Parker Guitars NiteFly SA

I BOUGHT MY PARKER NITEFLY SA EARLIER THIS YEAR '08, I BELIEVE IT IS AN '07 MODEL. THIS USA MADE GUITAR FEATURES A DIMARZIO HSS PICKUP CONFIGURATION, PIEZO, SPERZEL LOCKING-TUNERS, SWEET TREMOLO SYSTEM. IT IS TRANS RED W/ WHITE PEARLOID PICKGUARD. 22 FRETS

THIS GUITAR IS EXTREMELY VERSATILE, I PLAY EVERYTHING FROM HARD ROCK TO FUNK TO BLUES TO REGGAE TO JAZZ FUSION ON THIS AXE AND IT FLOWS SEEMLESSLY BETWEEN STYLES AND TONES.. I PLAY THROUGH A 2X12 FENDER HOT ROD DEVILLE AMP, WITH BOSS M50, XOTIC RC BOOSTER AND DUNLOP CRYBABY WAH. ONLY COMPLAINT--THE SINGLE COILS ARE NOISY( BUT IT'S A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR ALL THE AWESOME FEATURES AND OVERALL TONE).

THE ACTION IS LIKE A DREAM, I HAD IT SET UP FOR 11S DR PURE BLUES STRINGS WHICH COMPLIMENT THE GUITAR NICELY.

THIS GUITAR IS MY INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE, THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY AS FAR NEEDING A BACKUP IS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP 9V BATTERY, IF YOURS DIES, YOU WILL BE IN A PREDICAMENT!!

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 18 YEARS, I HAVE OWNED EVERYTHING FROM A SQUIER STRAT TO GIBSON LES PAULS TO A GIBSON ES335 TO A FENDER AMERICAN TELE, AND THE NITEFLY OUTPLAYS THEM ALL FOR FEEL, PLAYABILTY, NOT STRAINING MY BACK, AND TONE. IF IT WERE STOLEN, I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE IT. I LOVE THE LOOK, THE FEEL, THE SOUND, THE WEIGHT, IN SHORT, PRETTY MUCH THE WHOLE ENCHILADA... YOU NEED A NITEFLY!!!

The cool thing about Parkers I don't see mentioned much is that the steel frets are so smooth and the reinforced neck so flat and rigid that 10 gauge strings on a Parker feel like and play as well as 9 gauge strings on most other electrics with their twisted weak necks and chewed up nickel frets. The 10 gauge strings in turn brings with it several huge advnatages: better tone, more sustain, more output and more control. I tried gauge 9 strings on the parker and it was basicly unplayable because the strings slid around so easily I could barely hold a chord properly.

But a big complaint: the whammy bar harness design is bad. The whammy swings downward with gravity unless you tighten the hex nut into it but that in turn makes the whammy very difficult to inert and remove. This is not a headache I need when I'm tearing down and setting up on stage and have very little time and lots to do. Even though it sucks it still beats the screw-in kind. The Fender Deluxe Strat's snap in whammy is by far the best.

I've had three strats prior to the Parker; the strats have far more bass but a lot less of everything else. Less presence, less output, less mids. I have been recording recently and have A/B'd the strats and the Parker SA looking for a good tone and I've only been using the Parker as a result. It's bright sound and high output make it too easy to get a defined guitar tone. When I plugged in the strats I had to screw with EQs and tone knobs to get the same result. It's much easier to take away from the Parker than add to the strats.

My only complaint is that the neck pickup of a strat has the dark chiming bell sound everyone knows and loves, the Parker's neck pickup has a lot more quack, similar to the middle pickup of either guitar. It's a good tone anyway but it's not the same sound.

I mentioned the awesomeness of the neck under features because in this case it's waranted.

The action can be set very flat but at a point it becomes too easy to make mistakes. I have to set the action higher to keep it playable.

The propietary bridge is very good and looks nice but adjustments have to be made from the rear of the guitar which is cumbersome compared to strat designs. Fortunately you don't have to adjust it often.

It doesn't get mentioned enough: this guitar stays in tune like some sort of magic trick. I even don't bother to even check if it's in tune before playing anymore. Assuming the strings have been well stretched, most electric guitars go out of tune by simply being picked up or set down, with the Parker you have to dive bomb the whammy a few times to get it out of tune.

