed up. I called Korg USA two weeks later, and they said that it didn't show to be completed. Right about now I'm about to lose my temper! I asked them to send me a new guitar. (This is ridiculous. You buy a new guitar for $1700, the thing is a lemon, and they take several weeks to fix it.) They said that they'd call the factory and see what was going on. I called the factory, too, and they said that they'd look into it and call me back. The next day I got a phone call from Parker that said that the guitar was shipped out yesterday. A few days later it actually arrived. The Piezo worked, the neck had been refinished, the guitar had a good set-up on it, and the notes didn't fret out at the 18th fret... much. It doesn't look like they replaced the fret. It looks like they just adjusted the set-up or something. The D and G strings still seem to be hitting something. When you pluck a note on any of the other strings, it sustains for days. Notes above the 12th fret on the D and G strings only sustain for a second or two. Not that big of a deal... but it's not right, and other Parker Flys don't seem to have this problem. I can live with it. Still, I'm highly reluctant to send it back because I doubt I'll see it again... for a long time. What this boils down to is, I bought a new guitar, it was a lemon, I sent it back for repair, they fixed two problems and only partially repaired the third problem. This is on a BRAND NEW $1700 GUITAR!

This guitar is a lot of fun to play and sounds good. Aside from the problems that I have, I really like it. If it was stolen or lost, I would definitely replace it. If you're looking at this guitar, check out the Godin LGX or LGXT, also. It's a cheaper guitar, has more features, and is a hell of a lot more realiable. I know because I own an LGX, also. The Fly is a very innovative guitar in it's design. It's pretty comfortable to play once you get used to how to hold it so the upper horn doesn't jab you in the sternum. My favorite feature of this guitar is the action, and the smoothness of the tremelo. I also like the piezo pickup. The switching and controls on this guitar are a little odd and the magnetic pickp selector is poorly placed. You tend to turn the tone knob when you go to switch pickups. Overall, if you're looking for an innovative guitar that sounds good, plays great, and has lots of features, this may be the guitar for you. I think I'd buy it again, even though I had a lot of problems with it. That's saying a LOT!

Made in the USA, 24 frets (!) non-tremolo version, with all the kickass features all the other submissions describe.... Basswood neck and poplar body, carbon-fiber-and-glass-composite fretboard, and mine is a gorgeous steely metallic dark gray... more controls than you could imagine, reigning over a pair if Dimarzio buckers and fishman piezo bridge guys.... sperzel locking tuners are the only things on this guitar that AREN'T custom-designed for the Fly. Came with a deluxe furry-interiored gigbag, but my salesman forgot the cable and wrenches and other nifty shit that's supposed to be included. Still have to harass him about that.
The only thing i truly wish for is a seven-string version. I'm going to ask Parker about that.

good GOD this thing is unbelievable! I run this thing thru a couple distortions, chorus, and delay for the most part... all pedal effects, i haven't found a digital multiboard that i like enough yet.... She's really bright and the piezo sounds are crisp and shimmery, although if you want a dark sound just hit the neck humbucker and roll down the tone, round fat city!!! My style is all original darkwave/industrial/ethereal, we've got a female singer who has a very round, full voice, and this is the only guitar i've owned that really complements her well enough, and the last gig we played had the opening band saying "what the hell kind of guitar IS that anyway, man?" after a song which i played thru just the piezos. Sounded just like the acoustic I recorded the studio version with. Cool. It's NOT a guitar for everybody, i doubt my dad would like it, for example, cause he's a gibson freak. The scale and fretboard are designed for flying, a little wider and flatter, with a superthin neck shape reminiscent of jackson and ibanez shred-o-matics. But this guitar is so much more....
I like the sounds that you can get from the guitar, but it's more suited to high HIGH gain settings, just because it's so damn CRISP and CLEAR, where a Les Paul (sorry Gibson) is just too muddy for me.
It does, however, lack something in the way of naturality... high tech guitar of the future, yes, but it doesn't just fall into your hand like an ancient strat does. That's just the wider fretboard at work, or maybe my smaller hands need to adjust a bit. But all kidding aside, I play better now that every note I fret is consistent and clear! I love the neck, myself, but it might take some players a bit of getting used to...

