Parker Guitars NiteFly SA

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This is a follow-up to my earlier review of the NiteFly SA. This guitar still rocks! Since my first review I've found out a few interesting facts. One, the NiteFly's neck is made not out of basswood, but mahogany! This was a relatively recent change and even though you don't see this info on their web site, it was in their PDF spec sheet and was also confirmed by Parker customer support. Now I know why this guitar has such a sweet sound to it! The ash body complements this nicely, giving it just the right amount of 'spank' and bite.

Also, the pickup magnets are ceramic, which was initially a disappointment, because I've been trained to think that ceramic sucks. But after talking with a very helpful (if somewhat cocky) tech at DiMarzio (the company who makes Parker's pickups) and actually listening to the sound of the guitar, I realized that these pickups are not only comparable to, but exceed the quality of many alnico pickups. Since Parker's philosophy with guitars is that they should be highly responsive and "alive", it only makes sense that they would choose pickups that reflect this quality. DiMarzio was not given a price limit by Parker in terms of how much the pickups should cost - they were just told to create something that sounds like a vintage Strat. And I think that they have succeeded - the bridge humbucker (very well balanced with the single coils) retains a lot of sparkle but yet can overdrive with the best of them.

Also, for you gearheads out there (and I can't imagine you're not one if you're reading this), I'm no longer playing through the Blues Junior - I traded up to a Tech 21 Trademark 60. Wise choice, but that's another review. This guitar sounds awesome on any amp setting, from classic Fender clean to raunchy Marshall to stop-the-madness Mesa-Boogie overdrive. The Parker is extremely versatile. It also outperforms any Strat I've since come in contact with. I mean, if you just have to have a vintage Strat sound, go buy a vintage Strat, okay? But if you're talking about quality, innovation, sound, attention to detail, craftsmanship, you name it - the Parker wins every time. As I ranted before, they have continued to evolve the guitar, something which Fender used to do years and years ago. And now all they can do is hype their "all new" Strats and Teles which simply hearken back even more to yesteryear. It's just really unfortunate that innovation tends to die once you start making a lot of money. Okay, I'll stop.

Bottom line: if you're not too swept up in the mystique of 1950's-style guitars, play the NiteFly. You won't be disappointed.

I won't repeat the specs in detail. They're the same as the others reviewed below. This thing is loaded.

I've outfitted the guitar with a GK-2AH roland pickup, and one bit of advice...the guitar won't fit this inside the Parker Hard Shell case with the pickup attached. You'll be stuck with the "gig bag" that comes standard if you plan on using the GK. It's a good bag, but I would never travel with it.

As a lifelong Strat enthusiast, I took the plunge with the Parker after my 1970 Strat was stolen (sob). This guitar has completely exceeded my expectations in every way. I play it through a VG88 and a GR33. The guitar out of the VG88 goes to an ART DST80/80. I am not running the piezo out to a separate source.

This guitar has incredible response, huge sustain, and a balanced sound that just must be heard. Notes just ring and ring and ring. It's incredible! Did I say that already? Oh yeah. Anyway, this is a versatile guitar, and you can squeeze a huge range of tones out of it blending the piezo and magnetic output. It works for nearly every type of music. I don't play any metal, so I can't comment on that.

My only serious complaint is that the movement of the tremolo arm creates and audible rumbling in the piezo output. This is a bummer. At high volumes with a 'clean' tone it is clearly audible.

But other than this little problem, this guitar is pure ear candy.

I have played very few guitars with better action and balance. This thing has a certain consistency to it that makes it a joy to play. Maybe I'm just used to the anomolies of a Fender. But I've played many guitars and this one holds it own.

The Parker neck is a work of art. For those who are inclined to stay away from a "high tech" guitar, do yourself a favor and play a Parker. The neck almost feels like the hard ebony of a great acoustic guitar. But of course the action is incredbly low and the intonation is magnificant.

The factory set up was near flawless, and I moved up from the factory installed .09s to .10s. No problems.

The quality and playability of this guitar easily compares to (or exceeds) that of guitars from other makers which sell for three and four times the price.

Well it's new, and it hasn't been on the road. So I can't really say.
But by all indications the workmanship is absolutely top notch.

One minor point to consider -- the gig bag is not really a feasible choice for anyone who intends to travel with this guitar. So you'll have to shell out (pardon the pun) extra for a hard case.

Not applicable...I haven't needed it. Don't know warranty info off the top of my head.

