Parker Guitars Fly Deluxe

Had mine since 1998, so its one of the older models. 2 humbuckers, pizo pickup, with the weel that adjusts the spring tension. stainless steel frets,graphite fretbord.

The funny thing about these guitars was that you would go into a shop and find the demo model was always totally F*****,because no on knows how to use it, (so bear that in mind when reading other reviews). In its hay day this guitar was an innovation, it has had its improvements, but over the years parker has "dummbed down" the parker fly deluxe (IMO), restricting the features (and tonal posibilities) cos people didnt bother to get to know the guitar before complaining about it. As you can proabbly gather i much prefer the older models which have more controal over the sound options. No guitar can do everything, but with a little time and patience the parker can make a pretty good shot at most sounds you could immagine/want, I expect thats why I have often seen session musicions useing them.

Firstly, the parker is not like other guitars, you cant max every thing out and expect to get a good sound. The guitar is inherantly bright so backing off the tone in the least is a good idea. Second parker has been the victum of a (sucessfull) money making campain by a certain person, trying to convince every one that it sounds thin/whatever so he can replace ur prikups at great cost. You only need to look at advertizing to know how sugestable people are. If you actually bother to take the time to compare guitars, yes (my older 98) parker is a little thin (and i really mean a little) on the bottom end compared to some others like a LP, but its not an LP, and an LP cant do straty sounds and dosnt have a pizo pickup, so go figure. As an active gigging guitarist, I can tell you that the Parker is not the weak link, Ive seen other bands playing LP's that sounded thin and crappy compared to the sound I get off my rig (with the same guitar), diagnosis crap amp/effects. The other thing is just how much bottm end do you want? when you are sitting at home it may seem to be lacking, but in a band situation, too much low end will piss allover the frequencies of your bassest, and the sound guy will end up cutting it like it or not.

After getting to know the guitar, you can produce pretty much any thing you want from warm jazzy/bluesy to bright stratty like, it may never quite nail it but it will do a dam good job. The Pickups are quite hot, more than ample for any shreadding, and harmonics (pinch/tap) fly out with ease even on the neck pickup.

I give it an 8 because thats how i would rate its ability to get some of the classic tones.

It arived 10 years ago, perfect, absolutly perfect. best intonation i have ever seen on any guitar.

I have been playing for many many years, and gig regularly. My guitars dont get much love, care or attention, most cant hack it....

I owned A fender strat (american). It lasted 7 years before it rattled itslef to peices (liturally, eventually all the screws rattled loose, till the thing rattled like a tin can), and the frets wore down at an increadible rate.

I owned a gibson LP, the neck snapped twice before i got sick of it.

My ibanez are chipped to hell and rusting, but still in working order.

as you can see i really dont take care of my guitars. Yet my parker, with the exception of 3 chips in the paint, is pretty much the same as the day i bought it. I have dropped the guitar 2 times (from chest Height, dam beer) on both occasions landing on hard tarmac,that is where the chips come from, but they are tiny. Also I have travled round the world with it, in the hold only in its soft case. I also left it behind for a year, I returned to find it perfictly in tune, unlke every other guitar in my colleciton, which unsuprizingly has thinned substantially. I have never needed or used a backup, because noting ever goes wrong with it, it is the only guitar that has never let me down, just keep a spare 9v battery.

If you actually bother to contact them then they are very helpfull, i asked them for a wireing diagram, 5 mins later it was in my in box, with a whole load of other usefull info. I also spoke to them extensivly about pickups, they where helpfull and honest.

Through a gruling process of elemination this has become my main axe. At the moment I use a mesa boogie F-50 into an orange 4x12 cab, and I'm pretty happy with it. If versitility is your thing then this is hard to beat, if you want an LP then get an LP, and so on. As a reformed shred-aholic, this guitar is amizin for it, I have not come across a guitar that plays as well as a parker fly, more sustain? not sure if thats possible. If i were to fault it, it would be the sound as it dosnt seem to have a chractor of its own, so if ur lookin for something specific then there will be someing that does it better than the parker.

A lot of thought went into the physical design of these guitars

Sound isn't great on either the acoustic or electric side. Having both in one instrument makes up for that.

Action, intonation, finish are all top level.

Reliability got left off the design board in my opinion. If you want to really enjoy this guitar, get out a micrometer, slide rule and some calipers. I own two Parkers the Deluxe that I'm reviewing now and a Nitefly neither of them have all functions working, I would never show up to a session or gig with a single Parker as my only guitar.
I own 8 guitars, two Parkers, a Gibson LP, an Ibanez and some other stuff. Of the 8 only two aren't working to their full capacity. The two Parkers.

I've never gotten anywhere with Parker customer support. I get things like... "Oh that's the older one.." etc.

I've been playing for over 30 years in clubs, churches, recording sessions and I also teach. If my Parkers were stolen and the culprit found I would ask that the judge sentence the theif to play nothing but the two Parkers he stole for life.

A lot of thought went into the physical design of these guitars

Sound isn't great on either the acoustic or electric side. Having both in one instrument makes up for that.

Action, intonation, finish are all top level.

Reliability got left off the design board in my opinion. If you want to really enjoy this guitar, get out a micrometer, slide rule and some calipers. I own two Parkers the Deluxe that I'm reviewing now and a Nitefly neither of them have all functions working, I would never show up to a session or gig with a single Parker as my only guitar.
I own 8 guitars, two Parkers, a Gibson LP, an Ibanez and some other stuff. Of the 8 only two aren't working to their full capacity. The two Parkers.

I've never gotten anywhere with Parker customer support. I get things like... "Oh that's the older one.." etc.

I've been playing for over 30 years in clubs, churches, recording sessions and I also teach. If my Parkers were stolen and the culprit found I would ask that the judge sentence the theif to play nothing but the two Parkers he stole for life.

I purchased a 2007 Mint Burst Parker Fly Deluxe from a Canadian store/seller on EBay. I am sad to say the post-USMC (2004) Parker's are nothing like their 1990's versions. If you've ever picked up a 90's Parker, the first thing you fall in love with is the glass-like neck. You can be severely out of practice & still sound like a riff monster since the necks are so smooth & lively. The 2007 version is dry and lifeless, like a Japanese Fender knockoff. This is the place USMC decided to save the most money & that's just a shame.

I've never heard a Parker I didn't agree with, at least the non-bolt on neck variety. This one is no different. The Dimarzio's are awesome. They can't go very deep, but the mids are great & it screams on solo's. I play in the Michael Schenker style, and the vibrato is great.

I'll try to paraphrase here, but the guitar came with a factory defect, and it took over a month to resolve. The guitar got past Parker's QA department with a bridge that was somehow installed off-center. The bridge (inset in the body) was installed right against the bass side, so when you pressed the whammy bar it wouldn't retract because of rubbing up against the wall of the bridge hole. This led to a bubble appearing on the finish before it was sent back to the seller. The set-up was horrible, very high action. Needed an $80 set-up with my guitar tech.

I'm on the fence about the finish. My old 1995 Black Deluxe had a hard, beautiful glossy finish. The Mint Burst has no gloss whatsoever, and doesn't appear very sturdy. I would have hated to bang it into something. Some rough spots in the paint as well. Everything else seemed O.K.

