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?

I think you know all the spec. mine is black with a thinner neck, is an early prodution,simple cann't ask for more from one guitar.

Ok, it is what I'm went to talk about, I trade in my 92's les paul standard for this Parker fly, I love my Paul, it sound so sweet to play alone, but every time I play with a full band ( other guitar, bass, drum, keyboard, vocal), the Les Paul just lost in the mix, of course I can turn up the treble or mid, but then it lost it's sweet sound. when I get my Parker fly, the problem gone, this guitar keep me happly about 2 years. The more I play, the more I hate it, this guitar simple get no tone! if you only play nu-metal, this is the one for you, this guy cann't even play a good metal solo, the sound is so thin, so cold, it is so bad for my blues playing.

I live in Calgary, Canada, all my other guitar must get a pro set up every one or two years, but never this Parker, I never fix or adjust anything on it, full point.

The only reason that I still keep this guitar is because it's reliability, I bring it out on every gig, it never let me down, it do break a E string once, but I can charge it on the fly, it is no folyde rose here, it always in tune, it can cut all the sound like a Telecaster.

never need them, and they get a helpfull site anyway.

I been playing for 15 years, my other guitar are Gibson es335, 2002 Gibson Les Paul standard, Gibson SG 61's, Orville Les Paul custom w/ EMGs, Fender floyd rose classic strat, James burton tele, Ernie ball Axis super sport, some acoustic, mesa nomad55 head, 4 12 mesa cab, G-major for effect, so you can see the taste of my music is all about tone! I do recommend this guitar for beginner or people don't care about tone,because it is so playable, trouble free and looks good.

Poplar body with basswood neck
Parker cast aluminum vibrato bridge with stainless steel saddles
Composite fretboard
Graphtech nut
Sperzel locking tuners
Two Custom DiMarzio humbuckers
Six-element Fishman piezo system
Master volume, mag volume, mag tone, and piezo volume/tone knobs
Three-way mag selector switch
Custom designed Fishman active circuit pre-amp
Split stereo or summed mono operation

The guitar is made in 2003 and the colour is a really nice ice-blue. It is a thru-neck guitar and it's really really light weight. The body's very thin and comfortable.
It came with a deluxe Levy's softcase, tension plate for 10s (came with 9s and I'm happy with them.), handbook and a stereo cable.

I play rock, some metal, blues and jazz. It suits me well. I'm using it with a cheap Marhsall amp and a Gt 6. The guitar's very quiet. I like it how the lower end is not muddy unlike my les paul.
The piezo is convenient when jamming since I don't use a lot of acoutsic guitar, only once in awhile.

The guitar's set up very well and it's still fine after flying with me on the plane in the overhead cabin. The neck and body are nice and smooth. There's a little paint imperfection on the neck but it's not much of an issue.
It stays in tune well and pickup selector's quiet.

I haven't played live with it yet. It feels a bit fragile because it's so light but it should last since it feels pretty solid.

I've been playing for a few years and I also own a Gibson Les Paul Gothic and Epiphone Supernova. If it were stolen/lost, I'll try and find one again (I bought the last one the shop bought in) but I don't know if I can afford another one!
I love the light weight and in particular the smoth neck of the guitar. It's the best feature of the guitar IMO. I also like the way teh volume knob is close to the strings. I have short fingers and I can't manage to use the knob when I pick on my lp.
I compared it with Carvin guitars (DC series with piezo) but I ended ip choosing Parker even though it costs almost twice of the Carvins I was looking at because it feels so good to play. I also looked into Musicman Silhoutte but the thru-neck of Parker feels better (and the guitar looks better to me.)
I wish it came with a hardcase. My lp costs just a bit more than half of this one and it came with a hardcase.

This Fly Deluxe was made in 1994 (according to the serial number). The controls are very versatile and allow many different sounds to be dialed in. I bought it used a year and a half ago.

I am playing mostly pop, jazz and fusion music and I can find all the necessary sounds there, and more. The combination of the magnetic and piezo pickups are fantastic. I am using Mesa/Boogie amps with it, and I find the guitar to be very quiet, without any noise.

The basic sound of the guitar is quite bright and allows you to cut through the mix. However, playing with the controls gives you good darker and deeper sounds as well. However, it takes time to find the best combinations and get yourself adjusted to the controls. Don't expect to find the best sounds right away. The guitar is a bit like the Mesa/Boogie amps; they have to be tweaked with patience to get to the best sounds, but the guitar is definitely worth the time and patience. The basic sound is balanced and accurate, and works very well with effected sounds without turning muddy. The guitar sounds good of course without effects, as well.

I bought the guitar used, but it was still in nearly perfect condition, almost like new despite it's age. Only scratches in the finish told that it had been played a lot.

I find the guitar very dependable.

I haven't dealt with Parker directly. The rating is because of the lack of the support in my own country.

I have been playing and doing gigs for about ten years, and I have owned several high quality guitars. The only negative thing about the guitar that I can come up with is that you have to order different springs to change the string gauge. It's not very easy to get replacements for a guitar that is rare in Europe.

As with all parker flys this was made in the US.Mine was made in 1996 though i bought it used a year ago.Th body ispoplar with a basswood neck and carbon/epoxy fingerboard.Mine is jet black with all the basic parker features:locking tuners piezo system and a vibrato bridge.

I play extreme metal.I run it into my digitech 2101 preamp which goes into a qsc poweramp then into a set of two peavey 4x12 cabinets.In comparison to my jackson rhoads (dimarzio X2n in the bridge and a dimarzio Evolution in the neck)It's obviously much more quiet.No unpleasant hums from the guitar itsself.There's no complaint about the pickups except that they don't have very high output, so unless you've got an amp with some balls you should think about changing them.The overall tone of the guitar is very good for leads.It's got a nice smooth sound.The pickups have more of a mid range which fattens the tone so your leads won't cause people bloody ears.

Well i bought it used and it was in mint condition(still is).No adjustments were madeit was perfect when i got it and it hasn't had a setup in a year and it's perfectly fine.I'm 100% pleased with this guitar.

I've used it contless times and it's absolutely reliable never once hasit given me problems.The guitar plays and functions as if it were new.You don't need a backup with this guitar.

Never needed to contact them, a ten in my book.

I've been playing for nearly 4 yrs now and out of all the high end guitars i've played this is by far the best.It's got a lightning fast neck and access to the higher frets is easy.The frets themselves are super thin and will almost never wear out like on other guitars.The body is ultra light.I'm sure when I put the better parker fly pickups in this guitar it'll be perfect in every aspect.I have no desire to purchase a guitar from another company again(except maybe a carvin 7string because parker doesn't make them:( )

What more could you ask for in a guitar?!? 24 frets, a piezo that can be mixed with the magnetic pickups, a remolo that stays in tune really well and can also be used as a fixed bridge, locking tuners and more. You can read other reviews too for features, but this pretty much sums it up.