Not so good. Parker was bought out by US Music/Washburn so they're the ones who answer the phone when you call Parker. The first Parker I got was defective and they refused to help me because their computers were down for maintanance and would be for a full week. I've never heard a bigger bullshit story in my life, but anyway a week later they told me I should just return the guitar to the guitar retailer for a refund, but the catch is I bought it through Musician's Friend which meant packing the goddam thing up and shipping it back. The moral of the story: Don't order a Parker online unless you have limitless patience. Buy one in person and make sure it's set up before you leave the store. I love Parker guitars but their corperate situation is something entrely seperate.

I'm strongly considering buying a Nitefly M, they look very pretty and significantly different than the Nitefly SA, but am worried that dual humbucker layout isn't versatile enough as I'm coming from the world of strats. I suspect I'll give in and get one though because Parkers are the best guitars money can buy. If I ever win the lottery I'll buy a Fly Mojo.

Where can I start? I play an apple red Nitefly Features: Looks great doesnt it? Makes you stand out! it plays so soft!!! it features: Sperzel locking system, Active Pickups, Hey its got a Piezo Pickup (Acoustic Simulator), which can be played separetly or if you desire can blended with the normal Custom Wound Dimarzio Pickup for a bolder clean sound. Hell it even brings a special split cable (ring & tip) So you can send the piezo signal to an acoustic amp for example and the normal signal to your regular amp.
Note: I recomend you send the piezo signal Direct to the PA it sounds... (speechless).
Its got a HSS pickup configuration, 22 frets, 5 way selector mag,Its got a lot of custom original features like the dimarzio pickups, the bridge, Body style, etc... String changing is almost instant, Body is swamp ash and Neck is mahogany i think.

I Play Worship, Rock, Emo, Alternative, Latin,etc. and it plays great on all of them. I play it with a GT-6 multi effect, about to buy a Pod Live xt, i live in El Salvador There is no Such thing as a great tube amp here, and bringing one is too expensive for me right now.
It sounds much brighter than the Ibanez I used to use, to the limit that i had to slightly change my EQ. The chicken picking for jazz sound great. This sounds classy, professional, it defines your tone much better, if you suck it will show, if your good you'll shine (i know its a weared out cliche but its true).
And you can make it sound like an Acoustic!

It came calibrated, that is a really weird thing, most new guitars ive played need to be calibrated and octaved.
The one little thing i can critizice is that the bridge was slightly rusty, it isnt much but it hurts a little.

The strap buttons seem really solid theyre made a little bigger than standard guitars, the finish and paint looks great and lasting.
I totally depend on it, i mean i almost never use a backup guitar

Havent had to dwell with them.

Im 21 years old Ive been playing for only 6 years but ive made it my daily living, I play at church, home, the studio, live, etc. I have a GT-6 like a mentioned, a Jim Dunlop Wah, A DOD Grunge Dist, and I connect it to a Yamaha F-20. If it were stolen or lost im not sure id have enough to buy another one lol I think i would buy it again or i could buy a Mojo Flame. If it had a Floy Rose it would be perfect but it just wouldnt be a Parker would it?
And Yeah I guess it is expensive but now that i have it, I sure dont regret it, its worth the money. And a good thing about it is that the value keeps noobs away from it, lol kidding
I Play lots styles and what I love from this Guitar is that although it isnt totally diferent from other good guitars, it does give you that signature sound that isnt around.
I thank God for this guitar, it was the right choice, Im really grateful.

THis guitar has the translucent blue finish with the plain white pickguard. It has dimarzio pickups in the SSH configuration,Sperzal locking tuners, stereo/mono switch, fishman piezo pickups.....stainless steel frets graphite nut.......it,s LOADED

I play classic rock, blues,motown,progressive and some fake jazz. My amp is a Line6 Flextone3. This guiar is amazing! The best clean strat sound you ever heard, only the pickups are a little hotter.The sound is bright, but still warm.Tone oozes from this guitar, I,ve never played my guitar more since i,ve gotten my parker!It,s pretty quite for the most part, and all three pickups sound great!I don;t like the black rubber knobs, but that is the only negative I can say about this guitar.

This guitar has great action, and a just about flawless finish, the attention to detail is OBVIOUS!THe neck and the frets are just made for playing, and string bending never felt so good, thanks to the stainless steel frets, they really do make a difference!This guitar is beatiful in fit and finish

bought the guitar used, is in great shape, plan on keeping it that wayGreat hardware and finish, always have a backup, just in case.

Never had any contact with them

Iv;e been playing 30 years, and own several other guitars, and several amps. THis guitar is light, well balanced, and toneful, I love the use of the space aged materials with the great tone woods for a sound and playability that cant be beat. THis guitar is cutting edge, and others will have a hard time measuring up as parker has set the bar for quality VERY HIGH.