Good lord. Again, I'll paraphrase, but I spent a month with an EBay seller trying to avoid me about the return, and every time I emailed the USMC customer support guy to keep him in the loop, I would have to write him back and explain everything from the beginning. He'd completely forget the scenario and never once offered to investigate any further into the seller's credibility. It's not like you can go to Guitar Center and buy a Parker anymore (they quit selling them years ago), so you're forced to go online. The intital USMC support person I contacted tried to get out of any liability because 'The seller is in Canada', rather than help out. These guys were the worst, not proactive at all.

I waited 2 years for a Mint Burst Deluxe to show up on EBay. The Canadian seller (I'll let you figure out who he is, the only store with a bunch of Parker's) initially asked me to insure the guitar for $50 on the return, so in his words, "Wouldn't have to pay customs fees, possibly in the hundreds". If he had known his own business, he would have known there are no customs fees on returns. Still he avoided me and FedEx for over a month while the guitar sat in customs collecting dust. Only when EBay threatened to revoke his selling rights did my money magically arrive in my PayPal account without an explanation. Be careful out there, folks... About me: I've been playing 35 years, have an ES-335 with a Hughes-Kettner tube amp (the best!) & think Parker's (pre-2004 at least) are the coolest guitars ever made. The necks are magic and you can do anything with them. I am back to shopping for another Deluxe. I'd rate pre-3004 models as 10's and the new one's 5's since they're like cheaper knock-offs, even though they cost almost double!

Update to my review below. USMC sent me a replacement! It is so much better than my old one!

This one is better sounding than my old '05 model. Much better EQ.

See below

This is a lot more reliable than my old '05 model ['05 was a problem year for Parkers. There were lots of returns and complaints.]

THANK YOU USMC!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You did the right thing by sending me a new Deluxe! And to Buckleys Music. I will be doing all my business for new equipment with you. If you are in Halifax N.S, Canada, go to Buckleys Music!

I am 13 and have been playing for 10 years. I love this Parker and I will never be without a Fly. EVER.

This guitar is killer! The Features are sick and cannot be found in any other production guitar. I mean c'mon,Neck through body with no heel,Sperzel Locking Tuners,Carbon Fibre Fretboard,custom DiMarzio Humbuckers [Based on the Tone Zone and Air Norton] and a piezo pickup,all weighing in at just under 5 pounds? Kudos to Ken Parker for creating such a SICK guitar!

The sound can vary depending on your ampilfier[s] and style[s] of music. I play it through a Peavey ValveKing 112 and a Yamaha DG60 [Soon to be traded on another ValveKing 112] and it is AWESOME! The tone is punchy and clear with lots of defination and clarity. The piezo pickup is very trebly sounding on its own and it sounds best blended with the mag pickups. I play Shred Metal [think Yngwie,Jason Becker,Steve Vai,Shawn Lane,Eric Johnson,Dave Martone,etc]and some Classic/Prog rock and a bit of fusion. This guitar fits it all PERFECTLY! I love it! Perfect 10 here but....[to be con't]

It came set up decently from the factory with a smooth as butter action and brand new Ddarrio 009s! Just how I like it! Anyway,it was pretty much perfect right out of the box but...

OK! RANT ON! This is where I get mad! I cannot belive Ken Parker would make such a great guitar but cut so many corners [BTW,Mine is actually made by USMC,Not by Ken]Number one,The switches! This is a very common problem among Fly Owners but,c'mon Parker? Do something about it. Becuase of the cheap switches,my Fly was in and out of the shop about 8 times because they first took forever to send it and then they sent the wrong one! I am still waiting for a second switch and a 10 spring,both of which were due to arrive months ago! Anyway,to add to this,my Piezo system had dead crystals! Again,in and out of the shop getting them fixed. Not impressed here USMC! Wake up and build the darn guitars right! Anyway,props to Murray and the gang at Buckleys Music! YOU GUYS ROCK! If it weren't for them,my Parker would be in some warehouse or in UPS somewhere. Anyway,Buyer Beware!

OK! Continued on! Parker was bought by USMC [US Music Corp] in 2003. They proceeded to "refine" the Fly,which they did and some things were for the better but,c'mon guys! You're turning into 70s era Fender [CBS]. No love for the guitars,just money it seems. If you cared more,you'd replace the dang switches[And maybe not do so many import "Flys"! As i've said,Props to Buckleys Music in Halifax NS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

I am 13 years old and have been playing for 10 years. I own several other guitars including:3 Late 80s Yamaha RGXs,a 1985 Tokai V,a custom built Yngwie style strat and I plan to purchase a Fender Eric Johnson Strat in the next year. I would defanitly buy one again,but only becuase the neck,pickups and the weight kick axe!

I have a "refined" 2005 in ice burst. Everything on mine is stock and that's the way I like it. I use the acoustic pickup often on stage and I love not having to switch guitars all the time. Being able to split the pickups also gives me a ton of versatility.

I play classic and new rock and pop and this axe can do it all. I play it through a '67 Fender Super Reverb. I can make the room rumble on the neck pickup and shatter glass with the bridge pickup. The acoustic piezo sounds almost like a real acoustic guitar. Honestly, you can make this guitar sound any way you want it to.

I don't know how it came from the factory becasue the place where I bought it set it up as soon as they got it into the store. I've found absolutely nothing wrong with it.

This is this guitar's weak point. My volume dial on the electric side keeps shorting out on me. It's just a dirty or corroded pot, but it's a pain. I also owned an original generation Fly and the truss rod broke on it. So, reliability wise, I'm not impressed

Parker stood behind their product in both cases, but it took forever, and as I said, the volume pot keeps shorting out on me, even after the repair. I took over 2 months to get the truss rod fixed. From what I understand, you don't have to send their guitars all the way back to them any more for warrenty repairs, but don't quote me on that.

I've been playing for over 40 years, and this is the finest guitar I've ever owned. Nothing looks like a Parker, but more importantly, nothing plays like one. The neck is phenominal. It can be set up incredibly low without any buzz at all. Being carbon, it stays in tune no matter what. What I really like is how light and thin it is. It really saves my back when I'm on stage for 4 hours at a time. My biggest complaint with my first Fly was constantly hitting the master volume dial with my pinky while strumming. By eliminating that dial entirely the new generation Flys are so much easier to play. There are about a half dozen new features on the new generation Flys that are perfect fixes for the old problems. A lot of players don't know how to get the most of these guitars, so they slam them. They also compare the sound of them to Strats and LPs. Why would you do that? This is a unique guitar with unique sounds. It has its own sound and was never meant to mimic a Strat, LP, or anything else. Accept it for what it is. Don't get me wrong, I own about 15 guitars, and 4 of them are Strats, and I love them, but this guitar is something else. To put it simply, this is the guitar I pick up first and play the most.

My Parker is a very early Deluxe - one of the first in Boston in the 90's. I've never tracked down it's actual year. Sperzel locking tuners, graphite/balsa composite. This is the first version of the Deluxe before Parker started making bodies in different woods. It was so revolutionary to me back then, that I had to have one just because it blew me away that a guitar like this existed. I've submitted a review for it a long time ago, but thought I would write an update as I have some new insights after having left it unplayed for about a year and come back to it.

I stopped playing the Parker when a friend of mine lent me her 1972 Fender Mustang Competition while I was in an experimental rock project. I fell in love with that guitar for awhile and used my Parker mostly as a backup. I've rediscovered the sound of my Parker over the last 4 months after shifting to some blues/jazz.

If you know anything about this guitar, you know it is incredibly versatile. The piezo is really the bomb in terms of getting different sounds. And the ability to mix the pickups in either stereo or mono (and send the stereo outs to different setups) also leads you down total possibility road. It doesn't truly sound exactly like an acoustic, and it will never play like one. You can't get that string noise kind of acoustic sound going. But it does come close, and I have used it for recording "acoustic" sounds for years with excellent results.