Well, this is important to all people who own a guitar. SOUND is the key. I bought my Parker in December of '02 and I had it for a while and started to play it a little more. I loved the guitars playability, but something was wrong. THE SOUND!! GAHH, I was so pissed off. The guitar sounded like shit! The pickups were so tinny, had no balls, low end, not enough output and they plain sucked. The tone sucked from the guitar. Spending like 2 grand on this guitar, it shouldn't sound bad! The piezo sounded great, but the magnetic pickups, no. Ok, heres the deal. I got my guitar modified. Now because of the modification, this is the most amazing sounding guitar, quite possibly the best sounding guitar I've ever used in my life!!! I had a parker made in '98. All the Parkers made before some time in '99 have the older dimarzio pickups which are horrible. The newer dimarzio's arent too much better though. I didn't get new dimarzio's like all the other people. I got something else. SEYMOUR DUNCAN!! Ok, what you should do, if you love your Parker and want an amazing sound from it is contact Ed Roman (www.edroman.com). Ed Roman's shops are the only one's who have the qualifications to do this pickup modification. It costs 239 dollars. The old pickups are replaced by these special seymour duncan black back pickups which are the only pickups seymour duncan makes that I know of that can fit in the guitar correctly. These pickups also are the best pickups seymour duncan makes, they have the highest frequency response so the pickups "hear" more sounds than normal ones and have very very high clarity and an awesome tone. The bridge pickup has a great amount of output, a rich, full, creamy and fat sound and the neck pickup is warm, smooth and just so nice sounding. This pickup mod is what makes the guitar. It sounds literally 10 times better after the mod if not more. Before the mod, I give it a 5, now with it, I give it a 10. The guitar overall gets a little hum because its so thin. I play metal, classic rock, progressive, punk, hard rock, ska, and just about everything. This guitar is extremely versatile and is great for all types of music. I love everything about my guitar now.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory, the action was amazing, It was even in tune practically even though I bought it 4 years after it was made!! The pickups were a great height, but they sucked so I got rid of them. The guitar was flawless!! NO scratches, dents, dings, or anything. Everything was perfect rigth outta the box. Personally, I hate gague 9 strings. I use 10's on the guitar which make it a lot chunkier sounding I think, it just is better for detuning and gives more control over the guitar.

This guitar is built like a rock! I dropped it once when I was polishing the neck on my bed. The guitar was upright and slammed into my bedpost because my hand slipped so I actually pushed in into the post. I thought the guitar was done for, and this is no exaggeration, NOT ONE SCRATCH CHIP OR DENT in the guitar. I was amazed. Ive banged the guitar into a thing or two, its very study and built well. The finish is amazing and won't wear off, it retains its shine and is a real pleasant color. I would gig without a backup anyday. I've never broken a string on it, the light weight of the guitar keeps it from pulling on the strap too much and the strap pins are rock solid and the strap has never fallen off.

I called the company before. I asked a few questions and they are very dependible. The sent me all the info I requested and gave me options on my pickup problem. They were very open to advice and were nice people.

I love this guitar, its different, has an awesome design, looks great on stage and sounds awesome. I wish the seymour duncan pickups came standard, then more people would know how great Parkers are and would want to buy them. Anyone who was turned off by a Parker, you should try to find one with the pickup mod. Go to www.edroman.com to see his two store locations. There's one in Las Vegas, Nevada and the other is in New Fairfield, Connecticut. Im not a rep from either of those companys which it may seem, haha, I'm just a really satisfied customer. I consider Parker, out of everything I've played, the best. Its original which is important and it is just so much better than everything else I've played. I've played 6 grand les pauls, really old and expensive fenders, jacksons, explorers (which I personally like, even though I dislike gibson because they've gotten cheap and slacked off on the quality of their products) PRS guitars which are all machine made unless your buying a 20 thousand dollar custom shop model (PRS has also slacked off and produce products that aren;t has high quality as they were years ago). Don't think this review is to put off gibson or PRS, if I thought their guitars were great, I'd say so. A good match with this guitar, is a Mesa/Boogie. It really brings out the tone of the guitar, since its not digital, but all tube. Parker makes a great guitar, try one.

The guitar is a 1995 model. It has a fixed bridge (they don`t do fixed bridge in stock models anymore). Check for other features in other reviews.

This is the main reason I am writing this review. I have installed the new PHWP1 and PHWP2 pickups from Dimarzio. These new pickups are stock on post-1999 Parker guitars. The difference is huge. The old pickups are the reason these guitars are less popular then they could be. They sound thin and fizzy and give an unpleasent breakup if the amp is on the edge of breakup. The new pickups are a 100% improvement. I can now push my Rivera BM60 a bit over the edge and control everything from the guitar, while before - forget it. The old pickups sounded totaly harsh and thin if you rolled back the volume. I cant say how the guitar compares to other high end guitars out there, since I have not tried any. But I have to say I have finally stopped purchasing expensive stomp boxes and browsing for used amps on ebay since I installed the new pickups. I am happy with the tone now. With the new pickups the Parker may not be your cup of tea exactly sound-wise, but it is musical and sounds good. With the old pickups the rating is 5 (because of the piezzos, magnetics rate 3) but with the new ones I guess it deserves a fair 9.

Everything is superb exept for the cracks at the neck-body joint. I hear this happens to many Parker guitars. But it doesn`t worry me since the neck is as steady as a rock.

The guitar was built in 1995 and it looks like new. There is virtually no fretwear. Although it looks fragile it is very compact. I believe it will last a long time.

They are slow on e-mails but if you get them on the phone they are friendly and helpfull.

After changing the pickups this guitar is definitelly a keeper. They did cost quite a sum because of the customs, shipping and taxes. But for me they were well worth it, since i believe this is a fantastic guitar - it just lacked the sound. Once you get used to the locking tuners, frets that don`t wear out and detune the guitar, steady tuning and great playability it is hard to play anything else.

This is your basic 24 fret Fly Deluxe with vibrato, two humbuckers, three way switch, piezo pickups, etc. etc. Mine is a 1997 - kind of a teal blue which isn't my favorite color. Since I bought it used, the stereo cable was missing, but it was worth getting another. I love the locking tuners (first guitar I've ever had with locking tuners) - the thing is always in tune. I use the vibrato on the down only setting - never takes the guitar out of tune.

The guitar certainly is versatile, but I agree with others that the sound of the humbuckers is a little harsh. I prefer a mellower tone which the Parker doesn't give. I play a lot of blues and classic rock. I just got rid of a Vox AC-15 in favor of a 1967 Fender Princeton Reverb and the Parker was better suited to the Vox (if you can believe that). Running it through a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive set to clean helps out a bit - makes the sound fuller and sweeter. I've found that the middle setting sounds crappy, but the bridge pickup is nice and clear. I do like being able to mix in acoustic sounds and splitting the signal to between an amp and a PA sounds great. I get plenty of sustain out of this thing.

