Parker Guitars NiteFly IV

1999, SSH Dimarzio's with Fishman Piezo saddles.. Darn versatile, only thing it doesn't do is make sandwiches.

Haven't had the chance to plug it in yet. Bought it to fill the void while I'm out of town and away from my G & L Legacy. Very resonant unplugged though.

Shim city. Hooorrbible setup. Expensive butt scratcher. Strings weren't even close to parallel with the fingerboard. A few business cards jammed in the neck socket and a new nut later it played smoothly. I bought it in a hurry, but wouldn't of bought it if I had noticed the setup. To its credit, you can adjust the bridge up and down as well as its angle of tilt... All these angles and it still played like a washbasin bass.

Haven't gigged with this thing, not convinced I'm gonna keep it yet. Has carbon fibre fingerboard and seems to hold nicely together for a flimsy looking axe. Finish scratched quite easily however.

Every time you call Ken Parker an angel gets its wings.

In the past 8 years I've played a ton of Parkers and love them all dearly.. except for this one. I bought it biased by my previous experience with these guitars, however the horrible action on this guitar was a real flick on the grapes. My old mexican strat blew this puppy away, and that's saying something seeing as the bridge was crooked. I really hope this is an isolated incident, but if someone stole this guitar and I caught up to them I'd probably just ask if they had any gum.

1997 made in USA 22 frets normally(!) volume tone 5 way selector s/s/h plus bridge piezo. All pups were Dimarzio custom made. See other reviews for full spec - I sold this guitar nearly two years ago.

I play blues and rock, at the time of owning the Nitefly I was playing through a JCM 800 combo. The overall tone with all but the piezo pup was a glassy soulless sound unsuited to rock and especially blues. The piezo pup sounded like an amplified acoustic using a piezo - bloody awful to my ears. Didn't use it often. Output from single coil pickups was powerful enough to overdrive the amp - my squier strat sounded thin and scratchy by comparison. The humbucker wasn't too overpowering but was short on distinctive tone. Not the sort of tones that make you want to wig out and solo endlessly.

I bought the guitar in a rush and on the basis of good reviews in the UK guitar press. Slightly high action made bending strings very easy, but reduced the speed I could achieve. Main problem was loose frets - after a couple of days I noticed that the 3rd and 5th frets were loose at the high E end of the fret board. This took Parker 6 months to rectify. Shortly after the warranty period expired, the 2nd fret started to come loose. I decided to give up on the Nitefly at this point and traded it in for a Les Paul.

No Strat style problems with the bolt on neck or pick up selector, but those loose frets did my head in. The supplied cable broke up pretty quickly too.

Far too much time taken to fix the frets back in and not much help from emailing them - "ooh, never heard of that happening before" was Parker's response and a dead end route suggested for further enquiries. The Nitefly's tone is too uninspiring to go to so much trouble. I am much happier with my burstbucker equipped Les Paul.

I had been playing for about 17 years when I bought the Nitefly. I wish I had taken more than 15 minutes when judging the guitar in the shop. It doesn't have a bad tone or an ugly sound, it just sounds glassy and short on harmonic overtones - there isn't a lot of colour to the sound, which I put down to the neck material or maybe Dimarzio pick ups.

My NiteFly was made in the U.S.A. 1998. It has a beautiful translucent blue finish. Alot of features (already mentioned)are on this guitar. Pickups include S/S/H plus the Piezo. The Piezo is supposed to sound like an AMPLIFIED acoustic guitar and, it does. All the features make this a well rounded guitar in regards to tone.

The variety of sounds is where this guitar shines. Play Acoustic, 5 way switch combination on a S/S/H config, or blend them both. I tried different strings, but the D'addario they come set up with seem the best choice. I almost changed the bridge pickup untill I realized that I could get the tone I wanted with the right effects. The Piezo pickup sings through Carvin's acoustic amp.

I bought the guitar used, so I can't blame the factory for the setup. It had a fret buzz on the low E because the way the action was set up. This guitar was easy to adjust. The only complaint would be that the nut was grooved for the high E string to close to the outside edge, resulting in the string sliding off the fret board at times.

With all the features from the stainless fretwires to the spierzel tuners it is obvious that this guitar was made to play. This guitar seems very durable and dependable.