There is much said here and elsewhere about the Deluxe's tone being "tinny." Originally, I agreed with this opinion, but I have found over the years, that tweaking your setup can make a world of difference. I run mine through a Digitech RP-20 Valve and a series of pedals (one of which being a Menatone Red Snapper) ending in either my Marshall Valvestate or a Fender Princeton Chorus and it is fairly easy to get some beef going. On every gig I've ever played with this guitar, I hear at least one person comment on the "warmth." So, if that's your primary concern, between processing and knob twiddling, that can be worked with, and I wouldn't even consider it a drawback.

There is only one real drawback for using this guitar in the rock vein, and that's that the pickups are seriously hot and have a tendency to feedback a lot at high volumes. That was one of the reasons I dropped it in favor of the Mustang while in the rock band. When using high-gain distortion, unless you are going to be on your volume pedal the whole show, the squeal will torture you. I have seen it used by a metal guy in LA recently who did just that - rode the volume pedal the whole time - meaning, when you want to mute, it's volume off. That's a pretty natural state for metal players, but I had other things to be switching on and off with my feet, so that was hell for me. I had one really horrid show at The Whisky A Go Go, with this problem, because it also fed back into my PA monitor. Not fun. This could probably be worked with with some tweaking, but I found it too difficult to deal with in the LA club scene where you get almost no time to soundcheck.

Having said that - for anything else - blues, jazz, acoustic, softer rock - at moderate volumes, the sound on the Parker is absolutely stunning, and I've had too many people over the years to count compliment me about it. Fairly simple to get a nice round blues tone with the right amp. Ditto for muted jazz box. It will never sound like a Les Paul, so forget about that altogether. For that you're going to have to endure the godawful weight, and that is just not the Parker's strong suit.

This is the best made guitar I have ever played. The fret finish is pure silk. The action has always been perfect for me - particularly with light strings, it has a lot of big beautiful bounce which I like because I like to experiment with playing bass lines while I comp. On mine the E and A strings are pretty beefy and provide a nice ballsy bass that is easy to play with a heavy thumb.

I've had only two problems with this guitar: a fret coming unglued at the bottom causing my E string to catch under it (mentioned elsewhere here) and wear and tear on the battery connection, which I have become an expert at replacing (soldering and all). In my opinion, this is the Parker's one design flaw. Those flimsy connection wires are no match for the tugging, pinching, and pulling in and out required to keep the Parker in 9 volts. In truth, I would love to have a Parker that includes phantom power on the piezo because the battery thing is a real pain in the butt after awhile.

Other than that, it is so well made that it's hard to describe. I agree with others here who dislike the placement of the main volume knob, but there are four knobs to consider here and you want easy access to all of them, so I'm not sure that can be helped.

I've gigged with this guitar over a span of 15 years, but I treat it with kid gloves. I don't consider it incredibly durable, and I can't say it would survive a bad drop, so I'm careful with it. I also don't let others goof off with it. It's just not that kind of instrument. If you want a shit-kicker that you don't have to worry about, get something else.

Over the years, the finish has chipped a little here and there, but it has also withstood a lot of handling. Strap buttons are solid. I probably would not consider gigging without a backup with this guitar only because of the battery factor - and my particular issue with the battery connector.

Up until the last few years it was also a dream to travel with. Fit in the overhead bins in its custom gig bag on most flights and was easy to get around with because it's so compact. That's obviously changed a lot lately, and, truthfully, I'm not so sure I will risk it again until they get some new planes out there or somehow fix our dismal airline system. The fight over overhead bin space has just become too contentious. But depending on where you're going and when, that could still be a possibility.

I'm giving it an 8 in this category only because it's not built like a tank. But if it were, it wouldn't be a Parker, so you've got to make a choice there.

No idea. Never had to use them.

I love this guitar. I have never once regretted buying it and would probably cry if it ever got stolen. I would not hesitate for a second to replace it with another Parker.

I'm totally enamored with it's ability to adapt at the flick of a switch to a different sound. Going from blues to realistic jazz box is one switch and a knob tweak away. As is getting a really great amplified acoustic sound for one section of the song and flipping to electric later without having to change guitars.

On days I feel really sassy, I pump one side of the stereo send out to one effects setup/amp and the other to a different one and play in big-ass surround stereo. Makes me feel like I belong in a stadium. I've never used that feature live because of time constraints but it makes me happy just knowing I have the option. ;)

I wish mind had a floating bridge, which is probably the only option I would want to add to it, because some natural trem here and there is something I like to play with. Since there are models with that, it's something I would look for in a future Parker purchase.

Having come off the honeymoon phase with my Mustang, I can honestly say that I'm sorry I stayed away from it so long. This guitar plays like silk, opens new possibilities in my head, and I always put it down after a jam session feeling like I'm lucky to have it.

There weren't many models of Parker Flys when I bought this. It is a blue finished guitar with one piece straight-through neck, built-in piezo pickups, tremelo bar. I added a "drop-D thing tuner". I purchased the guitar used in 1997.

I have used this guitar to lead worship for the past ten years. The humbuckers are split and the variety of sound ranges from the middle position on a Strat to that of a Les Paul. The piezzo is brilliant and clear but lacks the compression of a true accoustic. I find it works well when finger picking but sounds "tinny" when strummed. By running the piezo through a Boss AD5 acoustic processor and all controls flat except boosting the bass to a 7 or 8 then going straight to the board, I can recapture some of that natural compression for strumming.

Bear in mind this is a heavily used ten year-old guitar. The guitar fits like a glove and the weight is too die for. However, the master volume control is directly in the strum path and it gets turned down at embarrasingly inopportune moments. I have had to change my strum patterns. also, the volume control turns too easilty. I have inserted a small strip of adhesive tape to slow down. I have also found it hard to visually identfy where the volume is set. to fix this I added a white dot on the volume control knobs. As the guitar has aged the 2nd fret has crept up and the top E string can get caught under it. The top E string can also get caught under the low edge of the neck humbucker. The bridge has gotten notched and created a "sitar" tone on the top E string. The string bone at the head has split once and has been replaced.

I have replaced the strap buttons with lock buttons. I always travel with replacement batteries for the active system. I bring a backup guitar at least 50% of the time but have never had to use it except for a brokemn string once.

My repairs have been all non-warranty and have been satisfactory.

It's like family. I may complain but I'll defend this guitar to the death. After ten years it remains a staple. For its two humbuckers my amp is a rack Mesa Boogie studio stereo preamp and a 20-20 mesa stereo amp with two single 12" closed back cabs. My pedal lineup is a Line 6 DM4 Distortion Modeler>mesa boogie studio preamp>effect loop out>Line 6 MM-4 modulation modeler>Line 6 DL-4 Delay/Echo Modeler>mesa boogie 20-20 power amp. For the peizo: Boss AD5 accoustic processer>PA system

I have just taken possession of what the factory calls a Refined Fly Deluxe Custom. It is a late 2006 model ordered by one of their vendors with the discontinued Italian Plum color and Seymour Duncans. Although I'm in the "Honeymoon" stage, just the physical sight of this piece brings you to your knees. Its construction is very impeccable. The finishes end where they are supposed to. The attention to subdued elegance is paramount. The sculpted body and the overall template of the guitar has been well thought-out to portray a progressive, leading edge player. The only failure in its design is the cheap, funky rear access panel. It needs redesign with a ledge for inset mounting, greater precision locations for the access holes with possible small trim surrounds there, and made of material worthy of a place on such an excellent instrument (like the panel on my Guild Nightbird II.)