I bought this thing used, but the action was perfect and the condition of the guitar was immaculate. The first couple of times I played, I kept hitting the master volume which was very disruptive, but I got used to where all the knobs and thingamabobs were. I lowered the pickups a bit. The intonation was way off, but this guitar is a breeze to adjust. A couple of small adjustments and everything was perfect. The two best things about this guitar is the weight and the neck. I don't know why so many guitar makers insist on making guitars that top out at nine pounds. I'm not very big and playing all night with a heavy guitar sucks. I just played a wedding with the Parker - six hours of playing and I was ready for more. This thing tops out at a mere 5 pounds. And the neck is like glass - thin as all get out. It's NICE. One comfy guitar. Why be miserable?

In the year I've been playing it, nothing has gone wrong. Even the batteries last a while. I always take a backup, but I've never needed one.

Never needed any repairs, so I've never contacted the company.

I've been playing for 30 years, but I've only gotten serious (and electric) in the last three years. I also have a Japanese tele with Tex Spec pickups, a Japanese strat (that I use exclusively for slide), an Ibanez Artstar, a Martin acoustic electric and a National resonator. It's hard to say which one I like the best because they all have their own sound. If the Parker were lost or stolen, buying another would depend on whether there was anything lightweight on the market that could match the quality of the Parker.

The features have already been more than adequately covered by previous reviewers. What many of them overlook however is the fact that, when the pickup selector is in the middle position, it actually throws the pickups out of phase AND coil-taps both of them. While this is great in that it allows you to get a good single-coil sound a lot like a strat with the mid and neck pickups on, it DOES produce a noticeable loss in signal strength in this position. It's not much of a problem to make up for this by rolling the volume up a bit (you ARE playing with it at about 50%-70%, right? That seems to be the sweet spot for these guitars), it woudl be nice if there were some sort of compensation built into the circuitry of the guitar. Also, it would be nice if each pickup could be switched to single-coil mode independently, rather than only being available as single coils simultaneously. This is not to say that I am not happy with this feature - I love it. It is just that, having heard it, I want to be able to play in single coil mode through the bridge pickup and get more of a strat tone. So, for all of the amazing features, I have to deduct one point. If this guitar had independent coil tapping for each pickup AND gain compensation for the coil tap (adjustable with a mini potentiometer inside, like the one for the piezo pickup) I woudl be very tempted to call it perfect. As it is, one can always just pick up a Nitefly for a more strat-like tone, if it is that big an issue.

See above. It is a great sounding guitar once you learn not to crank it to 10 and leave it there, but I would love to be able to play in single-coil mode through one pickup at a time.

The piezo pickups are stunning as described above. I have gotten a fantastic sound by setting the piezo tone about halfway, the humbuckers' tone all the way down to 0, and mixing them about 70% piezo/30% neck humbucker.

Also noteworthy is the fact that there is a slightly dead note on the 13th fret of the G string. Not a bigg deal - "dead" on this guitar means that you only get 2 or 3 seconds of clean sustain instead of the usual absurd amounts. I had Ken Parker look at it and he said that it is just a minor flaw with the wood, and not much can be done short of hanging weights on the headstock to change the resonant characteristics of the guitar slightly and, hopefully, make the offending harmonic interference move to frequencies BETWEEN the notes of the western scale, so that it would only be a problem when BENDING from that particular fret. I didn't think it was a big enough problem to bother with that. I have never heard of it happening with any other Parker guitar, and since the bad note on my guitar still sounds better than the good notes on most guitars I have played, I don't think it is much of an issue.

ACtion is amazing. I can't imagine being satisfied with any other guitar after having played one of these. There is nothing else like the fretbard and neck on a Parker. I got my guitar from the factory about 6 years ago, and the finish is kind of fragile. According to Ken, they had a lot of trouble getting the environmentally safe finishing materials to behave consistently, and ended up reformulating them a year or so after I bought mine, so it is no longer a problem. Even on mine, the only major cosmetic problem (besides the odd chip, which is my own fault) is that after about three years of playing, a small groove appeared at the seam between the neck and the body. When I first saw it I was afraid that the neck was defective and would be falling off any second, but when I showed it to Ken he assured me that it was because of the unreliable older finishing materials, and thus far that appears to be right - there has been absolutely no trouble with the neck.

One other thing worth noting is that, when in fixed bridge mode, the strings feel nearly one gauge heavier than they actually are. This is supposedly because of the stiffness of the composite shell on the back of the neck, which keeps it from flexing as much as a normal guitar. Anyway, if you like your strings to feel loose, you may have to go down a gauge. Also, the string spacing is a bit wider than many guitars. I like that, but others may not.

Anyway, the feel of the fretboard more than compensates for any other minor cosmetic issues that the guitar may have. In fact, it has ruined me for other guitars.

This thing is bult like a rock, even though it doesn;'t feel like it. Two years ago, at a basement show, I left it leaning against a wall in the corner, in nothing but the standard gig bag that came with it. About halfway through their set, the singer in the band that went on before us jumped off of the drum set and landed face down on top of my guitar. I still cannot believe that it did not snap in half - being propped up by the base of the body and the end of the headstock, and then having a 6'6" drunk man jump on top of it should break ANY guitar. Amazingly, the Parker was not damaged at all, and has played fine ever since.

The only problem I ahve ever had is that recently one end of the first fret seems to have come unglued slightly. It has not moved or raised at all, but every once in a while the high E string will get caught under it, which makes me worry that it will eventually fall off if I do not have it reparied. Since the frets are completely nonstandard, if one were to ever fall off it would probably be a nightmare trying to get it repaired locally. Fortunately the factory is not too far away from me, but that is not the case for most people. Hopefully the new, less expensive line of Parker guitars will encourage more people to try them and Parker will become as popular as it deserves - there is really no reason why these guitars should be any less well known than the Strat or the Les Paul, other than their realative newness.

I have never gone through regular customer support channels, since my family knows Ken Parker, so I have talked to him directly the few times I have needed to. He has always been helpful.

I have been playing guitar for about 12 years now, and have been playing a Parker for nearly six. Nothing else I have ever played comes close, not even a $5000 Paul Reed Smith I tried a couple of years ago. It looked beautiful and sounded great, but compared to a Fly Deluxe it played like a $400 Squier with factory strings. Oddly enough, the only guitar I have played that is comparably playable is the Jerry Jones electric sitar (which is Ironic, since Ken Parker apparently HATES electric sitars). Since getting this guitar, I have never felt a need to buy another high-endsix string, though I still plan to buy a good 12 string someday and occasionally pick up a noname pawnshop guitar if it has an unusual tone. This is the one I play live, practice on, write on, and record 90% of my music on. EVeryone should own one.

most features i'm aware of
locking trem option is nice
stays in tune very well
VERY VERY easy to play

the guitar has many sounds
and they sound very good through acoustic/electric stereo !
very quiet guitar
the fret board is soooo sweet
sooooo easy to play !!! man, effortless !!!!
by far the easiest guitar in the world to play
doesn't have a character sound like the strat
or the FAT les paul sound
but, good enough
i can get a somewhat strat tone with the piezos and distorsion

the best action you could ever want
man, this guitar is sweet
'so easy to play
how can i describe it
when you sit down and play and watch your fingers go up and down the fret board, its like soooooo smooth
just absolute top quality !!!

