Parker Guitars NiteFly M

My Nite Fly was made in May of 2002. It's born and bred in New York City. It is a solid piece of Mahogany with clear, thin finish. It's equipped with two Dimarzio pickups that are custom made for Parker, they are humbuckers that have coil taps to do the single coil thing too. It also comes with a piezo pickup by Fishman built into the coolest tremolo built right now, it crosses the line of tone (think a vintage Fender tremolo that oozes warm but that stays in tune). It has Sperzel locking tuners which make string changes sooo easy. The neck is comfortable and cool, but it takes some getting used to because it is so flat, it almost feels concave. In fact, after playing Fender products (Standard Teles & Strats)with curvy fretboards it almost feels alien and synthetic at first, then you figure it out and nothing else will do. I couldn't ask for more features in a guitar, in fact I'm saving for a backup now.

I play in a chick fronted psychodelic pop band that rocks, we use a little sequencing and run the gamut of styles.My setup is the Parker into an Ernie Ball volume pedal,then a Dunlop Crybaby 535(in Chrome), a Digitech Whammy Mach III(Red and MIDI compatible), a MXR Phase 90 reissue(very chewy), a Danelectro Cool Cat Chorus(easily the most simple yet completely usable & affordable chorus on the planet), a Boss Purple Flanger(the only way to get the trippy Prince thang), a Boss DD-2 Digital Delay(for short stuff very Andy Summers), an Akai Headrush Delay(for long stuff very David Torn), a Boss Tremolo/Panner(the weird blue/green one they made for like thirty seconds), an Ibanez LoFi pedal,(mostly all powered by a Pearl power supply) going into a Rapco A/B switch leading to a Mesa/Boogie (for lead and dirt), and Vox AC30TB reissue in custom Creme color and packed with Bulldog 12" speakers(for super clean). With my Fenders I had lots of buzz issues, now my rig is as quiet as a church mouse. I've read the reviews already posted about the piezo sounding like breaking glass, I think they've done a pretty good job with it. It sounds very zingy but if you play it through a true acoustic amp like a Fender Acoustasonic SFX it is a very admirable second to my lead singer's Taylor, and way beyond my Seagull acoustic)The pickups, which I also read numerous complaints about, are the bomb. They do the single coil thing better than my Fenders(albeit this guitar cost more than both my Tele and Strat). With the coil tap on and the pickup selector on the middle setting you can close your eyes and hear a Curtis Mayfield/Hendrix Strat sound, crank up the wah and hit the bridge pickup and you're in Funkytown Tele style. The humbuckers are full, but very bright. They push the amp well but use the treble knob sparingly. This was a big surprise as Mahogany is known for being a very warm tone wood. It does weird Belew/Reeves Gabrels type of sounds even better than classic tones, and you can go almost immediately from one to the other.

My Parker arrived from the factory setup to play. The action was not too high, not too low just right. I've looked it over a million times and I just believe that Ken Parker knows how build a guitar, no flaws in setup or the cosmetics. The finish is very sensitive, I've had mine for less than a month and it does show signs of pick wear(then again I play too hard). The tremolo bar doesn't lock in though which can be annoying when playing live as it does work it's way out sometimes. This could be something I just haven't figured out yet, I am an idiot.

Finish and tremolo problem notwithstanding, this guitar is made to last. It is put together like a tank. The strap buttons were OK, but I replaced them with a Dimarzio Straplok strap anyway. I would never gig without a backup, but if I had to this would be the guitar I would use.

I had originally ordered a P-44, their lower priced model but they can't seem to produce them as quickly as people order them. So after 6 months of waiting their rep offered me an upgrade(God Bless Him). I received my Nite Fly within two weeks. Even when I was totally angry and tired of waiting for the P-44, Parker guitars would answer my e-mails and try to give me the answers they had. They were very very helpful, friendly and patient with a very angry, unfriendly, impatient customer to be.