I bought this guitar on eBay, thinking it was a 1992 model.... that's what the previous owner thought too. Ran the serial number and learned it was a 2002 model! WOO-HOO! So I got it for peaanuts, am thrilled with every facet of it, and will never again be without one! The Swamp Ash body is awesome, but then what else would you expect from Parker? It really reminds me of a HSS Strat with a really, REALLY bitchy attitude. Finish is impeccable. The neck is beyond amazing: it's basswood encased in carbon epoxy! So yeah, it's like bulletproof AND sounds great! The active electronics are -I BELIEVE- limited to the Fishman Piezo pickup in the bridge. my favorite sound with this guitar is the stereo sound split with the piezo into my Trace Acoustic amp and the mags into my Trace Stereo Quad Chorus, with a thick distortion and a little snarly wah. You'll swear you're playing two guitars!

Definitely the tops for tone. Parker has a way of building lots of guitars into one, and the Nitefly SA is no exception. It's really hot for a chimey Tele tone, but does the Dave Gilmour strat flavors as well. The acoustic tones are really good too- played thru a good amp, you'll have to look down to remember you're not playing an acoustic with really sweet action.

I didn't get it from the factory, and the previous owner didn't know shiite about setting it up. It took a little work, but was well worth it! Action is unbelieveable. The carbon fiber fretboard gives lots of bounceto both the tone and action. I've heard of the glued-on frets coming off, but have never had a problem with mine, and don't anticipate it as long as I take good care of it. Wood, polyeurethane, carbon, and metal are all perfect. I HATE the rubber knobs though, and wasn't crazy about the matte white pickguard, so I spent a little cash for black abalone pickguard and abalone-capped knobs. Looks really sweet on a blue ash guitar.

I've played it out at least twice a week for five months now. Never a problem. I can't imagine anything short of deliberate abuse that would case any problems. I'm considering changing the Sperzel tuners though: they come off as somewhat gawky compared with the Grovers Parker puts on their "cheap" guitars. Only once have I had a problem with the tuners, but it chapped my ass to have to find a dental pick to pry the piston loose with.

As long as you get John Page on the Parker forum, you'll never have a Parker problem that can't be handled promptly. Their phone team is a different story. NEVER had a problem with this guitar, but my PM20 needed some help, and I found customer serive to be rude, nonchalant, lazy, and ill-equipped to handle any but the most basic questions.

Been playing 32 years, and have never experienced a guitar any better than this, unless it's my PM20. I now own eleven Parkers, and am thinning out my stable of PRS, Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Rickenbacker, and Martin guitars to make room for MORE Parkers. Bought three for my nephews for Christmas, and they all exceeded my expectations. I'll never buy another guitar that isn't a Parker.

Bought this guitar on eBay about a month ago, and it wasn't really what I was looking for. That said, I have to admit I got a steal of a deal. A hand-built American-built guitar should have cost five times as much as I paid for it. Materials are cutting-edge with a respectful nod towards tradition. The guy told me it was a 1997 model, which was ok by me at the price I was paying. It showed up, I ran the serial number and learned it was actually a 2002. Not bad, eh? This one has the SSH pickup arrangement, Swamp Ash body (looks like 4 pieces) and a gorgeous transparent blue finish. Has a very distinctive bridge with Parker's proprietary tremolo. Neck is maple with an ungodly tough (read "bullet proof!) carbon epoxy coating that covers the fretboard as well. Frets are stainless steel and are attached with some sort of marine epoxy. You'll wear holes in your fingers before you cut these frets. Tuners are Sperzel satin chrome locking dealies. I like the idea, but they're one of three things I'd change about the guitar. The other is the drab-ass pickguard. A white pearl would look great- and has since replaced the matte white I got. The finish is just too damn good to top off with flat white. I also hate the black rubber knobs. What was someone thinking??? They're dry rotting but still soft. Not cool.
The guitar is the most versatile I've ever played, and the second most playable, following closely behind its (Korean built) cousin, the PM20 Pro. Sounds (I should say voices- it's alive!) range from cool, dark Dave Gilmour Strat tones to sparkly Tele sounds to Brian May's bright grit to thick, soupy metal tones to bright funk with a scoop out of the middle. I play thru a Trace Elliot Super Tramp Stereo Quad Chorus, and between the guitar and amp, I've not yet been able to think up a sound I can't duplicate. The Fishman piezo under the bridge is fantastic! I split it off to a Trace Acoustic amp run clean, add a little OD to my Quad Chorus, and -viola- I'm playing in unison with myself. Don't try this unless you have a decent direct box though- the fishman is incompatible with the magnetic pickups' impedance, so a hum can be a problem if you make a ground loop. I don't understand those, I just know they sound awful. But that's not the guitar's fault, and it can be easily remedied- a guy on the Parker Guitars forum builds the box you need, and it works like a charm.