I emailed customer support and they responded quickly. They where very helpfull.

I have been playing on and off for about 20 years. I have played and owned all the major brands and all things considered the Parker is an excellent choice. My only other complaint would be the gig bag. I prefer a hard shell case for protection. If you want a very playable guitar that suits many styles of music, then play a Parker.

Graphite trussrod, rock basswood neck encased in composite finish, strong bolt = indestructable.

This post is for Anonymous of the latter.

Here's the deal: The NVFIV can take up to at least, that's right, .013's!!! The graphite truss rod, etc. are built to withstand some torturous tension. I have used flatwound .012's on mine (that's to .054), and was able to set the action up really nicely thanks to the Parker's easy set up feature.

Like I said, solidness all around.

Great guitar. If 'Anonymous" reads this post after 2+ years, try the guitar with heavy strings, it's fun.

These are covered in the other reviews. Standard s/s/h configuration with Piezo offers tremendous diversity and flexibility. Came with Piezo stereo-out cable. This guitar stands out from the crowd.

I like a single coil pickup in the neck. Humbuckers just tend to be too muddy (but they're ideal for the bridge). I string this guitar with .10/.46s and I find I can play just about any style of music.

I play rhythm guitar in our band. The stereo-out cable allows me to set up two amps - one EQed for clean and another EQed for a little overdrive and compression. I then run 2 2 X 12 cabinets out of each amp - my own take on Phil Spector's "Wall of sound" idea. The Parker lets our band sound like we are playing both an acoustic and a rhythm guitarists at once.

I have no trouble over-driving any amp with this guitar. I very much prefer pickups that have a little less output but have a better tonal spectrum. I love the Parker's sound so much that I sold my natural ash finish American Standard Stratocaster. (More on this later.)

22 years of playing have also taught me that a Strat design does best with a humbucker in the back, and that means Nite Fly IV. The bridge humbucker can not be so powerful that it totally drowns out your middle position single coil. The Nite Fly is perfectly balanced.

I had a beautiful natural ash finish American Standard Strat with a rosewood fingerboard. It had the standard three single coil set up. It was an absolutely beautiful instrument that was well put together, but I played it side by side to the PARKER. I think the Parker with its single coils gives a fuller sound with more bottom end than the Strat. The Strat definitely had a brighter and thinner sound. I sold the Strat and kept the Parker. No regrets about that!

Sound wise, I love what this guitar does. I would not change a thing!

All parts appear to be of exceptionally good quality. The Nite FLy IV came with .09/.42s. Being the rhythm guitarist, I usually go with .10/.46s or .11/.48s on solid bodies and .11/.48s or .12/.50s on hollow bodies. I went with .10/.46s on this one. I did have to tighten/adjust the truss rod, but nothing more than what you would expect. The guitar feels good and plays very well with the .10/.46s. Also, the heavier strings definitely give the Piezo a better sound. With light strings, it tends to sound tinny and way too bright.

I prefer set neck guitars. From 22 years of playing - usually with heavier gauge strings than what the average 14 year old metal head uses - I have seen too many cases of heavy gauge + bolt on neck = problems. My instincts tell me that this guitar could take heavier strings just fine, but my paranoid gut feeling tells not to push my luck on a guitar that looks to have been originally designed to go with .09/42s.

Love the self-locking tuners. Never had a problem with the electronics. No finish flaws anywhere. Alignment on POTS was a little off. Pickups were set up absolutely perfect. I did not have to touch them.

I love the frets on this guitar. Great fret job from the factory says a lot about quality control. This is missed far too often by far too many manufacturers.

Separate injuries to each of my hands has robbed me of some of my speed. The Parker plays fast making me occasionally feel like a real lead player. The neck is very comfortable and fast.

I've had it three years. Never a problem. Hardware is of exceptional quality, so I have no doubt this guitar will be around long after I am gone. Great guitar, but I would NEVER gig without a backup.

The jury is out on this one. I e-mailed them once regarding questions I had about the pickups. They responded a few days later telling me to go to DiMarzio. DiMarzio was very helpful, but I was disappointed that Parker could not answer some relatively simply questions.