I haven't had to tune it since I bought it a month ago. that's insane. Couple of very minr edge dings from handling, could've been the factory or the store, but i didn't care. I got a big discount on it, i wasn't complaining.

it seems fragile, but i take very good care of my baby. my singer was moving it once and dropped it, i'll admit i picked it up and ran outside screaming and checking for any flaws in the sunlight... it was okay, no harm done, but i DO worry that its finish may get dinged easily. I use it for gigging, without a backup, however i do make sure that it never leaves my sight. and when it's at home, it's either put away until I play, or i rest it in the comfort of the passenger seat that i have in my room, from an old VW bug. the old vinyl is nice and soft and doesn't scratch the finish.

never have dealt with them and i can't remember how long the warranty is. But i've heard ken parker is the MAN.

I've been playing for only 7 years but i've played it all. Kramer Focus something-or-other, Jackson PS4, Ibanez Iceman, Gibson Les Paul, Epiphone Flying V, Dean ML, Peavey, BC Rich Warlock, Yamaha, an old Silvertone, Aria Pro flying v, the list goes on..... But this guitar is so very different from anything i've ever picked up! it's nice to have a unique voice in the musical world, i'm just trying to find a good amp to finish shaping my sound. I'm no big-shot-rock-star, but i'm not trying to stay in the realm of "oh, that guy". This guitar is a very fluid vehicle for the sounds i like to hear and make, whether I'm just sitting at home playing some old Rush or Purple, or i'm with my band creating hauntingly dark reverb-drenched harmonies or chunky rhythms. I'd buy another provided I had the cash, no doubt, and i'm going to BEG somebody out there in parker land to make a seven-string. Thanks Ken for building this beauty.

Read the other submissions. I would like to add that the vibrato is the coolest I've ever used (and it does NOT go out of tune). You can adjust the tension with a wheel that goes through the guitar to get either a loose or very tight feel. There's also a stop in the back of the guitar which can be engaged to keep the vibrato from pulling back into the body. So essentially you could release the block, set the tension very loose and have a Floyd Rose type vibrato, or go to the opposite end of the spectrum--block it and tighten it all the way. With this setup the bar won't work and now you have a non-vibrato guitar. This is great for double stops.

It is a little bright but that's what amp controls are for. I wish I could get a Strat neck position sound out of it. Also the volume does change dramatically from position 3 to 2 on the selector. But when you consider all the different tones you can get by combining the piezos, these problems are offset.

The action is perfect. I wish there was more balance between the pickup levels. As mentioned in other submissions, the paint is fragile and will chip if you even look at it funny. I personally don't care, but that's why I always get white guitars- you can never see the blems and scratches. Because the poplar body is so soft, it is very easy to pit and dent this guitar.

God, I love this guitar, but it's been pissing me off lately. Let me mention I own 2 of these. Within a year, the nut fell off one of them. About the same time, the first fret on one guitar and the first and second frets on the second guitar began to peel up on the high E string side. The E string would get stuck underneath, and my notes would fret out at those locations. These frets are glued on, and I don't know if I have some evil acid sweat or something, but it happened on both guitars. I talked to Ken Parker and he said he'd never encountered these problems before. He was very courteous and is currently fixing the first axe (for free!). I think they need some stronger glue. Also, it's about impossible to install straplocks on these guitars, as the top strap button goes in from BEHIND the guitar, and the screw is so short there's no room for straplocks.

You know that strap button problem I was talking about? Well one night that button fell out and the guitar droppped to the floor. Believe me, these guys are fragile, and a whole chunk came out. I sent it back to get fixed. It was taking them a long time, so I called to get an update. They were having trouble fixing the guitar SO THEY SENT ME A BRAND NEW ONE! Incredible.

Even though I've had some major problems, I'd buy it again. In fact I did. One night at a gig, a PA cabinet fell on my Parker, snapping it in two. When I got the insurance money, I went right out and got another Fly. Let's just get some stronger fret glue, Ken.