still running.................
yeah, must be careful with the guitars
if a string breaks do not use the wammy bar
you'll chip the paint behind the bridge
BEWARE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is instrument that needs extra care
but, how sweet

don't know

did talk to a PARKER rep at guitar center
told him about the paint chipping
i actually didn't know what caused it
but had seen many at guitar stores with chip paint
he thought that when the string breaks and a wammy bar is used, that its possible to chip the paint

had many guitars
i must say for playability, nothing is better than this guitar
the sound on the guitar is pretty good
just lacks character
but, in stereo mode, its a whole new experience
but, i still love strat sounds. to bad they're difficult to play compared to parkers. I don't know about U, but i like easy playen guitars. these days,, with all the effect tools, you can almost any sound u want. dats wut i think

Mine is a '98 Italian Plum with tremolo. I give really high marks for the features. (Yeah, I've owned Gibson LP, USA Strat, high-end Ibanez's, etc.) This is my favorite guitar I've ever owned (with my Carvin DC-400 running a close 2nd). The BEST feature of this guitar is the slick composite fretboard combined with those incredible stainless steel frets. My style requires lots of string bending, and there is NOTHING like bending strings on this baby...the fretboard is so "slippery" (in a good way)...many compare it to a feeling of glass. The vibrato system is incredible; blows away a Wilk or a Floyd (no string cutting, and no locking nuts). But I PROMISE you, the tuning does not drift no matter how aggressive you get with it. I also love the feature that gives you the choice of floating, dive-only, or locked (fixed) bridge. The piezo system in fantastic (as everyone else on here says). I've read other complaints about the magnetic pickups, but mine are great. If anything, maybe the bridge pickup is overly hot, but thanks to a very USEFUL tone pot, you can tame it/darken it to sound great. I think most who hate the pickups are probably the guys who just leave the volume and the tone pots cranked to "10" all the time. The Parker is so hot-rodded, you can't always leave it like this, unless you are solely wanting ear-bleed harmonic squeels (which it does quite nicely). Another tremendously good feature is the total lack of a neck heel. My Carvins are also "heel-less" (being neck-thru), but this is different. The neck and body seem to be "one unit", and this is really great when playing in the upper register. It's so light-weight and thin (which alarmed me the first time I strapped it over my shoulder). It felt almost like a toy guitar. But when I plugged it in, brother....and hit that first "A Chord"...I felt the unbridled POWER of this machine. There are a zillion other "little things" that are so precisely put together on my Parker Fly...they just all contribute to perfection (imho). I have never played a guitar that just felt so technically perfect, and I can't really put my finger on why...I think it's the sum of all those "little things", and when each of them is perfect, you can instantly tell you are playing a guitar that is special. My only only complaint in the features section is what many have complained about...the layout of the controls. I, too find myself recording solos which start to lack "punch", and find that I've bumped the master volume. I think Mr. Parker designed it this way to do volume swells with the pinky (which is very easy and effective on this guitar), but still I wish the Master Vol. was out of the way. I can use a volume pedal for swells. The other "baddie" is the pickup selector switch in the worst possible place....where you can't get to it on the fly, and where it's easy to disrupt your tone & volume pots while playing live. These inconvenient control placements knock 1 point off of the "Features" category (but remember, these are minor aggravations, and the incredibility of this instrument makes these very small issues indeed).

I'm running through a POD for recording, and live I use a Peavey Classic 50 tube head through a 4x10 cab. Primarily, I record with the Parker, and I can get it to sound pretty good. When I first got it, I was used to cranking everything to "10" (tone & vol), as that's pretty much how I play other guitars. I was disappointed in the sound of it...it was very brittle and overly-hot (was great for metal and harmonics, but seemed too antiseptic in sound). Well, I started experimenting with the tone & vol pots, and have found that you can get whatever you want from this guitar. Although I was disappointed in the super-hot pickups at first, I quickly became fond of them. They really have a lot of mojo under the hood, and I'm able to play super artificial harmonics effortlessly (which is lots of fun). Pulling back the volume and toying with the tone pot (which is a very useful and colorful tone pot, by the way) allows me to weaken the pickups so that I can get that woody tone that defines the character of the guitar. But (and the best for last....) the thing that blew me away more than anything about the sound of my Parker Fly is the unbelievable sustain. I'm a sustain nut anyway, but this thing just sings forever and ever. The sustain blows away all of my neck-thru guitars, and I mean it blows them away big time! It seems so weird to play a guitar that is so lightweight, and have is sustain for days. I was always told that sustain was a product of a big heavy body with rock-solid, heavy hardware. ha! This little 3 pound guitar makes those ball 'n chain heavy Les Pauls blush in the sustain department! OK, enough on this...just remember that a Parker Fly is a sensitive and versatile guitar, and it needs to be adjusted tone-wise to get what you want. If you turn everything up to 10 all the time, you will be disappointed...if you utilize the great electronics that Ken Parker has installed, you will be in tone heaven. When I listen back to some of my recordings, it's sheer ear candy (not my playing, but the Parker's vast array of tones). Oh...and the Piezo gets a "10" too! Won't go there...not enough time.

I bought mine used, so can't comment on factory setup. Mine was perfect when I got it...set up for .009's (which is what I use). Whomever had it before me had is set up identical to the way I set up my guitars, so I changed nothing, except raised the strings a tiny tad to facilitate nice clean string bending. The finish was good, tiny pick scratches that all guitars will get if you play 'em. One small ding at the back of the headstock...seems that the guitar is covered with some kind of a "skin". So the ding sort of "breaks" the skin so-to-speak. The paint or 'skin' didn't chip off, but resembles a flake of paint that chipped off and was glued back on. That's not what happened...but that's what it looks like when you ding the exoskeleton of a Parker. No biggie. The rest is great...pretty purple color (Italian Plum)....looks black in my room, but transforms into ethereal purple under the lights! Only complaint about the "fit" is that the horn on the upper bout digs into your chest when you play while sitting down, and that starts to hurt. But put on a strap, stand up, and you are playing an ergonomic wonder! Once again, I must address how precise and wonderful the fretboard and frets are! There truly is no guitar that feels so precise in your hands. I can honestly say that I am able to play certain fast passages on this guitar that I always botch-up when I play them on any other guitar. Hard to describe why....just sooooo precise! This coupled with the unbelievable tremolo system causes me to give this high marks. (I would take off a point for the inconvenient control placement, but I already allowed for this in the first category). I'll give a 10 for this category.