I pretty well covered sonic versatility already. There's literally nothing you can't play on this guitar. That said, there are sounds that pop out better than others. My favorite is the strat/acoustic layer with two amps. I play lots of different styles of music, so the versatility is paramount to me. One tiny gripe is that the piezos pick up a lot of finger noise. So I decided the best way to handle that was to become a better player.

Setup was perfect when I got the guitar, but then it had been played for 3 years too. Finish, workmanship, and action are perfect. I'm displeased though with the pickguard and the knobs- at the price these guitars go for, they could have spent an additional $1.26 on better plastic. Grrrr..... I had a bad experience with the Sperzel tuners the first time I changed the strings, and would much prefer the cam system that Grover uses in their locking tuners to the screw-up locks in the Sperzels. A beautiful guitar, but poorly accessorized. Definitely more Nicky than Paris, but Nicky Hilton in sweats is still a hot ass.

I LOVE the strap buttons on this guitar. They're placed just right for me. I'm a fat guy though, and the Nitefly balances perfectly on the strap. It weighs nothing, so is perfect for playing long sets! The neck will be bulletproof. Finish is PPG polyeurethane, laid on thich, then buffed to a flawless sheen. I've played out live at elast twice a week since I got the guitar, and I'm really impressed with its intonation. It does NOT go out of tune. That may be the fault of my DR strings too, though. I'd sell all my other guitars just to take this one to a gig, and never worry about a backup.

I've had recent dealings with Parker's customer service, and I must say they're the champs. My PM20 had a finish problem on the neck, and when I sent it back, they offered to replace it with the new model PM20 Pro, which sports better pickups, tuners, and finish, for a small upcharge. There was never any question about whether they'd satisfy my complaint. Their website forum is very helpful too- staffers, PR people, and Parker artists (Dave Martone, Joe Walsh, and others) are on there daily to share wisdom and answer questions. Problems are often handled within Parker's legion of disciples, without ever involving the factory. I know of at least one case where a very well-known artist bought a guitar from a dissatisfied owner so the kid could buy one in a different finish. This is a hugely valuable resource for parts, advice, news, and service.

I've been playing for 30+ years. I've owned Fenders, Gibsons, PRS, Rickenbacker, Ibanez, and Washburn guitars, and played dozens more makes. The Nitefly SA is more playable than any other BRAND of guitar I've ever held. For sake of reference, my Strat was a David Gilmour signature edition, my LP was a custom shop Black Beauty, and my PRS was a gorgeous Custom 24. I never felt inspired enough with any of them to write a review. I've sold them all now to fill my stable with Parkers, and except for a Babicz acoustic, I probably won't buy any other brand of guitar in the future. The Nitefly is very particular about strings. Elixirs don't sound good on it, and DR Zebras, made for electric guitars with piezos, have no tonal consistency on this guitar. But DR Xtra Life strings on it really come alive, as do DR Pure Blues. Let's see.... if it were stolen, I'd hunt down the thief and tear him limb from limb. It is very responsive to touch, but the neck feels strange even now- almost like it gets thicker out towards the end. I've noticed though that it helps me to play more consistently, so I'll take that trade. I gig now with three guitars: the Nitefly works for 70% of my music. I keep a Parker P42 tuned down to D, and the PM20 for bright crunch. As soon as I replace the pickguard with a Pearl White or Abalone one, and the rubber knobs with matching barrels, I'll have the closest thing there is to a perfect guitar.

Carved Swamp Ash body with bolt-on Mahogany neck
Parker custom-cast aluminum vibrato bridge, stainless steel saddles
DiMarzio custom wound HSS pickups
5-way mag pickup selection
Custom Fishman piezos and stereo voltage-doubled pre-amp
Custom Parker vibrato system
6 lbs



Wow...

I play guitar for my church worship band (and in about 4 or 5 other bands) and this guitar MORE than suites my needs. I run a Stereo Y cable, sending the Piezo signal through our PA system, while the electric signal is ran through my Bad Horsie 2, to a Mesa Rocket 440 4x10 combo tube amp (killer amp!). This guitar is AWESOME.