This is a 1994 non-trem model. It is a copper orange color, very unique. I like it very much. The individual that owned this before me has told me that this is a one of a kind; the factory did it as a one off to test a new color. This guitar has a Basswood neck, poplar body and has the Parker composite carbon fiber.
Controls are as follows: (Electric Magnetic) Volume, pickup selector switch, tone (Piezo): Volume, tone Overall Volume and electric/combo electric & piezo/piezo selector switch.
(H/H) Humbuckers by Dimarzio.
Fixed Bridge, stainless steel frets, Sperzel locking tuners, Graphite nut, fishman tranducer piezo pickup in bridge.
Came with manuals, stereo Y-cord and Levy's gig bag

I play all original rock in a female-led band and do studio work and side projects often. My equipment list will be in the Overall section below.
The piezo is better sounding than my Ovation Elite that this guitar replaced. Very happy with this sound for live work or for specific studio applications. No feedback at any level on the Piezos.
This guitar is bright sounding as compared to my PRS's on the electric side. The Dimarzio's are OEM specific for this guitar and once I adjusted amp settings, very workable tones were there. It will not replace any of my other guitars, ie. PRS, for electric sounds, but it has its own vibe and sound. Cuts through live very well. It excells at high gain applications, but if you roll off the volume a bit, it sounds good with a clean amplified tone.

Aquired from previous owner, so factory setup unknown. Very easy to setup! Neck truss rod is easy to access, no plate to loosen. Bridge height ala three holes in back. Had tools from previous owner, done with set up in under 10 minutes including intonation.
Previous owner has small chip on neck and someone did a very poor job of installing a shim under nut. Sloppy glue job that I will correct in due time. Does not seem to affect playability or tuning stability.
Action is great, frets are like brand new. This thing will not go out of tune. For a live guitar it is ideal. Very light, like 5 lbs.. This does not seem important at first, but I am used to lugging PRS's all night. Neck profile is very thin, took some getting used to, but highly playable.
Controls all have a rubber exterior, I could not stand them. Everytime I would do a big strum, I ended up turning the volume down on accident. Replaced with black chrome knobs, looks better and works far better.

Although feather light, it is tough as hell. Knocked around for a few months now as I write this, held up nicely. Finish shows no where, but does seem inclined to chip if instrument is dropped. Solution - don't drop it. Strap buttons work fine, I depend on this guitar for 99% of my live work now. I always take my PRS CE-22 as a backup.

Called Korg to order new nut, very helpful once you get through their voice mail maze.

I have been playing for 14 years. My gear/influences are as follows: Guitar Related Stuff
Guitars: 1991 PRS Custom 24, 1995 PRS Custom 22, 1997 PRS CE-22, 1997 Tom Anderson Drop Top, 1995 Peterson Custom Shop Signature, 1982 Guild S-25, 1994 Parker Fly Deluxe, 1996 Taylor 810S.
Amps: Rivera Rake 55 (with NOS Mullard 12AX7/ECC83 in preamp and Svetlana EL-34's in power amp), Rivera Knucklehead (GE NOS 12AX7 in preamp and Svetlana EL-34's in power amp)
Speaker Cabs: Rivera Rake 2x12 (Celestion G12T-85 wired in series 16 ohms), Rivera Q-Cab 2x12 (EVM-12L's wired in series 16 ohm), 1980's Carvin 4x12 (reloaded and rewired with Celestion Vintage 30's wired in series 16 ohms), Peterson Custom Shop 2x12 with Naylor Special Design 50's (wired in series 16 ohms).
Effects: Fulltone Clyde Wah, Fulltone Deja Vibe, Fulltone Supa Trem, Ayan Signal Conditioner. (All mounted on a custom Fulltone pedal board powered by Fulltone Black Box Jr. power supply and travels in a Custom Fulltone Road Case)
Misc: Mesa Boogie V-Twin Pedal, Furman PL-8 Plus, Tascam 424mkII, Pro Co 10 gauge 2ft speaker cable with Switchcraft plugs, D'Addario 10's (Phosphor Bronze 13's on Acoustics), D'Andrea .73mm Delrex Formula Picks (the Yellow ones), Boss AD-5 Acoustic Preamp, Monster Cable Rock Cords, Spectraflex Fatso Flex Guitar Cords. PA Stuff: Mackie 1604VLZ, Mackie FR-1400i Power Amp, Fender Artist 115-ELC Speakers, EV Monitors, SKB Rack Cases.
Music Related Stuff
Band Name: Marilyn Mack Group
Favorite Music: Guitar rock/pop/funk/jazz.
Favorite Musicians: Brian May, Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson, Tim Pierce, Seal, BB King, Edward Van Halen, Wes Montgomery, James Brown, Miles Davis, etc.
Favorite Music to Play: Guitar rock/pop/funk/jazz.