I'm just getting to know this guitar. I play jazz mostly and various other styles as well as acoustic and bass. My biggest challenge was to get a "Big Box" jazz guitar sound from this Deluxe, and I did achieve it. I use the neck only SD in single coil (or even Humbucker mode) and almost full bleed thru the capacitor (meaning almost all bass tone). I run thru an Alesis Microverb 4, then into an Ampeg B3 bass amp with 2-8" and a high freq. horn. The beauty of the B3 is that I have nine equalizer slide controls to completely taylor the frequency response thru the nine ranges (definitely better than the knobs). Voila!! Big Box jazz guitar!! I am having trouble getting the acoustic sound that the Parker website displays, however, its early in the game. One thing for sure, the SD mags can blow the wings off of a stealth bomber if thats what you want. I am sure to develop the more refined settings
which appeal to me as I log-in time on the fretboard.

I feel the action is a moderately high compared to the set up of my Guild which I carved-in myself. The intonation of the bridge seems very good and I am confident I can "lay it down", however, there is scarcely any arc in the overall length of neck so it will be a very delicate venture. I thought I played fast necks before. WRONG! The only limitations on speed here is your gene pool! Why don't all manufacturers use this modeling? The only thing I would have liked better in the finish is to be able to see the outstanding micro-metal flake plum color a little more. It is very dark and to lighten up the face just a bit would be an attractive change. The refined fly controls are positive and positioned for intuitive playing.

I cannot attest to the reliability and durability from length of owner-ship but after 44 years of playing, my sixth sense tells me this guitar will go the distance. No doubt. No doubt.

I have yet to really see how strong customer support is. They did return a couple of ****** inquiries relatively quick, but their information to me about not being able to opt for Seymour Duncan in place of DeMarzios was completely wrong. I have SDs and a discontinued finish on a brand new guitar right here and now. Go figure! I believe the Parker website is probably not as fastidiously maintained now that U.S. Music is in ownership. I use two different web browsers and neither have been able to glean certain offered materials from the site.

I swear, the first experience with this instrument is surreal! Nothing fights you. Its wide open. Its being free. Now that you've found another world, what are you going to do with it? Yes, all of those statements apply. I am 57 years old, a business owner, and a realist. I had vowed never to buy a guitar sight unseen or untried. It just doesn't make good sense. Well, I went completely against all of my rules of engagement on this one and how unbelievably fortunate it was. If all of my guitars were stolen, my first purchase would be another Parker from my source in Minnesota ( I'm in Calif.). Wherever I have a 9 rating in this review, It's really a 10. Although I want to say the jury is still out, something is telling me I know better already.

I've got a 2000 Deluxe I bought used. I've been playing for 20 years and this guitar is really nice. It's does everything but fix you a martini and take you to the airport. Lots of versatility if your into that. I mostly just wanted something light, neck-through, and cool to look at. I own a few other interesting eye candies including a Tacoma, Breedlove, and a VOX. This is a great addition.

I've been reading all these reviews about how thin the sound is. I'm not really sure what that's all about. I'm playing this instrument through a Line 6 Spider II with 2 10" Celestians. Sounds pretty good to me. It does require some tweaking to take the highs down but I didn't think it required as much tweaking as adding tone to a Les Paul that sounds like mudd, or a Strat for that matter. In the world of effects and processing this instrument is as good as any other high quality instrumen. If yours sounds crummy, take a look at your effects bank or just spend some quality time with this guitar.

I bought it used so I'm not sure how the factory set it up; however, I got it clean. No dings, dents or scratches. Played it right out of the case but the strings where rusty. I took it to my local luthier and he said this guitar is fine, but for a fee he could put some new strings on it........ I declined. As far as the construction of the instrument all things seemed to be in order. One problem with this instrument is the poorly placed volume knob. Thats pretty lame. Took the advice of one reviewer and put a foam nut under the knob. Problem solved. I have heard the horn digs into peoples sternum too. This is a user problem. I found that this happens when your sitting, slouched over the instrument when it's on your right leg. Well sit up straight, don't be lazy, and put it on your left leg. Problem solved. The sperzel tuners are showing signs of wear and sticking. They will have to be replaced soon. Sticking is a common flaw with this type of tuner. Not really a Parker problem.

I've played with it live tons of times. It seems just fine. The finish seems tough so far, no stress cracks, peeling or flaking. Shows no signs of wear and tear as of yet. This is important to note. I am a very VERY consistent player. I hit the same mark everytime. Other guitars I have show severe scars from repeated playing. This one had a few marks that I buffed out very easily. Overall I can depend on this instrument, but it eats batteries like crazy. If you forget to unplug it forget about it. Keep batteries handy. Lots of them. I take this guitar out all the time with nothing else. Everything else sucks to play after you play this for awhile. Strings don't break on this guitar very often if ever. If your getting one put strap locks on it. Nothing more sad then a pretty instrument crashing to the ground.

Never had to deal with Parker company. I don't know how they operate. This instrument has been good to me.

Like I said, been playing 20 years. I knew what I was buying when I got this instrument. I saw a Parker at Guitar Center in 1996, picked it up and said WOW this thing is amazing. At that point in my life this very expensive guitar was way out of my league for affordability. I never stopped thinking about it and played many other guitars for the next 6 years. I played a ton and non even came close to the versatility and over all coolness of this wicked gear. If It got stolen I would have to buy another. Everything else feels strange and cumbersome to play. The only thing I really don't like about this guitar is the position of the volume knob. I know why it's there, but I hate it. Since nothing is perfect I give the whole thing a 9. But compared to a 7 for a strat and a 6 for a Les Paul and an 8 for an SG then thats pretty good. If you want some real flexibility and aren't to much of a chicken to turn some knobs and make it happen get this guitar. Looks super cool, great conversation peice, and fun to play. I think this guitar is really innovative in it's design and features in a good way, not the plastic back stupid Ovation way, or the 7 string Ibanez way, but a usefull meaningful way that really impacted the way guitars should be made. I have to say that Parkers may be the most significant change to electric guitars since their conception. Everything else is just a Strat or a Gibson. Nothing else is a Parker.

year 2000 Fly Deluxe. Great design. Plays beautifully, responsive neck, very low action, easy to play.

This one has the "better" generation 2 DiMarzio's. They sound terrible.

Some guys complain bitterly about the upper horn of the body, how it digs into their sternum. I don't find this to be the case, personally I love the way it feels when standing ... my hands just fall into place with no effort, no fatigue, especially my right hand/wrist, curiously enough.

But be aware, the tone of the Deluxe is brighter than other models. I find it brittle and not usable at all. Which bums me out totally.

Still, I'm exploring mods, because I love the feel so much.

I love the way this guitar plays and feels to hold. It is so light and comfortable to play, I think the ergonomics are perfect, i can't say enough about the engineering / design.

But the tone is not useful to me.

The Deluxe model is made of basswood and poplar, and it is too bright, in my opinion. To me, it is harsh, and sterile. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

Even with 2nd Generation Dimarzio's, this gtr has such an annoying upper high treble character that it is totally frustrating to me. I have run thru a Carr Hammerhead, a Mesa MK 4, and a Mesa Quad preamp rig. Sure you can dial down the highs, but the CHARACTER of the guitar still, to me, is very thin, brittle, weak.