ONLY problem--- The DiMarzios are VERY bright. Infact, I had to cut the highs off my amp(s) by at least HALF (was running a Les Paul with Seymour Duncans -59/JB combo-). Once the settings were set (through PA, and amp changes) I now have the best clean sound I've ever had in my life. I've been playing for about 4 1/2 years now, and I am honored to play this beautiful guitar.

It makes SOME noise, but that's natural for single-coils.


I would give this guitar a 10, but it's REALLY bright. This is easily fixed though. Clean blend (piezo and single-coils at the same time) sounds AMAZING. Add a little delay/chorus to the coils, and you've got an AMAZING clean sound. Don't believe me?? Just listen to the samples on the Parker site.

http://www.parkerguitars.com/code/models/models_nitefly.asp

(click "Nitefly Sound Diagram", then listen to the setting called "Clean Blend")

The only difference between the clip you hear on the site, and the real thing, is it sounds a LOT better in real life.

This guitar is great all around, but probably isn't too great for Metal (which I also love playing). It has a lot of bite, but the pups don't have a lot of gain. I'm sure I'll be able to crank out some sweet metal tones once I get my DS-1 modded...

Awesome set up. Bought this off ebay (mint cond) for $640 ($1,300 new, crazy ehh?) LOVE the neck on this guitar. Gets a LITTLE sticky when you sweat, but hey, I don't mind!

It's VERY thin, which adds to the bright tone, and VERY light. I haven't even had it for a week yet, and I've only used it in a live band setting 3 times or so. For as thin as it is, it is VERY well constucted. Once I get strap locks, I would deff gig this guitar without a back up. (but what's the fun of that, when you have 5 other guitars???) ;)


I'm only giving this a 8, because I haven't had it that long yet (too early to tell for sure). It seems like it'll last, but time will tell how this beast will hold up.

Not a problem so far, so I don't know.

AWESOME guitar, for an AWESOME price. Once you get your settings right to your liking, this guitar will KILL! Makes SOME noise on the distortion setting, but that's natural for single-coils. AWESOME "all around" guitar, but doesn't have as much gain in the pups as I'd like, so it's not too great for Metal.

you know. if u don't go to parkerguitars.com.

This is the BEST electric guitar I've ever played. Unbelievable variety and performance... Sounds like the best strat u can have... 1) The cleans??? Try it with a mix of piezo acoustic(Fishman specially designed for parkers) and the Bridge-midle pickup with a chorus. I'm sure u haven't heard something like this before. 2) The pickups are di marzio specially designed for parker and are very close to steve vai's pickups. 3) The tremolo??? STABLE. 4) The tuners??? What can I say??? This guitar plays floyd, black sabbath, plays Funk (the best for rhythm), progressive rock and it plays jazz as well... One thing u have to remember: Pick it hard. Like every good guitar, it needs to be played strong. It BEGS u to give her your best shot.

It's a parker. I won't say anything else. HEY take a close look at the fingerboard. U will remember my words...

Very STABLE guitar with absolut tuners. AND great electronics.

some settings made in one day. very good support.

I'm a 40 year pro. Played with every guitar you can imagine. This is the one. When you touch it u will anderstand what is a good guitar and how many hours of practice u need to catch up with the guitar. with this guitar.I won't lose it. I sleep with it... I say it again: Pick it hard. It feels your picking... It kisses your ears (great harmonics) when u pick slow and screams if u dig it. So try both. And try a chord an the 17+ fret. U hear the full sound...

NOTE TO THOSE REVIEWERS BEFORE ME...MOST OF YOU DO NOT HAVE A NITEFLY SA!!!!! "SA" MEANS "Swamp Ash" - NOTHING ELSE!!!! PLEASE READ BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS...

ONE THING TO UNDERSTAND- NO MODEL MADE BEFORE 2000 IS A NITEFLY SA. In fact, even some 2000 models were still maple-bodied Niteflies and are not "SA" models. SWAMP ASH IS A MEDIUM-LIGHT WOOD WITH OBVIOUS, HEAVY STREAKING IN THE GRAIN. IT IS VERY EASY TO IDENTIFY. IF YOU LOOK AT YOURS AND DON'T SEE LONG, FIGURED DARK STREAKS ALL OVER, IT'S PROBABLY NOT AN "SA".