The best guitar for the money I've ever played. It is easily comparable to PRSs and other significantly more expensive guitars. Or better. Of course that is a subjective opinion.

Great tone, great playability, great everything.

This FireFly special edition is made in the USA (as most great electrics are and should be) with 22 crowned and polished stainless steel frets, solid Swamp Ash body, S/S/H Strat-like Dimarzio magnetic pickup configuration with 5-way toggle switch (bridge pickup does not tap when in position 4) with Fishman Piezo Transducer, Volume control for Magnetic and Piezo, tone control for Magnetic, 3-way toggle switch for Maagnetic and/or Piezo (both transducer systems can be run simultaneously in stereo to separate amplification sources using the stereo to dual-mono cable or can be blended onboard to a mono signal), a stereo/mono switch, black finish w/ pearloid pickguard, string-through-body aluminum Parker tremolo with fulcrum/pivot points at the bridge (instead of before the bridge like in Strats and Wilkinsons), Sperzel Locking tuners, stereo cable included.

Regarless of what it sounds like, i can get any sound i want out of this amp: Strat, Jazz archtop, screming lead Les Paul, Flat top acoustic - it does everything! Then tone control on the magnetic pickups is awesome, and blending the sounds keeps me occupied until the wee hours. I get some many different sounds it's incredible, and the tone, well...

The electric gives the classic Strat sound, and my .011 strings help enrichen the guitar past a mere strat tone and into something a little fuller. I still get twang, but a smoothness is definitely evident and can be felt with a slight roll of the tone control. The bridge humbucker although less twangy than a single-coil still blends well with the singles, not sticking out - it sounds like it should be there. The is considerably less coil hum with the Dimarzios thanks to better circuitry (the Parker guys RULE at circuitry), and the responsiveness to pick inflection is perfect - controlable yet keeping a distinct flavor.

The first thing i played live with just the Piezo activated was "Wish You Were Here," and you should've see the look on the rhythm guitarist's face when i laid down the intro solo - he was absolutely floored. This thing sounds like a real flat-top (keep in mind the best way to amplify an acoustic is using a microphone or blending mic and direct signals, and that piezo signals never sound as good), and for the small-bodied solid that's pretty damned good. Tweaking the amp's equilization and reverb is a must to keep the guitar from sounding bland, but once you find the sound you will have your audience melting at your feet.

As for the blended sounds... My main style is Jazz, and this is where the guitar shows off its versatility. Walking into a club jam session two weeks after i bought the guitar was an awesome experience. Three other guitar players, one with a Heritage H-535 (think fancy ES-335), and two with archtop "Jazz boxes," (an Epiphone Sheraton and a Guild X700); to think i received a few stares when i pulled out my axe is an understatement. But after it was plugged in and i had laid down a few licks, people lightened up about the non-conformity of the look and enjoyed the sound. Someone told me it was "fresh." I like to think it sound like an archtop, but a little more distinct and punchy, not as muted. You can hear the solidbody qualities in the instrument but retain a fat, warm, and full jazzy sound. And the solid-body had better response to my attack that any archtop could ever have, allowing for much more expression than just a muted mellow sound could. And jazz was always about originality - which John Coltrane imitater ever made it big.

If you thik the other stuff sounds great, the feel of this guitar has to be played to be believed. In the store i played it alongside a PRS Swamp Ash Special, both guitars strung with .009's. The NiteFly had a tag on it identifying the string guage, but the PRS did not, and i automatically assumed from the comparative feel that it had been strung with .010's. But when i emailed PRS (and confirmed it with the Guitar Center dude) it turned out the Special was also strung with .009's. This is what sold me on feel. The epoxy fingerboard and stainless frets are unbelievable. Leads that had formerly caused frustation and hard work were played with much greater ease. I can now concentrate on my feel and its influence on my sound because of the ease with which the Parker is played. Go to the store and play it, before you plug it in, to feel exactly what i mean without distraction. And the guitar's super strong truss rod can hold anything from .008's to .013's, and it's super thin too allowing for more wood in the neck and better tone.

We'll see, so far so good. The only precautions i bring are extra strings (changing w/ the sperzels is a snap) and a 9-volt battery for the active piezo (just in case).

I've sent two emails, both replied to within 24 hours and answering my questions thoroughly and nicely.