Despite all this, I like the feel so much, I'm having a boutique build several pickups in attempts to get some mids out of it.

In hindsight, I think the Mojo (made of mahogany) is probably a better fit for what I want in tone. Haven't played one, but I've been reading the hell out of the Parker forum, and these reviews.

Just thought a potential buyer should know that the different models have VASTLY different tones. I'm guessing this, because mine is absolutely horrible, but other guys just RAVE about the tone of their Mojo's and Artist models, and they can't all be deaf.

Further, I even see guys here who love the sound of their Deluxe. Brings to mind the possibility that there may be large variations from one individual guitar to the next...

Despite all, I'd still tell everyone to seriously consider buying a Parker, but perhaps not a Deluxe.

The build quality is perfect. The design is highly innovative.

Haven't gigged with it, but I'm dying to get new pickups in... then I'd take to gigs without backup, without hesitation. It appears to be as solid or moreso than any other make I can think of.

This is a top quality instrument. Fit and finish perfect, design is great. I'm having tone issues with mine, but the guitar excels in so many categories, I think it's worth it for me to go WAY out of my way to improve the tone. And if it can't be done, then I'm going to sell this one and go look for a Mojo model.

This has all been hashed over by others. Remember everything is relative. What can your other guitars do relative to the Parker? Can you change strings as fast? Does it have the same upper fret access and 24 frets? The same acoustic sound? The ability to output acoustic and electric at the same time or switch between the two so quickly? This is a slam dunk for Parker to anyone who knows guitars like I do.

I became increasingly disenchanted with the electric sound and the volume variation between pickup positions and decided to change pickups. I was also picking up a lot of noise for some reason, like radio transmissions. My pickups were really beat looking with the pole screws rusted and very used looking. I noticed Musician's Friend had the newest DiMarzio Parker replacements on sale so I ordered a set and promptly removed the old ones waiting for the replacements. I discovered a completely broken pole wire while removing the bridge pickup which meant I was using just a single coil! Anyway, it's safe to say the replacements are an improvement over the originals. I keep reading about the supposed "sonic superiority" of brand SD but somebody should tell Joe Satriani. I actually believed that stuff and bought one of those pickups to try on my LesPaul thinking it would tranform it into a Metal monster for the few C tuning songs we were doing using heavy gage strings. I removed it the next day when I couldn't get a decent tone out of it and bought EMG's.(81/85) (I didn't take them back) I use a Flextone Plus with ext cabinet loaded with Vintage 30's. On the acoustic side I always use a Boss Chorus pedal with a ground break box at the PA. It sounds better to my old ears than the girl I play with's very expensive Melissa Etheridge model Ovation. The secret to the acoustic is adding just a little bit of chorus and adjusting the pot under the back cover ("Piezo volume") so you don't need to further pre-amp the signal at the PA. If you find yourself needing a little more ranch and trebly boost try pushing in the red button on the side with the selector switch on electric. I've even played whole songs with the switch on acoustic, the red button depressed and a mono cord in the guitar! Now that's a whole different electric sound. All those possibilities don't exsist on other guitars.

I had a few similar problems to some earlier posters and this is how I fixed each one. A loose output jack that I could not tighten due to the tight confines of the body where it's mounted and the impossible position of the nut that holds it on was fixed with a little PC-7 epoxy applied around the nut with a toothpick that was left a day to dry. I also had the 1st fret start to come loose on the high-E side and simply removed it, cleaned it up and reglued it with common superglue holding it on with a few clamps. My tendency to inadvertently turn down the volume control while playing was fixed with a silicone washer sandwiched between the knob and pot to tighten up the resistance to turning it (I actually used a disposable ear plug that I just cut the center out of) That's the extent of the issues I've had in the 10 years I've owned my Delux. About $10 to fix them all. I would guess you would have at least that many minor issues with any guitar over a 10 year time span. And the action? Parker owners know all about that. It was redefined when I bought this guitar.

I've never had a reliability issue other than the jack which for a few weeks drove me crazy. It sounded like a shorted cord if I moved the wrong way on the stage. That issue has been resolved. Of course you have to be vigilant with a delicate instrument like a flyweight Delux. Don't do anything with it you wouldn't do to a Stradivarius Violin and you'll be fine. It probably won't survive a Peter Townsend type helicopter smash on the floor, but his didn't either.

I've found Parker to be very helpful. They e-mailed me a schematic for my P-38 I bought completely disassembled (don't ask..) and even resolved a wiring issue I had with my hybrid "Nitefly" that has the Kirt Hammet EMG pickups installed along with a preamp for the piezo pickups. But that's a whole different story...

I've been playing for 38 years, starting when I was 13. My first serious guitar was a Univox LP copy with Gibson pickups and hardware installed. I used Ernie Ball super slinky strings and still had sore fingers every time I played. I moved on to a multitude of different guitars over the years, some Strat's, a Tele and many different Gibsons including a 1958 LP Jr. I still own most of them but they take up space in my closet. Each one had it's good points and bad points, but no guitar I've ever owned or played holds a candle to my Fly Delux. It really is indispensable. Every thing else feels clumsy to me now and hard to play. I know whatever a guitarist plays at the moment is "the best" but I challenge anyone with doubts to play a good Parker for a month and then go back to whatever they think is better. If you would choose to do that I submit you have alot to learn about how to use and play a guitar and how to adjust an amp. This guitar will do anything you want it to, and it will do it easier than any guitar on the Planet. This is coming from an open minded "Dinosaur" guy who started out playing Sabbath and Alice Cooper and now plays Drop-d songs and whatever else my band plays. I've been there and done all that and have owned them all. I turn off those that have negative opinions while remaining anonomous and will gladly share some recordings with any doubters demonstrating the sonic capability of my guitar. Tapes don't lie but some people do. But the bottom line is every guitarist that uses something else has a tougher time playing what I play, so I hope nobody else owns one but me! (haha)I'm interested in helping/talking to other Fly owners so E-mail me if ya want or have any questions. I'm a 10 year owner and have worked on about all their models over the years. I currently own a P-38 (all stock), a Nitefly H-S-S and my beloved Delux.

The parker fly deluxe features two dimarzio custom wound humbukers with coil tapping , not to mention the amaizing fishman pezio acoustic system.
My Model is one of the new deluxes. and having compared it to the older deluxe models , i can safely say that this guitar will blow all guitars out the window. everything is designed to play and sound perfect from the epoxy carbon reinforced neck to the carved multiple finger joint.Also the tuning is perfect.

I am a semi pro guitarist whom has done session work for loads of bands and the sound from my parker is very versatile. i find if u mix some peizo with the mag pickups , you will get a sound untouchable by any other guitar. The sustain is excellent. I understand the dimarzio humbuckers on the old deluxe where useless. Exactly the opposite on the new models. they are flawless. i can get any sound i want.

I always have my action set up for me. however the factory set-up was
fine, as my guitar tech handed me the guitar back right away and said "what do u want me to do" it was already done. the only niggle i have was the instruction book. it was for the old deluxe model, so it was out of date. So i got onto parker and they where happy to send me a new manual.

I ALWAYS use a backup, however i will soon be ensuring that my backup is another parker fly deluxe as i love playing it. Ifind this guitar is very durable, and ofcourse all guitars last longer with a little bit of care. I was unsure because it was so light. but these guitars are built to last. THE STAINLESS STEEL FRETS ALSO HELP TO MAKE SURE OF THAT. AS THEY WONT WEAR OUT.