I've played for 16 years and owned Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez guitars, plus tons of knockoffs. I wish I could figure out the tremolo bar thing (especially because I know it is probably my own stupidity). If I lost it for any reason stolen or otherwise I would sell a child to get another one. Other than my trem issue, I love everything about it(I even think the finish thing adds character). I looked into Fernandes guitars with the sustainer p/u, I tried BC Rich stuff, and played just about every guitar at my local Fender/Ibanez dealer. Nothing could touch all the features it has packed into it. In a perfect world the body would be deep enough to install a sustainer type p/u and my next addition to mine will be a Roland GK-2AH p/u to add a Gr-33 guitar synth to my rig. I probably won't ever switch to anything else...yes it is that good.

2001 Parker Nitefly-M "Made in USA"
-22 hardened stainless-steel frets
-carbon-fiberglass over mahogany neck
-solid mahogany body, natural violin-wax finish
-black chrome hardware including sperzel locking tuning machines
-tone knob push-pull coil splitter
-two three-way selector switches-selects magnetic pickup configurations & magnetic and/or piezo pickups
-Custom dimarzio humbuckers, fishman powerchip in bridge
-gig bag & hosa stereo cable included
-factory strung w/ 9's
-beautiful organic design, thin & light for mahogany

i play a mix of progressive/death metal (i.e. meshuggah, cynic, spiral architect, aghora) and some modern rock.
this is primarily playred through a rocktron taboo twin fed by a hughes and kettner tube factor for neutral boost.
factory setup was great, i dropped the 9's, added 10's, set the bridge to down only, lowered the action a bit, added a sperzel drop-d tuning machine and a seymore duncan jb in the bridge.
dead quiet at all settings.
extremely good fundamental sound, rich, thick, yet biting.
tone control is very responsive. fishmans can be a bit shrill alone,
but mixed in with the mag's add a depth of sound that cant be explained.
versatility is this guitars job. clean spanky split to single coils,
thick juicy leads, solid, tight, bottom heavy rythm, it can do it all with ease.
my only dislike is the fact that the stock pickups have only outer row polepieces that can be adjusted. this makes balancing the middle position difficult.

spectacular setup.
phenominal neck. perfect frets. i mean PERFECT.
beautiful grain. well machined parts.
my only gripe was that the final wax coat was not buffed well on the insides of the wings.

this guitar is not built to abuse.
it will damage cosmetically if you are not careful.
overall, the neck will last a lifetime.
the finish on the body can easily be maintained w/
supreme wax from fiddles-online.com
dependable without a doubt.
gigging w/out a backup is stupid regardless of how good your guitar is. murphy's law.

don dawson of parker guitars is the man.
support doesn't get better than this.

playing for 10+ years. i have owned such an obscene amount of gear, it's embarassing. if it were lost or stolen, i'd get a parker fly hardtail because i can afford it now. i love this guitar. no comparing parkers to others, that's apples to oranges if you asked me.
i wish it had better stock pickups.
other than that, this is the best guitar availabel for under a grand.

This guitar is a new (made in 2001, I assume) Parker Nitefly-M. The headstock says "Made in USA" so I guess that says it all. 22 hardened stainless-steel frets with a carbon-fiberglass epoxy glazing over the fretboard. The body is solid mahogany, with a natural orange-ish brown finish. The overall look, the natural wood and body shape, is quite striking. There are three sturdy black knobs, one for magnetic pickup volume, one for piezo pickup volume, and one for tone. The tone knob is also push-pull, I can't remember specifically what it does but it has something to do with the mix between piezo and magnetic pickups. There are also two three-way selector switches, the first one selects the magnetic pickup configurations, either the neck humbucker, the two inside split single coils, or the bridge humbucker. The other three-way switch selects between magnetic pickups only, magnetic and piezo pickups together, or piezo only. Very versatile in this regard. The back of the guitar has an innovative battery holder, which powers the piezo pickup. Very easy access but built very sturdy so there is no chance of failure. Guitar comes with a gig bag, which is built very sturdy for a soft bag. Also comes with a Hosa stereo cable (1/4" plug into guitar with two 1/4" outputs), so you can run the mags and the piezo thru two separate paths. The tuners are Sperzel locking tuners. Black chrome, the visual effect is very appealing. The profile of the guitar is extremely thin. Looks beautiful. There is no pickguard, and I prefer it that way, it shows off the mahogany grain, which in itself looks spectacular. Pretty light guitar, but nowhere near as light as the Parkers in the Fly series. I hear the Flys are designed to be like just the top of an acoustic guitar in the way it reverberates the notes being played.....No, the Nitefly-M is solid mahogany, so there is some weight to it, even though the profile looks very skinny. Still weighs a bit less than a Strat. Also came with a strap that is too small for me, though I'm 6'3". The bridge style is a design all of Parker's own, with a tremolo bar that you can push/pull out quite easily. The tremolo works superbly, although I have read that it can be set up easily to go in just one direction, rather than the factory set-up of 'floating'. I would personally prefer it to just go down only. Overall, a very versatile guitar that looks and plays marvelous.