Well, when I first got this guitar, I thought it was a wimpy, wussie thing. Mainly because it's so light, and thin...frail-looking. But I was wrong...it's ROCK SOLID. The technology that Ken Parker utilizes makes this possible. I think that the exoskeleton "skin" will look unsightly if you are careless and bang it up. But I do not think that this guitar will fail me as far as reliability. The hardware is great stuff (Sperzel tuners, and that amazing piezo/vibrato bridge). The tremolo arm is octagonal, not round, which makes it fit like an allen-wrench into the bridge orifice. Very cool...and very Strong too! I see no problems in this department except the battery going out, and having to get a screwdriver to change it. No big deal! Everything else seems rock-solid!

N/A...bought it used. Never contacted the company.

I've been playing guitar for about 25 years, and have owned many high-end guitars. Most of my recordings are in the vain of Joe Satriani's style...instrumental rock guitar. I run through a Line6 POD, and Alesis Quadraverb, and an Alesis 3630 Compressor. I usually record "direct to disk" (seldom mic my amp). I've had this Parker for about 6 months now, and it is the first guitar I reach for every time I play/practice. If it were stolen, I would simply HAVE to have another one. I'm thinking of getting a Parker Fly Classic to compliment this one. The things I love about it are the incredible sustain, the glassy smoothness of the frebobard & frets (just can't say enough about that), and the tremendously good vibrato system. The light weight, the heel-less neck joint, and of course the incredibly convenient Sperzels. What I don't like about it are the inconvenient control placements, and the way the upper horn digs into my chest when I play seated. Other than that, this guitar is brilliant. Of all the guitars I've ever owned or played, this is my favorite (despite the above mentioned annoyances). Parker Fly guitars are not cheap, but there really is nothing else like them (at least nothing I've ever played).

Read any of these reviews and you can see an extensive list of the features of this guitar, so I'll just list a couple of my favorite. The shape and weight, it's so comfortable and so light, you hardly know it's there until you hit a note and boom off you go. The trem is really the best I have ever touched, and I've played them all. The only thing I would like to compare it to is a Steinberger trem, for God's sake they sell them for $700, just for the trem, they might be really good! The Piezo sounds great, but has too much high end. This is inherent in all Piezo's but easliy fixed on the Parker in two ways. One the small gain control inside the control cavity makes a large difference on output and you can just roll the tone back and out it comes. It really does sound better than most cheap and medium priced acoustics, but lacks the body and resonance on a good high end acoustic. All in all, this guitar can do just about everything you could ask it to do and it does it extremely well. The only complaint that I have is that you need a screwdriver to get the battery out, although a coin might pass, it would have been nicer to have a latch or clip type batter compartment.

Parker's guitars all sound different and the only different thing about the Fly's is the type of wood they used. I recently visited the factory with a friend and they really do put equal work and quality into each guitar they make. This is interesting, cause the overall design of the guitar is so solid that just this one element is all they need to change to get the guitar to sound different. I have two Parkers this and a Supreme and they sound very different. My deluxe is a little brighter actually, which is strange cause most people associate maple (the supreme) to be bright, which it is, but maple is also probably the most balanced wood so it makes a smoother tone as well. I can tend to actually get a little heavier sounds with my deluxe. But depending on my amp setup and pickup/tone configuration, just about every sound I need is there.

I have seen some complaintes here, and it boggles me. I have played probably over 50 of these guitars and never came accross one that had anything wrong with it. Mine was perfect from the factory and it was made in 95. And still looks near mint. I would not be surprised if many of you who have had problems bought these off the rack at a local store, and that is where the problem is, doubtful (although I don't say impossible) that the problem was from Parker. This is by far the fastest and smoothest fretboard you have ever played too. It feels like playing on glass. Seriously, it is extremely easy and fast to play.

These are lightweight and for that reason I think they should be treated with care. Although most people seem to suggest that they can take abuse. But I say, why should you abuse your guitar. If you are a musician then you care about music and without your guitar you have no music so take care of it. The one amazing point with this instrument is tuning. These guitars are incredible tuning wise. Currently I have my deluxe tuned down to C and I didn't even bother to adjust the setup. It feels and plays almost identitcal to E and whats better is, it virtually never and I mean never goes out of tune. Really an amazing feat. And since it has sperzels tuning and restringing is a breeze. One of the coolest features is the stop in the bridge so if you have it set right and you say are playing with it as a floating trem and you break a string, no sweat, push the bridge selector down and boom all of your strings are still in tune, perfect!

The guys at Parker have been nothing but helpful to me, and they will work to fix your problem. They are still a relatively small company so that might come into play sometime. I have not had one complaint about my guitar, but they seem to really stand behind their work.

Overall...these are the best guitars made today. They are almost completely hand made and stand up in every category to whatever you can throw at them. I have never seen one PRS, Gibson, Fender, etc etc that could stand up to them. I have 12 guitars and these are my favorite to play. There are some things I like about other guitars more for instance I love the feel of the neck on my Ibanez Jem 10th Anniversary but the neck on the parker is equally a great neck just different. These guitars kill, if I had to have one guitar to play everything this would be it. Not to mention, I personally think they are the coolest looking guitars made, with a close second being Gus Guitars (a very cool and outlandish English company, check them out too). All in all terrific!

Features galore. humbuckers and a piezio. One of the best trmeolos i have ever used. Very light and comfortable with stainless steel frets.

Sound is pretty good. I thought it was the best I had heard for rock till I got my Wolfgang archtop. Big complaint here, when you combine the front and rear hums together, it falls on its face. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SOUND. I called parker about it and they sent me to dimarzio and they told me to buy new demarzio pickups. Hmmmmmmm.

Action was pretty good. Did have to do some set up on it. But the finish. OH MY GOD. Worst paint job in the business. My guitar has stress cracks all over it. If it hits anything, BOOM, instant chip. I called Parker about the cracks. For what I paid for this guitar this should not happen. They told me if I would ship it to them they would take a look at it and call me back with a price. PRICE MY ASS. For what these things are new, you need to fix this for free. This is a flaw on their part, not mine. The stress cracks are inherent to the guitar. Everyone I know who has one has cracks in the finish. This is not acceptable, period. All the knobs are in the wrong place. I constantly hit the master volume while strumming and the damn selector switch for the pickups is under every thing else. So if you need to switch pickups on the fly forget about. Worst design on a guitar i have ever seen.

Has been a good unit. I can rely on this unit eventhough it looks like I drag it to every gig behind the truck. Finish just sucks.

SUCKS. Yeah they will help you for a premium price.

I give it a six. It does play well and it is dependable with a good sound. Finish and service killed this score.

This guitar is full of features. From blending peizo and magnetic pickup sounds to having a fixed/strat style vibrato/or full floating bridge. A carbon fibre fretboard with stainless steel frets, etc. etc.

One of the few problems with this guitar is that the humbuckers are pretty lame. They are made by DiMarzio but I'm sure that DiMarzio has some better model pickups than what shipped with this guitar. Pretty plain sounding humbuckers but the piezo system sounds incredible - when you blend the two types of pickups you can get a very thick humbucking sound with the tone rolled almost all the way off and yet maintain some clarity by mixing in a bit of the acoustic pickups. Very versatile with regards to the types of tones you can get but they really should have put in some magnetic pickups that could stand up a little more on their own.