I have a warranty for 1 year . i had to contact parker for an up to date manual. i got a reply the next day through email with a manual attatched. and they even posted one out aswell.

I use my Parker through my pod xt live and the sound is incredable.
I would defo buy this guitar again, im actualy looking to purchase some more quite soon. i actualy bought this guitar to replace my rare stolen prs mccarty model and im so glad i did. as the prs cant touch my parker. If u are unsure about this guitar , go and try one out and you will see for you're self.

All the features have been gone over before. I'll just say this guitar has the most comprehensive and ingenius features of any guitar I've ever played. That's why I bought two of these.

Amazing! Perfect! Extremely versatile! Essentially I use this with everything from death metal to classical and everything in between. The sound can be brutal, heavy, crunchy, biting, growly, sizzling...or it ca n be smooth, warm, articulate... either way it sounds HUGE! Sustain is incredible too.

Honestly it would take forever to go into this in more detail. I've owned 30-40 USA/Custom made guitars from various companys and this is by far my favorite guitar ever.

Perfect on all accounts. The neck will never warp, completely invulnerable to temperature or humidity changes. Perfect fretwork. Best playing neck in existence today.

As I said I own two of these, one is a beautiful and sleek Gold finish, while the other is a custom one of a kind finish. The paintjobs on both are flawless.

Sperzel locking tuners never deviate, guitar is invulnerable to environment hobgoblins, frets incapable of ever wearing out... as I said, FLAWLESS!

Class act.

I own/have owned dozens upon dozens of high-end USA or Custom guitars. Everything from BC Riches, Jacksons, ESPs, Ibanez, Gibsons, Washburns, Deans, Fenders, Schecter (Custom Shop), etc... and simply put NOTHING COMPARES TO A PARKER. I own 2 Deluxes and I couldn't be happier. I've also played Niteflys, Classics, and their import PM20 model - all are superb as well.

You won't find anything better I promise. Be a man, lose the $%^&*@ Gibson and step up to the big leagues.

tons of features... dual humbuckers, if you want a tight aggressive high gain sound, switch it to the bridge pu. for a sterile/prestine clean sound switch the selector in the middle(both pickups). for a fat bold lead tone, switch to the neck pu.

in addition to those basic options, you have the fishman peizo(acoustic) stuff. you can actually blend it with the magnetic pu's. you can also use a stereo cable to send it between two different amps.(for example, peizos to the PA, mag's to the jcm 800.)

really versitle guitar.

24 frets, thin neck, trem, sperzle locking tuners, custom wound dimarzios with a fishman piezo setup. made in like 96, usa.

poplar body, basswood neck(carbon fiber reinforced)

i have a splawn promod 100 and an engl powerball. an isp decimator, rsp/rocktron intelliverb, ernie ball volume, and an origional crybaby.

i play everything from death metal, grind core, metalcore, to blues and jazz. so i need the flexibility.

honestly, the guy below me needs to change his battery or something. this guitar sounds awesome.

for modern high gain tones those stock dimarzios eat emg's for lunch(i have another guitar with an 81/85 set). the bridge pickup is tighter, higher output, more clarity... the neck is alot less muddy, and the clean tones acheived with the pu selector in the middle is ridiculously better.

the peizo's, not exactly like an acoustic. but damn close. you really need a full battery and a real acoustic amp setup for this to really shine through. though i must say, it's impressive even running into my clean channels on the splawn and engl.

the fact you can blend the acoustic and regular pickups together really makes for some interesting tones. if you dig the ambient tones alot.

very well rounded guitar.

bought this guitar about a year ago...
it was bought the first year it came out. barely played, lived most of it's life in it's gig bag, it belonged to a buddy i was in a band with and when i found out he had it, i offered him like $600 for it. sold.

first play... extremely well set up and clean. in tune. i must say it was impossible to get a dirty tone out of at first. but all it took was one 9v battery and a new set of strings, and it turned into the best guitar i've ever played.

light as heck.

most comfortable guitar ever, for sitting and standing. well thought out. and the build quality is superb.

it's seen some gigs and alot of practicing now.

definately built to last.

i alway carry a backup... not worried the guitar is going to stop working. but strings break at shows alot it seems(though i've only broke one string on it so far.)

asked a few questions, my questions were answered... what more could you want?

i have a relic ibanez rg 570 with an emg 81/85 set a washburn acoustic... and i've owned others(gibson/ibanez/esp).

definately a guitar worth buying again. i have plans for more parkers soon.

the only thing i hate about it is now i'm not satisfied with most other guitars, except other parkers.

could always use a cup holder.

This is a 1996 deluxe that I bought second hand. The specs are as standard except for 2 additions, a "d-thing" tuning key for drop-D (Duh) playing and a set of Seymour Duncan pups fitted at Ed Roman's in Las Vegas. I was given a hard case with the guitar and have also bought one of the Parker gig bags (very impressed with that).

The Fly is famous for being a "blank canvas" that every budding play can mould to his own desires. The specs are very impressive on paper but in practise I can only give this thing a 5. See the "SOUND" section for why.

I should start by saying thankyou to everyone who has posted so far about this instrument, you have been very informative. However I have come to the fly as an Acoustic guitarist looking for a hybrid instrument.

My main Acoustic guitar is loaded with a fishman rare-earth blend and an emg piezo. I imagined that the combination of mags/piezo coupled with a 24 fret neck and infinite sustain would lead to sonic satori.
Not so.

As many before me have pointed out the stock Dimarzio pups that come with the fly are nothing short of shameful. I have a pet theory that the piezo system was installed not to throw open our musical horizons but to get some sound out of this poor instrument. Sadly having put in the Seymour Duncans the story is not much better. The neck pup is now warmer but not a lot. The bridge more like an sg. In between is weak 80's disco. The tone is still annoyingly plastic. What gets me is the inconsistency of this instrument. It seems to have mood swings where it just won't play well. The piezo is hideous. Imagine playing an acoustic guitar made entirely of tin with a tin nut and saddle. stick it through a cheap chinese microphone and cut all the bass off. That's the fly.

action good. Finish sadly relic'd by however had it before me.

won't play it live. too horrible

awful

1998 black fly deluxe. omg this guitars is amazing. by far the best tremlo system availabe: super easy to tune and keep in tune. the piezo is an awsome feature. the sprezel locking tuners make a big difference. the actions is super low and the neck is faster than my dads corvette z06!! the guitar is very light quite possibly the lightest guitar that i have ever felt. looks are pretty cool too maybe too flashy for some people. there is a switch for everything on this guitar. almost more features than i need but i am not going to complain.

the sound is mediocre due to the shitty ass dizmarzio humbuckers...so i had ed roman guitars drop in a seymour duncan jb in the bridge and a 59 in the neck... this upgrade was $280 plus tax... but worth every penny. i love the sounds that i can create with the jb/59 and the acoustic piezo combanation. i play heavy metal and 80s hair metal and although that is not this guitars intended use, sounds great coming out of my Bogner Uberschall halfstack. but due to the fact that the dizmarzio pickups suck i cant give the sound a perfect review. but with the seymour duncans i would definately give it a 10

set up is perfect, the neck plays like butter. the finish isnt that great i can see litte numbs under the paint especially on the headstock but it actually looks pretty cool.

this guitar looks like it came out of the factory yesterday but in fact it is pushing 8 years old. it is really light weight and feels like it wouldnt be very durable, but i have played many live gigs with it and nothing has broken yet. i always bring a couple guitars to my gigs because i use diferent tuning on different songs.

never dealt with them

i have been playing since i was 13 years old and now i am 21 and have been in a couple successful rock n roll bands. I have 19 guitars: 3 u.s.a. les pauls. a 1984 gibson explorer, a jackson RR1, 3 korean schecters, a u.s.a. e.s.p. eclipse, and so on. My parkers are problably my favorites (i have a deluxe and a Mojo) with the exception of one of my L.P.s I actually like this one better than my Mojo. problably just cause i have had the deluxe longer and it has grown on me more. Overall i would definately recomend this guitar, but only if you have enough money to also buy the seymour duncans.