I just got this guitar through Zzounds.com a mere 14 days ago. I play it through a Reverend Hellhound, which is only 10 days old. A bunch of effects pedals are on the way. I have been playing for almost 12 years, and all my gear from previous years was pawned a little over a year ago. So I'm starting over, and in style I might add. I have been extremely impressed with this guitar, both in tone and playability. One defining feature of Parker guitars is their necks. This neck can be described in one word; professional. I immediately changed the stock strings when I got this guitar to Elixir .10's. The fretwork is superb, utterly flawless. It reminds me of a well-built machine. Each fret is perfectly identical, rounded off at the edges and built to last an eternity. The sheen from the fiberglass-carbon epoxy is mesmerizing, and comforting all at once. I test drove a Fly Classic at the store before I bought this one, and the action on the Classic was the best I've ever played, hands down. The Nitefly also has superb action, but not as good as the Classic. However, I have not had any mods done to the action since I bought the guitar, so until I take it in and have a complete set-up done to the action and the tremolo, I cannot give you a definite answer on the action of the Nitefly. The fact that there are no fret markers is not a hassle at all to me, because there are markers at the top of the neck, and I guess 12 years of playing helps a little bit in that department. Although the playability of the Nitefly is unique, the neck design providing a feel and fit all it's own, I would determine that the Nitefly plays much more like a Strat than a Les Paul. It has that thin-neck feel, which provides for speed, dexterity, and crystal-clear sustain. Through the Hellhound, I am in heaven. A beautiful amp for a gorgeous guitar. I have yet to take advantage of the piezo pickup, my ideal setup would be to have a separate signal path for each pickup, maybe having the piezo going to a few acoustic pedals, an acoustic pre, and finally an acoustic amp like a Fender Acoustisonic. That way it would be a much more believable piezo, acousstic tone. Thru the Hellhound, I pretty much keep the piezo off, it just sounds a bit too bright and weak, and I can summon much, much better bright, trebly tones via the tone knob and the magnetic pickups. By the way, the tone knob on the Nitefly is extremely interactive! I makes a huge difference in tone, much more than any knob on the amp itself. Overall, the Parker sounds superb. The split-coil humbuckers are perfect, I can get the best of both worlds. But most importantly, it's an altogether different sort of beast from the Strat Plus I was playing for most of my guitar-playing years. And change is good, especially when it's Parker.

I believe I described everything about this category above, but there is one serious flaw I do need to mention. When I first got the guitar, I took off the strings to replace them with a brand new set. While they were off, I decided to polish up the guitar all nice and new. I dabbled some Gibson polish on a piece of cloth, and commenced to polish. To my dismay, the polish seems to take off some of the orangeish-brown finish of the guitar! I desparately tried to rinse off the polish with water, but there remains one section of the guitar where the finish is a bit lighter than on the rest of the guitar. I don't know if it is becuase this is brand new straight from the factory, or if it's becuase it's a natural finish that was never sealed (that's probably it), but it was a scary surprise. But as it doesn't affect the great tone of the axe, I'll live with it.