Incredible. This guitar does not go out of tune. The intonation barely ever needs adjustment. I'll put design elements in this catagory: The volume knob is not situated well - it's not uncommon to bump it while you're playing and either disappear entirely or come screaming to the front. I don't know how to describe the other design flaw - if you play really hard on the top 4 strings (say with your eyes closed and you're leaning way back) and then go to do a leadline on the first string you say &^^$(*#! where did the first string go? Well, guess what, it didn't break but it's trapped and stuck under the edge of the neck pickup and you have to pull it out and miss the first bar of your solo.

It is reliable - it will withstand live playing. The hardware is top notch (except the pickups). The finish is incredible, like hard candy. NEVER play without a backup unless you want to get fired alot. Don't have to use the backup for any reason other than broken strings.

Never had to use them. When you do want to get it set up take it to a licensed parker dealer. Don't take it to your regular guy becasue it's not a regular guitar.

I've been playing for more than 10 years and have owned strats, les pauls, and various other guitars - while each type of guitar has it's own personality, application and feel, this one feels the best overall. I think if you get used to driving a Ferrari you have trouble going back to a volkswagon - while volkswagons are good they just can't do the same things. If it were stolen I would replace it immediately without hesitation. It plays great and is reliable, I might replace the pickups and bitch some more about the volume knob but it's plusses far outweigh the minuses.

Ive got a late ninetys dark green parker the paint in awsome , its got the tremalo. Made from bass wood i belive and carbon glass . its got sperzel locking tuners and a gig bag.

The sound in my opnion i the best thing ive had a few guitars a couple PRS's some strats annd les paul and a Moore. I think that over all this is the most versital guitar ive ever played... its best decribed by Ed Roman he says the reason people dont like these is the dont know how to use them i belive thats the truth ... if you get a sales man whos not a guitar center dumass he may know how to tweek it and get it to sound great ..it has a rich palot of sounds that can be accessed and used.

By far when Ken Parker was creating this guitar he thought about people like me who want a accurate guitar ....becasue of the carbon fiber and the stainless steal frets its like playing on glass its allmost hard to play a nickel sliver fret after you go to the parker.

This is a problem have not had but ive read some things like mine fell apart but the guys i know who have one have had no problems ay all..

NA

If i got it stolen i whould beat the person who stole it with a heavier guitar and the get a new parker

1994 fly deluxe; gray finish. otherwise, you probably know everything else about this model RE its features...

the big selling point of course: the endless varieties of tones. a great pair of humbuckers (dimarzios) and the most state-of-the-art piezo anywhere. i've used at gigs as an electric, and at other gigs where i need an acoustic plugged-in/piezo tone. versatile, with a V.

totally clean; no problems. of course, it looks amazing.

seems plenty solid. the gig bag is very heavy duty, so it is well protected. at first appearance, because of its amazingly thin and light body, it might seem to be fragile, but so far, it shows no signs of being wimpy. use it mostly for gigs with a jazz/fusion band.

only had one contact--to verify instrument's model and age (bought it used), and they responded promptly.

the first time i saw a fly, i thought it looked flat-out weird. i happened to see pat martino performing on one several years back, and as a result, decided that they might be good instruments after all! anyway, the first time i picked one up, it fit me like a glove--an unreal comfort and ease of playability, coupled with the eye-catching design and the rainbow of tones, make this (along with a carvin fatboy) the best new electric design in years. i was very lucky to get it for the price i paid, and that was a bonus.

all the usual

great sound covers all bases

well made, finish is easily damaged

Absolute crap. It is fundamentally flawed. All my frets started to come off. The idea of gluing frets doesnt work. They replaced them but I had to cover the enormous shipping costs both ways. This has to be one of the biggest dissapointments of my life

see above

Tuners are great. It's very lightweight and well balanced. Great if your playing a long gig. Piezo system makes it very versatile. Fretwork is top notch but not well marked for finding your way around. The battery enclosure is poor design and having to have a battery is understandable but a nuisance. My battery connector has broken and one of the threaded the anchors broke loose from the body. Pain.

The electric pickups are not warm or versatile. My opinion is they sound like crap compared to any other solid body I've played. Maybe OK, if you like to play Pop styles. Doesn't seem to matter if I'm using effects such as Digitech RP6, GT3, or TS9 or going straight into my Mesa Boogie. The piezo system is what makes it. I wish I could have this on my other guitars. Give the Piezo a 10 and the magnetic pickups a 2 maybe.

Action is pretty good, the overall build is high quality. Hardware used is top notch (except for magnetic pickups). My Parker is the Italian Plum dark purple color and finished quite nicely.

Besides having to replace the battery on occasion, the overall guitar has been solid.

I've been playing many different guitars for over 25 years and bought it because I fell in love with the Piezo system. I did not particularly like the body design, too George Jetson for my taste. After playing it for a year and trying to find a way to make the magnetic pickups sound decent, I've decided to move on. I think if they would have used some decent humbuckers, I may been more favorable. The overall quality is pretty good and the sounds it does make for being so light is good. The lightweight body design is innovated and futuristic. Nice on this old man's back. I think I'll stick with the classics. The piezo system is cool, but not enough to make it my everyday favorite.

If you are reading this review, you already know the features of the Parker Fly. Dual humbuckers, piezo, composite fretboard, stainless steel frets. I bought my guitar used, approx 4 yrs old, from a professional musician. I am also a working musician ... this guitar has a lot of road miles on it, but you'd never know it to look at the frets. Not an ounce of wear on them!!!

I play everything from Patsy Cline to Ricky Martin, and everything in between. I need versatility, and this guitar has it. I run two wireless units from the stereo output, sending the electric p/u to a Peavey TubeFex processor, then into the board, and sending the piezo p/u straight to the board. Not a lot of processing (I can't afford all the gear!!) I have absolutley no complaint about the sound quality. You get exactly what you'd expect from the humbuckers. The piezo p/u requires a bit of eq'ing to add some bass, and cut the treble a bit, but that could simply be a function of my board and speaker set up. It is a small problem, easily fixed.

This guitar was bought used. I took it to my favourite luthier, who happens to be a Parker dealer, and he RAVED about it!!! He simply replaced the strings, adjusted the bridge, checked the electronics and gave it back to me ... after keeping it for two days so HE could have fun playing it for a while!!! This guitar NEVER goes out of tune, keeps perfect intonation. I never use the whammy, so I keep the bridge locked down.

The colour is Antique Gold ... really classy looking. My only beef with this guitar is that the master volume knob is in the wrong place ... I keep hitting it, and losing volume. I am constantly checking the knob, to make sure it is properly set. A bit distracting at times.

This guitar has seen a lot of gigging, and although I NEVER play without a back up, I have never needed it. The fret board appears new, there is so little wear on it. The knobs are all solid, the hardware is in tip top shape. The finish looks good, but then I make sure to wipe it down after every session.

no opinion ... not needed.