I bought my guitar from a friend for 600 US a few weeks ago. It was made prior to the parker buyout so it doesn't have the new features. Dual humbuckers, volume, tone control, piezo the usual, mahogany body. Anyway, if you want the details go to the parker site, it's all there.

Well, I guess I'm in the minority but I find that the DiMarzio pups are good. With no piezo blended in it's got good bass response but not as much as other guitar so it doesn't have the same amount of chug to it. In the upper register the lead tone is very sweet. It is focused and even. I agree with the site that dead spots are a non issue. The sound is uniform across the whole fretboard. Addind the piezo tone makes the guitar more compressed and it loses bass response so don't do it for tight rhythm playing with moderate to high amounts of gain. The clean is very good. It can be bright and funky or mellow and smooth. Very versatile. I think the guitar sounds just fine the way it is. I'm using the fly with a mesa boogie studio preamp into a single rectifier.

I got this guitar set up by the previous owner who did a great job so I can't comment on the factory setup but the action is low. 1/16th inch at the 12 fret, maybe a bit lower even. I can not see any flaws in the construction at all.

I haven't had it very long so no comment but it seems solid.

I've been at this guitar thing for 12 years and have been an ibanez guy for 11 of them. Not anymore. The composite neck and fretboard are a dream come true. It is easy to play is just so smooth with the stainless steel frets. SS frets are way better in my books because bending is frictionless, the string just goes where you want it without any trouble. Compared to my ibanez guitars it feels a bit like you are moing the string over very fine grit sand paper. I like this guitar so much I am thinking of getting another parker although I am waiting to see what the new ownership does to this fantastic guitar line. I hope they don't lose any of the carbon glass construction to cut costs or some junk like that. They've already got a guitar that takes the body design a step towards a les paul and another that could be a cousin to the telecaster. Nice guitars, but the selling point for parkers is typically that they are unique in design and construction. I guess we'll see in time what happens.

bought after 2000 cant really remember.
what more could you want from a guitar?
well...
D-tuner
automatic tuning
world peace

IF YOU WANT TO REPLACE THE PICKUPS READ THIS:

DIMARZIO MAKES DROP IN REPLACEMENTS FOR THE PARKER!!! JUST SEND THEM A MAIL AND GET THE ORDER NUMBERS (START WITH PH).

so if you want to replace the pick ups there is no need to go chopping up the guitar or pickups!!! what happend to asking people?

I have the newer model with the improved pickups and i am pretty pleased with them overall. but it does still seem to lack caractor so i cant give a 9 or a 10

the pizo is a really cool , and now i don't like playing guitars that dont have them, as it is an essential part of my sound now. splitting the signal a part of my secret. I really only wrote this to clear up the myths about replaceing the pickups, but adjusting the hight of the pickups will make a diffrence so try this first, and spend some time tweaking maxing out the vol and tone isn't a good sound for me.

but still the sound is a little sterile for most, but it is a very versitile guitar. the pizo allows you to go from electric to acustic without swapping guitars, or blend the 2 and really alter the sound, (for the dumass who couldn't see the use for it!).
and finally a good parker stays in tune and rarly needs tuneing (even when i come back from holidays), if it is going out of tune, then there is something wrong with it. i advise checking the tuners, or your strings are crap.

mine is ok, 6 string busses, action is just slightly higher then i would like (can't lower it any lower or it frets out, and really buzzes)
paintwork chips pretty easy, but i also own ibanez's so it is nothing compared to them.
vol know is a bit loose for my likeing, no probs with situation as i am a carefull player.
I don't like the trem bar, and the way it fits in. i would prefer a screw in one,
to be honest a little dissapointing when you take into acount the price tag, but not bad, but at this price i expect perfect.

used it live on many occasions (one guitar to cover electric and acustic and super light too, handy) only got one chip on the neck due to some chump who played it with out asking, as i never let any one play it and i sugest you do the same ('durrr what does this weel doo?') as this guitar is not idiot proof, allways bring spare batries, as the sound starts to go when they start to go flat and you get a really annoying ringing sound.

don't know, guys at dimarzio were helpfull though (i know they have nothing to do with parker, but see my earlier comment about changeing the pickups)

been playing since the tender age of 8, i also have a parker p38 as a backup and i really like it too (though they don'T make it any more). this is my main guitar, indespenable for me. I dreamed of owning this guitar from a young age, then i realized it would be some time. after i played it in a shop a good few years later i had to own one. now i have it (and have had for a good few years now) I have stoped buying guitars.

stolen? I have a colection of testicles in formaldehyde ,adorning my amplifiers, from the fools who dared to touch the Precious, as for the guy who chiped it.........

'98 Fly Deluxe with Tremolo. I have never seen such a versatile guitar. 3 positions switch: Humbucker (i'll talk about them later)/2 singles in paralell/Humbucker. Piezo (sounds great!), etc...

I drive the parker into 2 preamps: a Pevey 5150 and a Mesa/Boogie Quad Premp. Then everything goes to a Digitech rack processor and back to the 5150's poweramp.
With a not-so-expensive setup I get 7 main sounds going from the cleanest fenderish sound of the quad to the high gain of the peavey.
I play prog metal (think in Dream Theater and Symphony X).
And now comes the interesting stuff:
THESE DIMARZIO PICKUPS SUCK!!!!
Ok, I had changed before the dimarzios from my old ibanez and put new seymour duncans on it and was impressed by the sound. Then I bought the parker and thought that it would also be good to change it's dimarzios.
I began to read some comments about it (some of them here in harmony-central). It seems to be a lot of mythology about it:

-Is the parker to thin for another pickups? No, it's not so thin,if someone tells you don't believe it. You can check it your own by removing one of the dimarzios (they are fixed to the body with two of the magnetic poles: the 2nd of the left raw and the 5th of the right) They are standard size.

-Would a standard pickup fit into a Parker Fly? Well, the body of the pickup will (I have only tried it with Seymour Duncan JBs, but I believe them to be standad size, so there should be no problem with other SDs). The problem are the mounting wings, they won't let the pickup get into your parker.

-How do I change them??? It's not easy at all, but if you think you are ready, just write me and I'll tell you. Basically you'll have to open both pickups and mount the seymour duncan into the base of the dimarzio.

-Would I get some significant improvement? Ok, it will, of course, depend on what pickups you mount. I did it with 2 JBs (I might change the one in the neck for a Jazz) and there was a big difference.
With Dimarzios it sounded OK, with Seymour Duncans it sounds great.

It is harder as it seems. I would never gig without backup, but if I had to I would trust this guitar. I have heard that it's not easy to get replacements for these guitars, but i have never had to.

No Idea

I just wanna complain about the price of these babies. Mine was relatively cheap cause I bought it second hand. But if you are gonna buy it new, you might consider buying another guitar, perhaps you can buy a cheaper one. On the other side, the new ones have a few impovements that made the even better than the older.

Read other reviews for detailed specs, I just want to add a short comment for people who are considering buying a (second hand) Parker.