As per above, everything about the manufacture of this guitar tells me they are built to last. The neck,especially. I don't think there is a better-built neck in the industry. And the bridge, knobs, and tuners are all made out of black metal, which seems equally sturdy. But those hardened stainless-steel frets can't be beat. And mahogany is a pretty sturdy wood, so I hear, of course not as sturdy as Sitka Spruce, but it comes close. And the neck doesn't have that angled-back thing, so I don't expect the neck to go like it might on a Les Paul. But that carbon epoxy deal should cover that. So I'm pretty secure with this guitar, I believe it'll last at least as long as any Strat, and much longer than any Les Paul.

I don't have any experience with Parker guitars, except their website. Very nice website, although they haven't finished the part where you can talk to them direct. That would be a nice feature for people to get in touch with them. They should really get that part working.

Overall, I am more than pleased with my Parker. The body shape is such an innovative design, it's really not like any other body shape out there. I'm sure its destined to be a classic in its own right, next to the body styles of such traditional axes as the Strat, Tele, and LP. It definitely an original. Tonewise, Parker is also a distinctive original. It doesn't really sound "like" any other guitar out there, and that is what I love about it. One thing I noticed the first day I had it was how much the vibrating strings resonated throughout the mahogany body. I'm sure this has something to do with the great sustain the guitar possesses. Also, the neck is a definite treat. One will find great craftmanship in the unique headstock design, more evidence of one-of-a-kind originality the good people at Parker had the insight and imagination to conjure up. Kudos to all of them. This is a superb guitar, and very reasonably priced. I would recommend this guitar to anyone, but especially those musicians who are tired of the Strat-LP conundrum and all their related sub-species. The Nitefly presets a real alternative, a gorgeously crafted beauty in its own right, with tone as distinctive as its looks. When I started over with buying new musical gear, I intentionally decided not to go the same route I went before; Fender Strat Plus into Fender Vibro-King combo. Of course, my first idea was to go the Gibson-Marshall route. But even though Gibsons are good-looking guitars, they are a little unjustified in their pricing. The Nitefly I chose is a perfect alternative, and the Reverend Hellhound amp I bought to go alongside it complements it beautifully. I know I made the right choice, especially knowing that I won't sound like everybody else on the block, and most important, I made two great buys and didn't have to sacrifice an ounce of all-important TONE in the process. Thank you Parker!

FYI, I just put a set of EMG's in there...81 bridge and 60 neck. 5x better than the stock pickups. I disabled the piezo, which sucks anyway. The clarity and tone of the pickups is the best I've ever heard. Some of the best money I ever spent.

2 Di Marzio Humbuckers
Piezo Bridge
Standard Parker trem
Stero capability (piezo/piezo&humbucker)
Locking Spertzle machineheads.
Mahogany Emerald green (eegh!) body.

Great features for recording. Can cover absolutely everything, and mainly well.

Its got good sustain, the piezo is a bit on the glass shattering side but nothing that some EQ work doesnt fix.
I like it but I cant say I love it. It covers too many basses but none billiantly.
Ive fitted gauge 11 strings to mine and it just sounds too bassy on a clean amp and too trebally on a distorted channel. Annoying but I think som 10's or 9's will help it.
Id give it a 10 for people who need one guitar and the fact its so versitile. But its not that great at times really. A modern, lighter Les Paul.

The finish and action is top. Better than my Gibson or the PRS I swopped for it.
The top horn digs into when you sit down if your not careful which gets annoying.
Parker necks are the best in the world (as long as you prefer laquered backs to them ala gibson). It feels wonderful to play.

Nothings broke yet but batterys run out after 72 hours operation, I keep leaving mine turned on for long periods of time which kills it but HEY! at least you can still use the pickups. Only the Piezo dies.
It will last eternity I think. Smooth to the last. Im still not too sure about how much abuse the neck will take though. Im not too sure and I wouldnt like to have to get it fixed.

Dont know.

Excellent recording guitar. Buy if you need to cover thousands of bases but can only afford one guitar, but not in emerald green, eeergh!
A modern Les Paul.