In over 22 years of playing, I have owned tons of gear including: Gibson SG junior, Gibson SG Standard, Gibson SG Deluxe, Gibson '67 Reissue Flying V, Gibson Nighthawk Standard, Rickenbacker 330, Rickenbacker 325, Fender American Standard Stratocaster, Fender Squier Stratocaster, Fender American Standard Telecaster, various Epiphone electrics, etc.

We have a lead, a rhythm and a bass player. Each of us has been playing over 20 years. Between the three of us, we own something like 33 guitars/basses. Our bass player was the one who discovered these guitars. A year later, each one of us had one. Each one of us is very impressed with the Parker Nite Fly IV.

There are lots of over-rated guitars out there. This is NOT one of them. The Parker Nite Fly IV is an exceptional guitar. And I have owned enough Gibsons, Fenders and Rickenbackers to know that, for what I paid for it, this guitar was a steal!

I have the sunburst finish with one humbucker and 2 single-coil pickups, as well as the piezo. I won't bore you with the other features as they are well documented here already.

Although I had played the guitar at the store, I must admit I was disappointed the first time I tried to gig with it. The bridge humbucker they put on these is pretty weak. I like a lot of sustain for my leads, and the lead channel on my Marshall Valvestate with the drive on 10 couldn't seem to make this baby sing. I wound up putting in a Duncan JB, which helped considerably. Another disappointment is the piezo pickup. I like the sound of combining it with the regular pickups with some distortion on everything, but the piezo emits a high-pitched ringing when I try to use it that way. With a clean sound it's not a bad acoustic sound for an electric guitar, but doesn't exactly compete with my larrivee's fishman transducer! I will say the lead on this guitar cuts through pretty well since I changed the pickup, but it still lacks a real sweetness-sounds a little sterile to my ears. I recently bought a couple a Deans, and was startled to hear a big difference when I played them side-by-side. The pickups on Deans are the best!

No problems here. I'm sure I had to tweak it a little when I first brought it home, but that's to be expected. People, don't be afraid of guitars that don't play perfectly in the store, you really can't expect them to adjust hundreds of guitars to perfection! Besides, action is a matter of taste. My Parker's action is set pretty low with 10-46's on it. I read another review here that said you couldn't use strings that thick on these guitars. Why not? Give me a break! You may need to adjust the rod a tad, no big whoop. Anyway, the finish is nice also, although there is a flaw in the grain on front that would probably turn some people off. I thought it added character.

I have gigged a lot with this guitar with pretty good results. I break strings on every guitar due to pretty major string bending as well as a strong vibrato, but have better luck with guitars such as this one where the strings follow a relatively staight path. I had to give up on Strats and PRS because I constantly broke strings where they take that 90 degree turn over the bridge.

Never had to use.

Overall this guitar is very well made. I just wish it had that bit of magic we're all looking for in our sound. As I said before, when I compare it with my Dean's it just doesn't hold up. No soul!

1998, USA made, 22 stainless steel jumbo frets, maple body, 5 way selector for electric pickups, volume knobs for electric and accoustic, tone knob for electric, 3 way selector for electric/blend/accoustic, PB switch for using accoustic through standard 1/4" plug cord, S/S/H DiMarzio pickups + Fishman Piezo accoustic bridge pickup, active electronics, baswood neck with carbon fiber coating, transparent blue finish, Parker floating tremelo bridge, locking Sperzel tuners, 24 3/4"? scale, included gig bag, two tremelo bars, tools, manuals... => would have appreciated a hardshell case

I love the sounds. I front Watt? and play rythm guitar. We play a wide range from clasic rock to contemporary country to new rock and originals. I have to emulate SRV rythms, accoustics, Lynryrd Skynyrd, BOC, and even some keyboards. I play through a Line6 AxSys 212 (which realy helps with the keyboard stuff - using the Lesslie emulation and lots of chorus) and get a lot of versatility. I also use a Rockman Accoustic pedal to warm up the accoustic output - it works so good that the lead guitarist ("you can't get an accoustic sound without an accoustic guitar") is adding an accoustic bridge to his Strat. One of my tricks is to use a volume pedal with the electric, cut the pedal volume, play the accoustic rythm, and bring up the electric for punch on a dual lead.