Here we go: 1999 model (most likely) made-in-USA; 22 frets; vol, tone, & 5-way Strat-style switch for magnetic pickups; vol for piezo and 3-way switch for piezo, both, or mag. only; stereo/mono switch on pickguard; S/S/H mag. pickup config (DiMarzio's); passive electronics for mag. pickups; active preamp for piezo; neck: basswood bolt-on, body: swamp ash; two-color sunburst finish; body style = Strat on acid; tremolo bridge which can be blocked or floating (strings do not go through the body); Sperzel locking tuners; neck scale = 25.5" with a very flat radius and a generally Strat-y feel to the neck shape; came with soft case & whammy bar (a.k.a. "vibrato arm" for you purists out there who'll never click on the "Parker" section).

Phew. Features are great - unobtrusive (unlike the Fender Jaguar) but very practical. Now if the guitar had a H/S/H config, a coil tap and a seven-way switch (for that Les Paul / Tele in-between sound), I'd give this guitar a 10 for features. As it is, it gets...

First of all I feel the need to issue a word of reassurance to those who fear the Steinberger Sound: This guitar may look funky, but it's all wood. No graphite body here. (Trust me - I used to own a Steinberger and I know what they sound like. Killer trem, though...)

Anyway, my main use for this guitar is Christian praise music in a church band. If you're not a churchgoer, that means (for us, anyway) anything from mellow acoustic-y stuff to jazz to blues to rock. So I gotta do a lot of different things. I could not think of a more perfect guitar for this purpose. I use the NiteFly through a Fender Blues Junior (a fabulous little amp) either straight or with one or more of the following effects: Rocktron Tsunami chorus, Rocktron Austin Gold overdrive, Danelectro Dan-Echo delay. This guitar is very quiet - obviously you can hear some hum on the mid & neck pickups, but it's nothing like what you get from a standard Strat. It's not obtrusive at all (and I'm saying this after having "sworn off" non-hum-cancelling pickups). And of course the piezo pickup is silent. The guitar is very snappy and responsive, which really stands to reason given that it's a bolt-on swamp ash guitar with a smaller body than your typical Fender. But the pickups also add considerably to the specific tone this thing gets. The neck and mid remind me of (and I hate to say it) Fender Texas Specials. Maybe I just lost a few people with that comparison, but let me hasten to add that these pickups are not at all obnoxious or only capable of SRV emulation. But holy cow, can you ever get that classic Strat sound with amazing precision out of the NiteFly. The pickups are obviously "overwound" by Fender standards, but they are very usable clean and get a very pleasant tone which can be wrangled into a snarl with some pressure and a bit of overdrive. The bridge humbucker is simply great. This pickup truly is balanced with the other two (unlike the Lone Star Strat). It sounds nice and fat with some unexpected overtones, and creating artificial harmonics is easier than on any other guitar I've played (if you're into that sort of thing). But don't think EVH "Strat with PAF" sound with this. It's fuller and not as sharp. I currently own a Les Paul DC Studio, which I mainly used for its overdriven lead pickup sound. The Parker hangs with it amazingly well, to the point where I don't even pick up the Gibson anymore. But since the guitar is so snappy, I can jam on the bridge pickup with my amp clean and get a surprisingly Strat-like single-coilesque 60's-type sound. It really surprised me when I heard it come out of the guitar. I don't mind that it doesn't totally emulate a Strat bridge pickup; in my opinion, Fender should never have put such a weak-output pickup in the Strat's bridge. This is as close as you will get to having a single-coil and humbucker sound in one pickup.

As for the piezo pickup, I had only played it through a Fender Acoustasonic at the store, and it sounded decent. But when I hooked it up to our church's Trace Elliott amp, well, all I can say is Oh My Goodness. I was floored. Heck, with some tweaking I bet I could get it to sound like an archtop! Absolutely amazing clarity of sound. Now I don't have to buy an acoustic guitar (thank goodness), or worse yet subject myself to an "acoustic simulator" pedal. I give Larry Fishman the credit for this one.

It just keeps getting better... This is where the NiteFly really shines (no pun intended). I found myself just looking at this thing, marveling at the craftsmanship that went into it. Two thoughts started to run through my mind: 1) I have never seen a guitar as well put together as this, and 2) I cannot believe what commonly passes for quality and innovation in guitar manufacture nowadays. After you've removed a guitar's control plate, do you ever have the urge to just marvel at *solder*? Sounds weird, but there I was looking into the NiteFly's control cavity, thinking "wow". I mean, the wiring and the configuration of the hardware components is itself a work of art.