My Nitefly is from the first series and lacks the active curcuitry to blend the mag and piezo pickups together through one amp. The body is two piece soft maple. The rest of the features are identical to the current Nitefly, as far as I know.

This is an excellent sounding guitar. The DiMarzio single coils are a bit mellower sounding than those of a typical strat. These pickups sound nice and glassy through my Fender Vibroverb Reissue. The humbucker is definately tweaked for midrange performance. I generally lean toward traditional PAF tones but I do happen to like the way this pickup is voiced. It shines with anywhere from mild overdrive to fully saturated distortion. The tone is focused, punchy, and full and the output isn't overly hot. The balance between the two single coils and the humbucker is right on. As I stated above, I own the first version of the Nitefly which doesn't have the active switch. I really don't care for the sound of the mag and piezo pickups through one amp anyway. I've achieved the best tone by using a stereo Y cable and splitting the two pickups between my Vibroverb(for magnetic sounds) and my Laney GC50A(for acoustic). The piezo pickups sound so much better through a full-range acoustic amp. There is a bounty of tones at your disposal when you use this setup. I like to mix in just a little acoustic shimmer with the magnetic tones. I've used this guitar frequently live and in the studio with great results each time.

This guitar came set up with 9's. I put a set of 10's on it and made some very minor action and intonnation adjustments. Workmanship is solid throughout. The neck is immaculate, especially the fret installation. The hardware is rock-solid. There appears to be no blemishes in the paintjob(pearl white). The pickguard is slightly bowed near the right side cutaway. Parker should have used one more screw in this area to keep it flat.

No need for a backup guitar. This is due partly to the fact that the Nitefly is such a versatile instrument and partly to the fact that its built like a tank. I've used it live on many occasions and its never let me down. The trem is by far the best I've ever used. Tuning stability is as good as a Floyd without the many hassles of a locking trem. It puts Fender-style fulcrum designs to shame! The arm tension adjuster is a nice touch too.

I've never needed it.

I've been playing guitar for over 14 years now and own or have owned at one time a large number and variety of guitars. The Nitefly is superior in every way to the two previous strats I've owned. Its also the most versatile guitar I've owned. My particular guitar is somewhat heavy for a Parker(about 8 lbs.). I've noticed that the Nightfly's weights vary somewhat and the lastest ones I've picked up seem to be a little lighter, but no big deal. The thing I like best about the guitar is the trem. I really think that there is none better out there. If I had to replace this guitar, I might look for a lighter one, but it would definately be a Nitefly.

Made in '00 Nitefly w/ 2 humbuckers, piezo, 22 frets, parker whammy bridge, mahogony body, bolt on mahogony w/ glass fibers for reinforcement, locking tuners (spertzels), one volume, one tone for Humbuckers, volume for piezo, 2 3-way switches, one for humbucking pickups, one to activate piezo and mix w/ other pickupsounds. mine is black w/ black pickguard. also
requires a 9V battery for piezo, but is easy to replace.

AMAZING. Love the combo of the bridge pu w/ the piezo. my fave sound. Just different that any other guitar i've ever played. I fell in love w/ parkers after playing a friend's Fly Classic and knew i had to get one(but couldn't afford the regular Fly's). i also was able to try a couple of nightflys and didn't like the sound of a swamp ash bodied one i tested. it was too bright for me, the mahogony body w/ humbucking pu's is perfect for me-has a darker tone. the whammy bar is amazing, easy to use, stays in tune after much abuse. also love that it can be locked or floating--nice option--i like it locked for down only, but an ingenius feature. plus the neck is a dream!

Perfect from the factory. low action, flawless.....comes w/
the bridge in "dive only mode", but can be converted to floating.
Parker does great work.....

a workhorse....

they have a great website!!!!(www.parkerguitars.com)
i emailed a few questions b/4 i bought mine and i got
a response in 2 days, which i thought was amazing.
it has a one year warranty and all is spelled out on their
web page.

I bought the nitefly when i sold my steinberger gl3t and have not been disappointed. i think they make a quality product. it feels and sounds like no other guitar i've played. simply amazing....