ALL "SA" MODELS FEATURE THE H-S-S PICKUP CONFIGURATION- NO EXCEPTIONS! MOST 2000 AND EARLY 2001 MODELS STILL HAD THE PLAIN WHITE/BLACK PICKGUARDS AS THE PREVIOUS MODELS -WITH- THE STEREO/MONO BUTTON BETWEEN THE CONTROLS. ALL 2001-LATER "SA" GUITARS FEATURED WHITE PEARLOID PICKGUARDS AND CHROME HARDWARE (INSTEAD OF THE TYPICAL BLACK RUBBER KNOBS) WITH -NO- STEREO/MONO BUTTON (NEWER FISHMAN POWERCHIP PREAMP FEATURES AUTOMATIC SWITCHING).

PUT YOUR REVIEW IN THE RIGHT SPOT! THE VERY FIRST NITEFLIES (NV1) WERE -ONLY- S-S-S MODELS, WITH NO STEREO/MONO SWITCH. THESE WERE ACTUALLY INTRODUCED IN LATE 1996. THE SECOND PRODUCTION MODELS (NV2), WHICH FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER, FEATURED BOTH THE S-S-S AND H-S-S CONFIGURATION, BUT STILL WITHOUT THE STEREO/MONO SWITCH. THE REAL NV4 AND NV5 MODELS CAME OUT IN 1998 WITH BOTH PICKUP OPTIONS AND -DID- FEATURE THE STEREO/MONO PUSH-BUTTON BETWEEN THE CONTROLS. THE NV6 MODELS ARE TRANSITIONAL 2000/1 MODELS WHICH FEATURE MAPLE BODIES, CAME ONLY IN H-S-S CONFIGURATION AND HAVE -NO- STEREO/MONO SWITCH. THE NV7 WAS, TECHNICALLY, THE "STANDARD" NITEFLY WHICH WAS A TRUE "SA" MODEL WITHOUT THE PIEZO. THESE WERE THE VERY FIRST TO FEATURE THE PEARLOID PICKGUARD AND CHROME HARDWARE (SOME HAD BLACK HARDWARE) BACK IN 2000. THE -REAL- NITEFLY SA (TECHNICALLY THE NV8), HOWEVER, FEATURES THE SWAMP ASH BODY, PEARLOID PICKGUARD AND CHROME HARDWARE WITH -NO- STEREO/MONO BUTTON, THE ONLY EXCEPTION BEING THE LATE 2000/EARLY 2001 MODELS MENTIONED ABOVE.

REMEMBER....

BE RESPECTFUL- PUT YOUR REVIEW IN THE CORRECT SPOT! QUIT RATING FOR AN "SA" WHEN YOUR GUITAR IS REALLY AN NV3 WITH TRIPLE SINGLE COILS OR AN NV5! BIG DIFFERENCES! USE THIS AS A GUIDE- GOOD LUCK AND NEVER STOP PLAYING!

USA Parker Nite Fly V2. So that means all passive electronics. There are now 8 versions of the Parker Nite Fly so do your homework if you are in the market for what version offers what features.

My SA based 1996 model means all passive electronics, instead of battery driven piezo pickup like newer models.

The Parker web site has a whole run down on all differences and histories. Suggest checking out.

SA means Strat Config (S/S/H) and Piezo

http://www.parkerguitars.com/media/pdfs/nitefly_reference_guide.pdf

Bought used so didn't get the original manual (free from parker) or allen wrenches (standard sizes, easy to get). Nice Parker gig bag.

Jumbo frets...Big Jumbo Frets! Not real low Gibson SG frets...took me about a week to get used to them. NOW I CAN'T DO WITHOUT MY PARKER!

Sweetest freakin' tremolo set up! Everything else will feel and work like a tank compared to a parker set up! Awesome!

Tuners = locking Sperzel = ROCKING and fast, easy string changes.

Had to replace the stock pickups with Dimarzios. Early NiteFly's feature custom Dimarzios that really sounds super classy, round and glassy like an excellent Strat.

However, pickups are really personal preference and I wanted hotter in the front and more bite, clarity at the bridge. So I replaced the front with Carvin Twin Blade (only $37 + free shipping = well worth it) and Dimarzio Fred in Bridge = BEST Pickup choice for me.

I use Tone Zones, Evolutions and Air Norton Dimarzios in my other guitars, but really feel the FRED is the best sounding and versatile of them all. Its a true classic just like Seymour's JB.

So NiteFlys are really a total package guitar that kick ass!

I sold my Peavey Wolfgang Special for one and those guitars were freakin' great. But I need a contoured, ligther, versatile guitar that played just as well as my Gibson SG or Wolfgang.