But before I digress further, I guess I should get to the nitty-gritty. The action was very low (for my tastes), but didn't matter as there was no fret buzz (the guitar was strung with .009's). By the way, stainless steel frets *do* make a difference. I have never bent strings so smoothly before (yet again forcing me to reconsider my definition of "quality"). Everything else was really perfect. I'm not kidding. But more than that, the guitar showed so many signs of innovation and simple common sense. There is no neck heel - the body is simply concave where the neck is screwed down. The body contour (another work of art) runs subtly along most of the back of the guitar, but more significantly the entire guitar is narrower at the top than it is at the bottom ("top" being the side with the strap button on the horn). I could go on, but suffice it to say that Mr. Parker has done his homework. The NiteFly (at least this model) is not at all a bargain-basement version. It beats hands-down the quality of any Strat I've ever seen, and especially any Strat under $1000. Once again this guitar gets a 10, but it really does deserve it.

"Will this guitar withstand live playing?" It better! These are hard questions to answer - I mean, I'm not exactly waiting to "find out" how much abuse this guitar can take. From what I hear, I have nothing to worry about, and if the NiteFly's durability in any way matches the general quality of the instrument, then I'm set. We'll see how it goes. After all, it's an instrument, not an antique to put on a shelf.

My communication with Parker Guitars has so far only taken the form of two e-mails I sent to them about the Fly & NiteFly. They responded back within a day (by name), and were very informative. In addition, they clearly were making an effort to help me out - they had the feel of a small business, and I enjoyed my experience with them. Hopefully I won't have to contact Parker for anything more serious. :-)

I've been playing for over ten years, and have been playing in bands for about seven of those years (this sounds like a resume). "Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?" Yeah - "Can I have it for free?" If this guitar were stolen... well, I'm sure you've read anough reviews to catch all the clever ones involving hunting down the thief, beating him to death with the guitar, etc. As for me, I'd just collect the insurance money and buy another one plus some goodies. So yes, I would buy it again. Of course I would! This guitar outshines just about everything I once held up as ideal. The only thing I hate about the guitar is that it doesn't change colors every week. That'd be cool. I chose this guitar over many, many others because it was under $1000 and had more features and better quality than many guitars costing twice as much.

"Anything else you'd like to share?" Why yes. This is just me and my soapbox, so skip this if you like. As I have mentioned, I was blown away not only by the quality of the NiteFly but by the innovation that went into its design. And then looking at my Tele, Strat, and Les Paul, ...well, it was like comparing a 2000 Prowler to a '57 Chevy Bel Air. The Chevy has character and nostalgia value oozing out of it, but you know what? It's still a really, really old car. It drives like an old car. It handles like an old car. In its original condition it wouldn't even be legal to drive it anymore. The Prowler on the other hand, while it borrows from the design aesthetic of yesterday, is a modern car. It carries with it the benefit of 40 years of improvements in car design and manufacture. You might feel cool in the Bel Air, but it's a pain in the butt to drive around. I want a car that looks cool, but not one that gets in my way with frustratingly outdated technology.

The Telecaster is over 50 years old, and the Strat and Les Paul are quick approaching that milestone. *Fifty* years old. And yet we continue in our mistaken notion that old means better. No, old means old. The Strat was revolutionary when it was introduced - it threw away conventional wisdom about what a guitar should or shouldn't be. But sadly, that spirit of innovation got lost somewhere around 1960. Since then, guitar innovators have found their products relegated to the closeout section while Fender, Gibson, and others sell thousands of guitars by the sheer power of name and mystique. And how many luthiers, independent or otherwise, never stray far from the cookie-cutter Fender or Gibson molds?

I didn't care for my Steinberger in the long run, but I have a lot of respect for the guy who made them. The guitars were different - not simply for the sake of being different like the Explorer or Flying V, but different for a purpose. I admire Ken Parker for the same reason - he has dared to actually attempt to move guitar evolution forward, not fossilize it the way PRS has. And Parker has done one heck of a job, I might add. I am spoiled for life - I can never look at another guitar again in the same way. As far as I'm concerned, the NiteFly is the heir apparent to the Strat - Parker took the Strat's best features and jettisoned its worst ones, added a large measure of creativity and originality to the mix, and ended up creating a truly unique and thoroughly modern guitar. It is a pleasure to play and I anticipate using it for many, many years to come (God willing).