The Fly is a great live instrument and I have had use of it in recording situations as a piezo sound. If something happens to this guitar, I would have to replace it because it is so useful to me live.
I love the fact that it is so light, the stainless steel frets are bullet proof, the sounds are all good to excellent, it plays well, stays in tune like nothing else, easy to set-up/maintain, travels well, and is dependable.
I hated the rubber control knobs, replaced them. When playing this instrument sitting down, the upper horn sticks me in the ribs. Standing up is very ergonomic though.
Overall this is a fine instrument that would have never appealed to me because it looks so goofy. In 1993 or 1994 I went to a clinic by Reeves Gabriels (of Bowie fame) on the Parker Fly. I was impressed, but the cost and the look put me off. Once I had seriously played a few in some stores, because this trade became available, I was very impressed. I am very happy I did the trade now. It is hard to describe the sound of a PA putting out a clean Piezo guitar sound while I wah away with my Rivera and Fulltone Clyde. HUGE!
For live work, there is no better guitar.

Ill keep it simple since they are other entries before me. Guitar does it all, Metal, to jazz, to acousitc to strat sounds. Its a perfect 10.

God, its just too good. A little tip for you acoustic players, try acoustic strings, the heavier gauge and alloy wrap really makes the guitar come alive. I use flatwound 11's on this guitar and usually play jazz on it, its a very warm balanced sound. It can rock with the best of em.

It came set up well, the action was great. Two nibbles, one the finish while it may be strong isnt that durable, i bumped the back once very lightly and a small chuck came out of the finish, i quicly filled it with some putty and nail polished over it, youll never know it was there......Second, it came with a spur on the E string, i got this taken care of when i bought it, but it shouldnt have never left the factory with this on it.

I'd take it out without a backup, id just make sure i had a fresh battery in there on a regular basis. Sucks when that thing dies.

Never had to deal with them.

I love this guitar. For some strange reason the strings last me 3 times as long on this guitar then they do on my other instruments. Hey no complaints from me, the things plays great, feels great. It's the guiatr of the future.

The Parker Fly Is an extremely light an resonant guitar that combines polar(body),basswood(neck),and carbon fiber(neck and body). its innovative features include stainless steel frets and a combo magnetic (two Dimarzio humbuckers)and peizo(Fishman bridge mounted) pickup system for both acoustic and electric sounds.it sports sperzel locking tuners, carbon fiber fretboard, and stainless steel surface mounted frets.The body shape is very futuristic, ultra slim an sleek with a dash of Star Trek vibe. It came with a nice Levys gig bag and a nice stereo cable. I opted for a non-tremelo model with a Beautifull Majik Blue finish

I play professionaly in a wide variety of musical settings and the Fly seems to cover all the bases well. I use different rigs ranging from vintage fender amps and pedal effects to rack components such as harmonizers, jammans and Guitar synths. This is a bright sounding instrument with tremendous presence and volume (active cicuitry). At first I found it a little to bright and loud and I had never been a big fan of Dimarzio pickups, but after a while I was able to dial it in to my satisfaction. I use it in mono usually with a little peizo dialed in to add sheen to the Humbucking p.u. My only complaint here is that the middle position (both hummers split) is a little weak compared to the neck or bridge only positions.This guitar however can do a number of sound really well. I can go from a skinny funk tone to a raging lead tone to a smokey octave jazz tone to a jangly faux acoustic tone with just a few minor adjustments. It has a sonically rich pallete. I have had this instrument for almost 4 years and I play it constantly and guess what? it shows virtualy no fret wear. none, nada, zip. All hail stainless steel frets. Also , because the Fly is so lightwieght I can wear it for hours without shoulder fatigue ( a claim my late model American Strat Plus cannot make). Dislikes...very few other than the afor mentioned pickup gripe. Ok the finish has not held up as well as I would have hoped, it shows signs of pitting under the clear coat in the form little gray primer dots but this is a minor complaint. And I did'nt get a tremelo model because I did'nt like the rubbing sound it made when the peizos were engaged. But I've tried the new nightfly and its tremelo does'nt seem to have that problem.I wish it did the Strat thang a little better, but I may spring for the 3 single coil Nightfly. My Strat has been gathering dust as of late. And I am so sold on the Parker neck and fret concept that it looks like another one is in my future.