And the Parker truly delivered the goods. Had to set up to preference since previous owner liked much higher action, but all adjustments on Parkers are super quick and easy. So in less than 2 minutes you can have your guitar set up to how you want. Really!

Stock pickups made the NiteFly sound like the best Strat you "never" owned. Strats are so plentiful that you really have to hand pick your guitar for sound, quality and playibility. Wouldn't ever buy one via mail order. They vary way too much.

SA model is bright and versatile just like a strat, stock. But since I've been playing 20 years, I know what I want for sounds and adjust with pickups as needed.

NOTHING PLAYS LIKE A PARKER. Cliche, but true!

You can find a great used ones on Ebay for less than half new street price. Paid $500 for mine. These sell for $1200 new! Crazy. They may have really depreciated for some reason but what a steal of a deal for a rocking, socking, kicking, guitar.

My guitar was one of the original parkers NiteFlys ever released in 1996. My serial is literally "60 USA"...way before they switched to their now standard SN convention that shows month, year and number made that month (eg: 126700).

Talked to Parker rep and he said my guitar is more going to be more Rare since Washburn just bought out Parker guitars and they are moving the factory to Chicago. So I'll have one of the few guitars actually made by the original factory workers when the series began.

He was pretty excited to hear my neck was still in like new condition 8 years later! No dents, scratches, blemishes at on frets or neck. These frets will really last and play forever.

I've had pretty good luck when needing to contact parker direct via phone. Email has been "iffy".

Needed some info from a techy about pickup and pickgaurd replacements and was pleased to get my answers and then some fine conversation on the history of parker and their transition coming up to Chicago.

If you need general parts for your parker go to www.stewmac.com

After playing 20 years and about 10 different guitars over the years, I am extremely pleased with my decision to ditch my Wolfgang USA for the Parker Nitefly.

Execellent examples can be found on Ebay for $500 to $600 and they are well worth it.

Low maintenance, very durable, dependable guitars!

the newer (2002)SA model. swamp ash body, mahogany (the earlier SA's used basswood) neck. smart jack instead of older ones with the mono/stereo switch. 5 position strat-style pickup selector, SSH dimarzio configuration with the fishman piezo bridge. translucent blue w/white "mother of toilet seat" pickguard, locking sperzels, graphite nut, parker vibrato.

this is my fourth fly so obviously i am partial to parkers. my other parkers all are dual humbucker guitars, so for an initial comparison i compared it to a 1991 alder bodied prs eg1 because it shares the SSH configuration of the parker. i found the parker to be less bright than the prs. maybe its the wood, maybe its the dimarzios, or maybe it's both. i use a fender custom shop prosonic amp and was easily
able to get the brightness back by boosting the treble on the amp by 1&1/2. i would say neither sounded better. just different. alot of people don't like the dimarzios. i too prefer duncans but given the sound i'm getting right now, i'm in no hurry to run out and buy replacement duncans. the guitar is, however, WAY more versatile than most guitars given the fact that you can blend the piezos in w/the dimarzios for piano-like chimey clean sounds that are out of this world. this guitar is very quiet. naturally you get a little hum on the in-between positions like you would on any other single coil guitar but nothing that'll bum you out. i was surprised that i actually prefered the stock dimarzio humbucker (on distortion settings)to the venerable prs HFS humbucker. hard to describe- just over all a more focused tone with a better balance of low, mid, and
highs. NOBODY, (don't kid yourself!)including myself, has yet to hear a score of 10 in this catagory so understand that my score of 9 is quite high.

not gonna waste my time here w/details. it's this simple:
PARKER=PERFECTION.
if you disagree, then:
a) you've never played one
b) you played one at a guitar center that had been f#cked around with by some moron. (this is more applicable to the glue-in neck models that have the exposed trem-tension wheel)

rock solid just like my fly classic and my fly butternut ltd. the only thing more stable tuning-wise is a floyd rose but those suck for a number of reasons. every guitar tech and guitar builder i know has stated that the parker vibrato is the ultimate guitar trem engineered to date. always have a backup available. hey, strings break.

i live an hour from the factory and have been there a few times. great people. sometimes a little hard to reach by phone but that's how it goes sometimes. not as bad as trying getting a tech on the phone at mesa boogie though! LOL!

there's always gonna be a guitar out there that sounds better, and i HAVE run into guitars (on occasion) that sound better than my flys. but that "better" sound has never been significant enough to make me want to give up the playability of the parkers. (not to mention the look and stability) these things make you want to PLAY, and isn't that what it's all about?! most of us know, the bulk of your "tone" comes from your fingers, heart, and soul. so there!