After about a month, I started getting a fret buzz. I took it back to Musician's Friend and the guitar teck tightened up the neck. A year later and it still plays great. The finish is great but I don't realy care. I bought this guitar to gig with. My PRS feels better to me but I don't want to beat it up and the Parker is so much lighter and more versatile for gigs.

i love the Parker for giging. I used to keep my PRS with me for a spare but lack of need, lack of stage space, and gained confidence in the Parker has caused me to stop carrying the PRS to gigs (wish I had a backup for the Line6 sometimes). I have had the strap come off one time while throwing the guitar over my head.

I have not needed customer support yet.

I've been playing guitar for 27 years and giging for 19 years. I spent a lot of years using cheap get-by gear. For the past 10 years I have been refusing to settle. I have Ovations, Ibanez, PRS and my Parker guitars. I have other amps but use my Line6 exclusively for gigs. If this guitar were stolen I would definately buy another Parker.

I got my Parker Fly right before I was going into the studio to record my cd(Little Songs For Big People) I had the money to buy any guitar I wanted. I looked at quite a few but when I looked at the Parker products I was sold. The piezzo pickup under the bridge along with the electric pickups gave me so many different tone combinations to work with. The vibrato arm on the guitar is one of the smoothest I've ever played. My Fly was made in the USA and has a single coil pickup in the neck and middle postions and a hummbucker in the bridge position. I was in a car accident right before I was going to record my cd and I couldn't have my guitars on for very long as it hurt to play. I was quite worried about being able to complete my cd project. But the Parker fly is so lite and so comfortable to play I used it as my main guitar in the studio. I want to be fair and also say some of the negatives about the guitar. When you put on heavy gauge strings onto the guitar, it pulls the bridge up quite a bit and makes it a bit tricky to play. I use 9's or 10's so I don't have this problem but I tried once just to hear what the guitar would sound like. Other than that, the only other thing I could say is that the body is kind of ugly. But I don't buy guitars for there looks, I buy them for there sound. I have 15 guitars and my Parker Nite Fly is by far my favorite. If you want to talk music or ask me about my Parker Guitar, just e-mail me at Patrick_Moore@bc.sympatico.ca
Sean Patrick Moore A. Postle's Creed Music Productions

This is a 22 fret dream machine made right herre in the U.S.A. The guitar comes with a 5 way switch for a H S S configuration plus a Fishman passive pickup system. Mine is a gorgeous sunburst model. The stock magnetic pickups are DiMarzio customs. It has Sperzel locking tuners and the most awesome tremolo system I have ever played, I can use it either as a stationary bridge, a floating bridge or a dive only bridge. The frets are stainless steel and set perfectly on the neck. This guitar stays in tune no matter how much abuse you give it. I can feels every string resonance on the neck, which has a carbon resin finish that stabilizes it like no other neck out there. The guitar comes with a gig bag, stereo cable, and adjustment tools.

I play mostly worship music and blues, this guitar fits eveything I can hand to it, from mellow smooth tones to hard driving Christian contemporary rock. The piezo system sounds great when I mix it with the magnetic pickups. I play through an Rp-7 to a direct box and a Peavey studio pro amp as a monitor. This guitar combined with the Rp-7 gives me more different tones than I know what to do with. I replaced the neck pickup with a Seymour-Duncan Duckbucker, which has added a lot more thickness to my tone. The Dimarzio single coils are a little thin in my opinion.

I purchased my guitar as a demo model, so it had a few minor scuff marks on it, but it had no design flaws that I could tell. I traded my Fender Big Apple Strat for this and have no regrets, The Parker Nite-Fly outshines ANYTHING in it's price range.

This is my main guitar bar-none, I use it on all my gigs,and only use my Ibanez RG as a backup if I break a string. I love this guitar and can't imagine ever doing without it.

The Nite-Fly comes with a 1-year warranty against any defect and is backed by the Korg Corp. I have not had a problem in the 3 months I have had this guitar.

The Nite-Fly is the only guitar that you can buy for under a thousand bucks that has the quality and configuration that comes standard with it. If this were stolen I would do whatever it took to get another one. I compared it to the Fender Big Apple (which I took back after I found the Nite-Fly on sale) and the Ibanez RG 450, The Parker is IT. As I said earlier, the only thing I would change is the neck pickup, which I did with the Duckbucker. I use an Ebow for a few songs and the single coil just couldn't cut it.