I already covered this but let me say again...Sainless Steel Frets Rule..Sure you will go through strings a little faster,perhaps, but that is a small price to pay. The guitar was set up well from the factory however I noticed a slight gap under the nut under the E and B strings that translateted sonically (a slight buzz that I first thought was a sloppy nut slot) I checked a number of other Parkers and found the same problem due,I beleive to the way the peghead face slops slightly under the afore mentioned strings. I remedied the problem with a little mixture of apoxy and graphite powder and re-seated the nut. I just wish I had'nt had to pay for it (the repair).The electronics are flawless,smooth,and powerfull; no complaints there. I mentioned the finish problem in the last segment however I must say that my use of acrylic finger nails and percussive tapping would give any finish a hard time.

Did I mention the Frets?? The finish despite my gripes has a very durable outer coat. the neck seems very stable despite the fact that I bend it for tremelo effects. The components seem very high quality. I gig alot and demand a great deal and my Fly delivers.

Parker is owned by Korg, but they do provide a customer support number in the manual, so running the corporate automated phone gauntlet is not such a taxing proposition. However, It would be nice to be able to speak to someone at the parker factory directy. I am a little concerned tha when it needs frets, I'll have to send it to the factory because the frets are glued on, much harder than traditional frets an cannot be milled in the normal way...But at the rate they are wearing, I'll probably be in a rst home before I need work on them.

I'll give it a 10, It is just an amazing instrument,and i want a second one. Some people (vintage snobs and Blues nazis in particular) don't seem to care for its futuristic look and feel,( i've heard some people complain about it being too light weight,jeez!) and because its active some find its brightness and power a little overwhelming,but I've grown to love these characteristics. This is a state of the art instrument that also happens to have a lot of soul.

Made in the USA (as are all Parkers) in 1996. The construction is a set neck solidbody, though it feels more like a neck through due to the very sculpted heel. The neck is made of basswood and reinforced with a thin layer of carbon fiber / glass composite that gives it strength. The body is poplar, a wood similar to ash and used on neck-through Jacksons and some Mexican Fenders. This combination makes for an extremely resonant guitar and very lightweight, weighing in at less than 5 pounds! My Fly is finished in a black metallic, which has little flecks of sparkle - a very beautiful finish.
The neck on this guitar is very similar to Ibanez's Wizard Neck, only skinnier! For those not familiar with the Wizard, it is very wide and flat, with a relatively flat fingerboard radius. There are 24 frets, made of stainless steel. Parker says that the frets won't need replacing, as they are so hard that wear is negligible. Additionally, the frets are glued onto the fingerboard vs. tapped into grooves. The fretwork, in my opinion is excellent. Due to the nature of the construction, upper fret access is practically unrestricted. There are no inlays on the fingerboard, although there are fairly large side markers. The scale length of the fingerboard is 25.5", similar to Fender and most Ibanezes, and an important factor in the tone of the guitar. The tuners, the only non-custom built parts for this guitar, are locking Sperzels. These make restringing easy and help in tuning stability.
The bridge, custom built for this guitar in conjunction with Fishman, is a tremelo type that pivots on two points. It is roughly similar to a Fender trem, in concept if not visually. The action is relatively light, though not as light as the Ibanez Edge. However, there is no way to adjust the action of the trem because there is only one spring. The spring is different from traditional strat trem springs in that it looks like a really wide "m" shape. The guitar comes supplied with springs for .009 and .010 gauge strings. There is a stopper on the back of the guitar that will let you have the bridge set up as floating or stopped to go down only. A plate covers the entire back of the guitar, which is annoying because it needs to be removed to change the stopping point. A better design would have been a clear back cover. A wheel on the bottom portion of the guitar adjusts the stopping point of the trem. Overall, it is difficult to make this guitar go out of tune with properly stretched strings.
The magnetic pickups are custom built for Parker by DiMarzio. The neck humbucker has a medium output and has a great "woman tone", for lack of a better description. The bridge humbucker is fairly hot and there is a noticable change in volume in switching pickups. The middle position of the three position switch gives you one coil of each pickup out of phase.
There is also a piezo pickup built into the bridge. As I mentioned previously, the piezo is made by Fishman and is similar to the Fishman Powerbridge. Output is matched with the magnetics via an active circuit for the piezos only. Battery life is not that great, and you have to remember to unplug your guitar to conserve battery life. The location of the jack forces you to unplug if you set this guitar down without a stand. Battery access is pretty convenient, as Parker has made a compartment with screws that you can use a dime to unscrew.
Now for the controls. There are four knobs. The first is a master volume. Next are magnetic volume and tone controls. The last control is a stacked piezo volume and tone. There are two three way toggles - the magnetic that I mentioned above and a magnetic/both/piezo switch. There is also a button next to the output jack which allows you to switch between stereo and mono mode. Stereo will split the mags and piezos if you use a stereo cord, mono will combine them for mono cords. The one problem with this setup is that since the mag/piezo toggle is at the bottom of the guitar, you can't qui