I've owned a 1996 Parker Fly Deluxe. These older Parkers have a stereo/mono-switch and 4 rotary knobs. Though all these controls seem impressive and very useful at first, I found I hardly used the master volume, the on-the-fly tremelo spring strenght adjust and other features. Also the battery holder was somewhat clumsy, with flat head screws.

The newer versions have fewer knobs, a simpler battery holder and a voltage doubler, to extend battery life. I myself find all these changes to be improvements (except maybe for the removal of the piezo tone control).

I myself also think the DiMarzio humbuckers sound too thin to get a real nice, full, warm overdrive sound. They're ok for clean, but also lacking some warmth and low end in that field.

The new Fly Mojo has Seymour Duncans, which in my opinion have a much better sound.

Also mind, that replacing pickups on a Parker is easier said than done, since a Parker's body is too thin to fit regular pickups into. (A price to pay for light weight, I guess...)

All Parkers are well-made instruments, assembled with much care. Mind though, that the finish on the older models (such as my 1996 Deluxe) does chip rather more easily than than on the newer models.

Also, when buying a second hand Parker, check that the output jack is in a good condition. The jack is a known weakness of older Parkers and is often loose.

Parkers are very good guitars. But remember to check for flaws mentioned above and be sure to select the model with the right type of pickup and the right kind of wood, to match your taste of sound.

If you do, they won't fail you. Ever.

You already know the features of this guitar - light weight, presence, piezos, humbuckers, etc.
Also a lot of parts that are very special and therefore EXPENSIVE to replace!! You need the parker support to replace something. Sadly there`s no support from parker.

My Parker is damaged. I believe it`s a problem with the electronics. Don`t get any help from Parker. The piezo sounds ok. The humbuckers are thin and weak. Output is only 30% of a dimarzio-humbucker. Those dimarzio pickups are horrible. The sound is so thin, fizzy and so cold, it is so bad for real playing. You can`t play any rockstyle with these dimarzio humbuckers(from 1994), because they are very microphonic. The guitar sounds like shit!

The switches and knobs are in really inconvenient places. My guitar has stress cracks all over it (the guitar was played a lot). Volume pot is damaged. A lot of string buzz because of the nut (need replacement and service).

I`ve played this guitar the last 10 years. Now the guitar is damaged (electronics?). I need a new volumepot and a new saddle. That`s all. The only problem is, that I get no support from parker. No support=no reliability=bad rating

This is where I am REALLY dissapointed. There`s no support in my country...and Parker ... after 30 email still no answer. The Fly Deluxe is really expensive in Europe (streetprice about $3000. So it`s not a chinese crap for 100 bucks. But the support is like that. Parker sucks. The accurate word here is nonexistent.I live in Germany. Perhaps parker don`t like the old Europeans. 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. VERY IMPORTANT: if you live outside the states, DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT buy any of parker guitars!!!
BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!!!

I`ve been playing for 30 years. I really like my parker, really. I`m one of the first parker owners in Europe. I`ve played the fly deluxe the last 10 years. Now it`s damaged and I don`t get any help. That`s the problem. I`m a pro musician. I do a lot of gigs, studiowork, TV-shows. I play Marshall amps, VHT, Mesa, Fender, GCX switching-system, Eventide effects, Strats, Gibsons and a Parker. Parker is the only one of them you don`t get any help/support.

Wine Red Parker fly deluxe. Thin neck, 24 fret. Solid carbon fiber. Locking tuners. Dimarzio pickups. Stereo features built in. Needs a 9v battery. Hard case

VERY clean sound on my Mesa Boogie Subway rocket. My Les Paul Studio creates a lot of buzzing noise, This Fly Deluxe does not create much back ground buzzing. I suppose it's pickups are higher quality.

Very bright country style sound. And very reserved gainy sound. I wish it sounded more heavy and less airy. But that is what my Gibson is for. It might just be my amp though.

Major Down side is ergonomics. The back of the guitar is not made to rest on a human body. There are sharp edges that poke into your abdomin. The guitar is solid carbon fiber formula one race car material. Assembly is fine. I rarely have to tune this guitar for some reason.

Another bad thing is the position and sensitivity of the master volume control. When strumming the volume control is so close to the strings you usually accidently adjust or turn off the volume. It is also very light in turning action, I wish it would require more torque to turn the volume knob and was positioned away from the strumming action.

Mechanically Durable guitar. Just uncomfortable design. The paint in back has been scratched because of the button on my jeans.

23 yrs old. playing since age 15. Not that good. If I were in a band i'd just be a rythm player. I regret buying this guitar. It's so uncomfortable playing sitting down because the upper crescent that mounts the strap is always jabbing me in the sternum. This is an ergonomic nightmare. I rarely play this guitar because it cost too much compared to my Les Paul Studio at $700. And it lacks the soul of a solid wood guitar made in america. I should have bought a Strat or Ibanez.

You already know the features of this guitar - light weight, presence, piezos, humbuckers, etc.

Also lots of parts that are proprietaryu and therefore EXPENSIVE to replace!!

The sounds are great! I've heard better, but with a little tweaking I can get the sound I want. I use the neck pickup for rhythm, and dial in some piezo to cut through for leads. I make use of the piezo volume to control tone without controlling volume - requires a calibration of the piezo gain via a pot in the back of the guitar.

I bought the guitar used so I cannot say - but I can say that the intonation is reliable as a rock, and the guitar is consistently ready to play out of the case even after a week or two.

The only negative is that sometimes the high E gets caught around the pickups, but I lowered the pickups a little (which also made the sound more to my liking) and - problem solved!

Very reliable, except for a couple of details:

1) the plastic switch which locks the trem tends to rub up against my bely when I play, releasing the trem into floating position. I have to flip the guitar and reseat the switch in order to bring it back in tune. I have since solved this problem by sliding the corrugated edge of the lever past the window on the plastic guard, making it unaccessible without a screwdriver or without removing the guitar's back cover. Of course I only use the trem in 'pull down' mode.

2) The switches and knobs are in really inconvenient places...I end up changing the volume inadvertently when changing pickups, for example. I have also added a small switch to defeat the battery so I casn leave the guitar plugged in during breaks or between songs - I also have pedal steel and keyboard duties that leavethe guitar unattended for an hour at a time during a gig.

I do, however, use it without a backup because it has been so reliable over 3 years... but only when I am short on trunk room :)

This is where I am REALLY pissed.

My output jack has too much play in it and cuts out now that the drummer caught my looped cord with a stand one night. Pulled the cord loop sideways, bending the contacts inside the sealed jack unit.

I have searched all over on line to find a substitute for the jack, as Parker/Stewmac only offer what is called a 'Flex B' circuit which prices at $103.00!!!

Bottom line: to replace the jack, I have to replace the piezo switch, a potentiometer, the jack, and the wiring between these items. The assembly only is available. Isn't that ridiculous?

And, to top matters off, in order to remove the jack I need to purchase a tool to remove the bushing which holds the jack on the guitar - no hex nut here!

I will spend the money, but buyer beware! It's like a Mercedes - if ya wanna own the hardware you gotta pay extra to keep it working.

$103 (plus $26.00 to get it to my door before the next gig) is insane!

Obvioyusly this is not a warranty issue.

Feels good after 4 hour gig to play a 3 lb guitar.

Too expensive to maintain at $103 for a friggin JACK for christ's sake!

Sounds are excellent! The guitar rocks (when the plug is seated right)

Did I mention the output jack?