If this guitar gets stolen, first I will track down the miserable SOB who took it, and gut him with a spoon, then go out and buy myself a new one to play while I spend my days in prison!!! The fast action, and light weight of this guitar make it a dream to play. The tonal capabilities add another dimension. I looked at the Godin LGX, and although I already own a Godin SD (and love it ... can't beat it for the price), I decided the Parker was the way to go, despite its higher price. Undoubtedly, my favourite feature is the weight of this guitar. I play a lot of shows, and used to get a sore neck and back .. no more!!!

I believe mine was made in 97. It's Italian Plum colour, Two Dimarzio Humbuckers, Piezo pickup in Trem bridge. Piezo is active and controlled by dual pot which is both volume and tone. The humbuckers have a separate volume and tone control. There is also a master volume control. A small switch near the jack socket switches between stereo or mono out. The battery replacement could be a bit fiddley during live gig but not too dificult. Georgeous neck and fingerboard. The whole guitar oozes quality and attention to detail.

I play in a church music group where we play music of all sorts of styles. I play through a sansamp GT2 into a Zoom acoustic pedal and then straight into a p.a system. The piezo acoustic sound although a bit different from a 'real' acoustic is still excellent. It produces very crisp bass notes and sounds very musical. The humbuckers I generally use through the sansamp set to an overdriven 'californian' or 'tweed' tone which sounds very good but not any better than any other rock guitar. I would say the bridge pickup could do with a bit more beef. Apparantly Dimarzio do various pickup options for Parker guitars. With both humbuckers on together it is actually wired for single coil and sounds a bit like a strat. Combine this with the piezo and you get a sound that is unlike any other guitar very musical. I would say that it is impossible to get a bad sound from this guitar. For my style of music, I would say this is the perfect guitar to have.

The action is very low but you can't get it ultra low without a bit of buz (at least on mine anyway. The nut has a slight gap under the base side (maybe they all do). The tuning pegs are very very stable and the whole thing stays in tune excellently. Very high quality finish.

This guitar is made for live playing. The first time I played seriously was during a worship time in a church. It felt like I'd had it for years, very friendly. Although it is very light it seems solid enough. I do use it without a backup, no problem. Make sure the strap fits tightly onto the strap buttons though.

Only contacted Parker by e-mail and got a very prompt reply.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years and had all sorts of guitars. I've played in various bands playing all kinds of music (except Jazz). This Parker Fly is the best guitar I've ever owned and I would definitely have another one. It's just too versatile to be ignored and too comfortable too put own. The neck actually helps you play better, so fast.

Tons of features. I would have put coil tapping/phase/series in addition to the three way selector. The tremolo design is incredible. my tremolo arm is loose but the plans/schema are GENIOUS. Hats off to the tension adjust knob and the springless spring - fucking brilliant.

Not the best...not the worst. The piezo is great for acoustic...7.5. The electric guitar blows...2.5. The humbuckers suck. The E string pole peices respond weaker and different to the other pole pieces. I would change them IF I COULD. You can't adjust the height very well. Have a buzz on the high E caused by a twisting neck. Mine might be the worst one ever. The fingerboard sounds very cold. I mostly play my own instruments though...built by me and they are far superior in tone (w/ gibson, lace and duncan pickups).

This is definitely a players guitar. My neck is twisting cause of the diagonal truss rod. I have played really good ones though and they are 10's...but beware. I am not a fan of the composite fingerboard. The fretwork is awesome. Finish is strong. The knobs are in all the wrong places...I bump the master all the time. the top cutaway (if you call it that) digs into my chest. The fact that it is light is a huge plus considering my bad back. That is actually why I got it. I am currently working on a couple guitars that are superlight and are going to take its place.

It is pretty tough. See above about the neck twisting. also the tremolo arm is loose. I haven't looked too far into this but it is annoying. battery life can haunt you if on a gig.

super nice and responsive.

I'm not really sure...I have played others that are great but mine sucks. If you get a good one w/ no problems...fantastic. I am going to send mine back.

yeah, well i don't even know where to start. you see this parker, you set it on your lap and put your fingers on the fretboard ... something strange happens. i swear, it plays itself. THERE IS NO THOUGHT PROCESS IN PLAYING A PARKER FLY DELUXE!!! it's the most amazing thing i've ever touched. if you just started playing like 2 weeks ago, you'll be able to play Eruption on this thing without a problem (possible exaggeration). you get what i mean. oh yeah, and they look incredible also ... i see no flaws in it at all

uh huh. go buy one if you have the money, cause you won't regret it EVER. unfortulately, i don't have the money ... care to send some so i can purchase one? helados@aol.com to email me if you have any questions at all. thanks everyone. *go buy a parker*

Hella features is tight on this mutha hoe. Scraight up tight wit all dem nobs. 4 uh dem an 2 switches (not as good as my phat 16 switches).
7 pickup configerations wit all possible tonal goods. Zarkie cheats people out of money. He ain't tight, my brutha son. Parker gots it wit me got the majik blue color. Dat one is scraight droppin you, man. Its all hella tight.

Sounds like Zarkie Jarkie Joe crying as I peed on his daughters butt. Au foe! The sound is smooth and solid through my Marshall amp. That amp has got hella goad. Gode front panel, goad knobs, goad back speakers. Sit dats tight. It also sounds good through a vacuum cleaner on the east stairs of Zarkies after they got melted by green egg smoke.

Everyting was scraight good. I got mine used for 11 hunneds, and its all good. Them uther gitars Ise got ain't all that compared to my blue Parker. Them fretboards are tight like East Thursday unda Natural Bridge in Saint Louis Mo. Nofe side.,/?@#$^%*(_+*! The Custom Parker bidge is like my 3 goad teeth: Performs Great. All them strings in tune at all time, my brutha son. Girl, I look good. Shoo. Zarkie in Saint Louis ain't tight, doe. He gone ripped my brutha off. But he got Green egg smoked for it. Equal trade. And as they say in my Nofe Ghetto, "Equal trade, Equal rights, my Equalibrium hodes!"

Dat fretboard is tight and sturdy as Zarkie's Daughter's Butt wich I just peed on. I depend on it au hell.


TRUE

"neva delt, neva felt"



TRUE

No mo to say. Goes and gets yo's self ones uh dees mutha hoes! Greatest guitar ever available. TRUE. Zarkie Jarkie Joe likes his little boys almost buzzing. Like his strings. Dateg has a very tight sound wit them new drums them has been emplaying into their contraversial LEGAL TERRORRISM style of music. They are hittin big with their 26th album in their trilogy. Their latest style is scraight relating to the anguishing pains of this fella in my crib named Mr. Go. He's got terrorrism in his head but the broccoli ain't knockin at his door, it ya catch my sayin. TRUE. He be who I quote here . For Real. Zarkie will recieve the greatest amount of Legal Terrorrism as anyone.

DATEG will conquer all cribs and ghettos.