I play a WIDE range of music, from new metal to swing to blues to acid jazz, funk, country, rockabilly, punk, ska and alternative pop.
This guitar is really versatile. The 25.5" scale covers a lot of sonic ground and is much more versatile than a 24 3/4" or 25" scale, IMHO.
I currently play it through my Marshall JCM2000, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and Pro Jr., and my ADA MP-1 rack, and it sounds excellent through all of them, although it really shines for high gain playing. The guitar can get pretty heavy without losing definition, which is something I like. I've been able to cop pretty convincing Satch and Dimebag tones. I would really like a coil splitter to get single coil sounds too, but I suppose I can have mine modified. For a dual humbucker guitar I can get just about every sound I need.
I plug the piezos into either my band's P.A. or my Peavey Keyboard amp and it sounds great! It sounds at least as good as an Ovation or Takamine with piezos. We play pop alternative stuff, and the added shimmer of an acoustic sound is an integral part of our sound.
Great sounds, but a coil splitter would've been nice. Hence a 9 for sound.

Overall construction is on a par with PRS and Anderson. Nuff said!

I've had it for two years and have used it extensively without problems. It's solid and dependable, despite it's light weight. I gig without a backup.

Haven't contacted Parker and I forget what the warranty is.

I've been playing for close to 17 years and have gone through over 15 guitars. I've owned a '72 Fender Strat, Korean Strat, SRV Strat, Chandler parts Strat, '72 Custom Tele, '60 Tele Reissue, Teisco, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, Paul Reed Smith Custom, Ernie Ball EVH, San Dimas Charvel, San Dimas Jackson, Ibanez RG550, Ibanez S540LTD, and Jay Turser.
My favorite things about the Fly Deluxe are numerous. First is the fast neck. Second is the incredibly light weight. Third is the piezos. I could NOT survive without this guitar. If it were stolen I'd buy a new one IMMEDIATELY.
If I add a coil splitter, this will be the ULTIMATE guitar. Even depsite this (and it is a matter of preference), this is the best guitar I have ever played in my life.

A very cool concept-composite reinforced for sustain, lightness, locking tuners, straight string pull, humbuckers, coil splitting, piezoelectric bridge. I bought it to be the one guitar I needed for a gig accompanying a musical with all kinds of music.

A disappointment, I'm afraid. It's very flexible, lots of sounds, cool piezoelectric that amplifies as well as many AE hollowbodies BUT the humbuckers have an annoying thin, high overtone. Part of the problem is that they come with DiMarzios with ceramic magnets. I sent the pickups to Seymour Duncan for rewinding ($150 including shipping for the 2), and it improved the sound a lot, but it's still not as full as a Les Paul. It's not bad, I just think it's tough to get a full sound out of less than an inch of wood. If you play metal/all distorted/processed music, you love it, it gives great signal for that. It's just straight thru the tubes it has problems.

Flawless, perfect, bullet proof. The guitar I'd most like to have to defend myself when the gunfire breaks out. The action is the smoothest I have ever played-better than Fender, Gibson, PRS, Jackson, whatever. The frets are very smooth, so vibrato is easy and bends are quiet.

Never had a problem, can't imagine how you could. (Oh yeah, check the battery!).

No idea, never needed them.

Except for the sound, it's perfect. I'm not sure what can be done about that.