This is a 24 stainlss steel fret(oh so smooth) guitar with 2 DiMarzio humbuckers and the Parker tremolo bridge. Sperzel locking tuners with a thin neck with a very usable radius. Mine came with a hard case because the store had an extra and the guitar was on clearence. Italian Plum color, basswood neck and I believe tha body is poplar, but I am not sure. This thing also has the piezo elements for the acoustic sound. Controls are layed out a little cramped. Master volume, magnetic volume, tone, piezo volume and tone. The pickup selectors are a little difficult to get at when you have to switch quickly, but as with anything you get used to it and move on.

I play contmporary christian worship for our church worship team. Stuff like Third Day, Delirious, Matt Redman, etc... Th reason I bought this guitar was for the versatility. I use this with a Digitech RP 2000 and a Morley PWA (wah). Extremely quiet in all settings. The only noise I have ever heard is from the RP 2000's phaser setting, and it was the RP 2000's fault. I run the piezo line to a separate channel because the piezos are run through a preamp in the guitar, and the Digitech is a preamp. The 2 together do not work. 2 preamps make for a very sharp sound. If I had an acoustic preamp that theory would change, but it sounds better in a separate channel. The acoustic sound is a little unforgiving to not fretting a chord 100% properly. It will buzz when you don't nail that chord, but if you add some chorus and such it takes away some of that. I like the acoustic sound, kind of different but truly usable if you set it correctly. The dimarzios are great. Neck is very blusey, bridge has definite attack. Middle position splits the buckers into singles. This sound is VERY stratishly clean. Good change of pace. All setting are very distinct, no problem telling if you have chnaged settings.

Set up was good. The composite fiber wrap makes the truss rod just a strings guage change adjustment. I changed the strings from .009 to .010. The difference in the deeper tone is great. The guitar is made perfectly. No blemishes. Hardware is solid. This guitar will last a long time. Don't let the light weight fool you. Carbon composite materials have the strength of metals but let the wood sing out. This thing is built so well that when you strike a chord the whole guitar vibrates as if it is breathing. It is life-like in its responsiveness.

Tough as nails. Like I said, composites have the strength of metal, but are thin and lightweight. Tuners(locking) and other hardware are superior. Strap buttons are solid, but I will be changing to strap locks because I play often and straplocks are just a good idea. I HAVE gigged without a backup for almost a year now. This guitar is even easy on strings. Granted I use .010's and I change them every 2 weeks, but I still have NEVER broken a string yet. Finish is good, doesn't seem as thick as others, but seems more resistant to scratching.

Don't remember how long the warranty lasts. Every time I have ever e-mailed them they have responded the same day. I e-mailed a TON. Before I spent $1500 I was going to make sure I knew everything about this guitar. I was alwys received with courtesy.

I have been playing since I was 14 but I stopped for about 6 years before I was asked to play in church(I am 26). I also own a Washburn JB100 Jennifer Batten signature model and a Seagul S6. This is the best guitar I have ever felt. VERY balanced and lightweight and the most versatile guitar I could find that excited me. If it were lost or stolen I would have to wait forever to get another because of the price, but I would make sure I got one. Just easy to play. I have seen other guitars priced as much or more and they are not equal value. This is by far the best made guitar I have seen and held. Ernie Ball is another great company but the neck radius didn't feel right and Fender and Gibson are NOT worth the prices they charge. You can get copies and change the pickups and hardware and have the same product while saving $$$. There is only 1 Parker. Get one!!

Many many reviews below list the features. There isn't any guitar out there that does more than a Parker. Mine is finished in Antique Gold. <p>A lot of people say these look weird, but this guitar is the favorite of my girlfriend and my brother, and I was awfully fond of it as well. In this case, one person's weird is my beautiful.

This note definition on this guitar is incredible. You can turn the gain way up and still hear every note in a chord. The versatility is amazing. You can get everything from a very creditable acoustic sound to a nice Rick jangle to AC/DC crunch to...you dream it, and you can probably find a good approximation on this guitar.<p>As a side note, some very good guitar player friends and I went into a music shop and did an A/B test between a Fly Deluxe and a PRS Custom 24 through a Marshall JCM 2000, and the Fly just had a deeper, and to our ears, all around better tone than the PRS. I'm not saying that these guitars were representative of every Parker and every PRS, but I think that if other people did this, they might be surprised.

I purchased this guitar used, but it is absolutely flawless. There isn't even a pick scratch on it. Other people seem to have had some problems with the action, but in my experience, music seems to go straight from my brain to the amp bypassing my fingers entirely. It's a strange feeling.
<p>This guitar is built every bit as well as the PRSes and McInturff's I've had. I'm very picky, but I have nothing but praise for the build quality.

The one problem I've seen with these guitars is that the paint seems to come off the guitars in chips. Otherwise, I don't see anyone wearing through the paint, not in one lifetime at least. As for gigging, since I'm not, I'll defer to the other reviewers.

I don't know as I haven't had to deal with them. I saw that one of the early reviewers mentioned Parker not having a strong web presence. Well, that certainly has changed. Check it out: <a href:"http://www.parkerguitars.com">http://www.parkerguitars.com</a>

I've been playing for about 16 years now. Among other instruments, I own or have owned a PRS Custom 22, a PRS Standard 22, a McInturff Polaris Pro, a McInturff Monarch, an Epi Les Paul, and a lot of other stuff. This Fly rates with the best of them in tone and is a step above any of them in terms of playability. It truly is an amazing guitar. I suspect it's not for everyone, but if you're planning to fork out in excess of $1000 for a guitar, do yourself a favor and try one of these out.

The Parker tremolo-system. Piezo pickup. Two Dimarzio humbuckers witch sounds very well. One 3-way selector for the humbuckers, and another 3-way selector for no piezo, piezo and humbucker or just the piezo pickup. The selectors are placed very uncomfortable (behind the volume and tone knobs.) Mine guitar is black. Active electronics with one battery.

The guitar sounds vary good to me. I am basicly a shred-player with really fast picking, string-skipping etc. I play alot John Petrucci and Steve Vai, and the guitar sounds very well. I also play some jazz and it sounds good, but i use 010-046 and that is too thin for a real good jazzguitar sound.

I bought my guitar rom a friend of my father, and think the set-up was just great, but i do not know how it was when it came from the factory.

I have played live a tons of times and the guitar is great. I do not have a backup with me, and that is no point either when you play Parker. I have had some problems with the input, so I had to buy a new from the states. It was pretty expensive.

I had to change the input because it became very nisy. It took for around a week to get the input from the states. I live in Norway, and that is a long trip.

I am fifteen years old an have been playing for about 3-4 years. I really loves this guitar. I also have a french-made Lag guitar wich is also very nice, and a Fender Lonestar Strat. I am not a big Fender fan, but i like the sound of the Texas-special singlecoils. My amp is a Carvin 100-Watt tube amp. The Parker works really great on this amp, and after a gig people comes to me and says that i have a really godd sound in my guitar.Now I am trying to get enoughf mony to buy a Triaxis rack with Simul Class 2:90 and a Rack fx. I also have a Nady Wireless.