Made in 1997. Standard Parker Fly shape, but with bolt-on construction. Swamp Ash body (hence the SA) with Basswood neck and composite carbon fretboard (which I love). Super light body that makes my MIM Strat look and feel huge. Awesome black finish with black pickguard. Stock custom-wound DiMarzio HSS pickups (which I also love) with 5-way switch. Stock Piezo pickup and 3-way switch. Stock Sperzel locking tuners. Oh, and a tremolo. What more could you want?

I'm playing through a solid-state Carvin SX200 2x12 combo. This is one of the most versatile guitars I have ever played. The pickups are very bright and articulate and work well with the Swamp Ash body. No buzzing or humming either. The Piezo pickup also allows for some cool Tom Morello-esque stuttering effects and serves as a good kill swtich. The Parker Nitefly does it all!

I bought this guitar used, so this is the only place where the guitar falters a little bit. There were a few scratches in the finish that I plan on fixing over the summer and the action was a little high. I got it set up professionally and now it's awesome! The neck and the fretboard play wonderfully. The thinner neck allows for easy finger gymnastics and makes the guitar more fun to play.

I'm gigging with it in a pop-rock/punk band (think Foo Fighters meets NOFX) on a weekly basis. I jump around a lot during our set so at first I was worried whether or not the light body could handle all of the abuse I put it through. Sure enough, 4 months later and not a scratch!

I have been playing for about 2 years and own a Yamaha FGS413 acoustic, a MIM Fender Deluxe Double Fat Strat, my Carvin combo, and my Digitech Whammy and Dunlop Crybaby pedals. If someone were stupid enough to steal my Parker, I would hunt them down and make them feel my wrath. I had never played nor have yet to play anything that sounds, plays, and functions as well as my Parker Nitefly. It's everything I could ever ask for in a guitar: it's light, plays great, sounds amazing, and is very distinctive. In fact, I'm looking to buy another one with a sunburst finish or one with 3 single coils. If you're in the market and looking for something functional and affordable, get your hands on a Parker Nitefly SA and see what I'm talking about.

According to the serial #, this guitar was made in the year 2000. The body is made of swamp ash, the neck is made of mohogany with a carbon composit fret board and stainless steel frets( nice!)It has sperzel locking tuners. The electronics consist of one dimarzio humbucking pickup in the bridge, and two single coils in the middle and the neck position. A Fishman piezo pickup built into a vibrato which is fully adjustable. a five position pickup selector and a toggle switch for choosing either the passive pickups or the piezo pickup or both in stereo. Parker no longer adds a mono- stereo button. They supply the guitar with a stereo cable (too short) and gig bag which is mediocre. Mine is their translucent red color with a pearl white pick guard ( really cool!)

I got this guitar on friday, set it up to my specs, and gigged with it on Saturday. I could'nt stop playing it! I like this guitar almost as much as my beloved Fender Classic Floyd Rose Stratocaster which is and will always be my favorite. ( I love those necks) This Nite-Fly SA sounds just like a Strat, the humbucker pickup I'm still evaluating. It sounds differnt than my other guitars, therefore I'll either set up my Line 6 Flextone 3 amp with programs for this guitar or I'll change it to a Fender DH-1 which I have grown accustomed to. The piezo is really nice and convenient, and can be EQed to sound like an acoustic guitar.

After recieving this guitar I had to set it to my personal specs. The action was alittle too high for me and the neck had a forward bow to it which I staightened out with the truss rod adjuster. Then I re-adjusted the vibrato according to the manual and re- set the pickups heights.After that the guitar played like a dream. The guitar is a georgeous work of Art! I will give it an 8 only because I think maybe it could of been better set up.

It seems to be very well made so far, but I have only had for couple of days. Time will tell

Have not had to contact the company yet so I don't know how well they are to deal with.

I Have been playing guitar for over 30 years. I own all kinds of top shelf gear, Mesa Boogie, Marshall, PRS, Gibson, Fender, Peavey,and more. I have tried just about everything and anything that has to do with guitars and amps and this guitar is definitely a keeper! I just sold a Line 6 Variax guitar which was cool for what it is, but this beats it hands down for quality, playability, original sound and looks. The only thing I wish this model included is a tone control for the piezo pickup, which is offered in the upper Fly models. Other than that, this guitar is a complete package for me! I would buy another one if it were lost, stolen , or destroyed.

Bought it used on ebay. 22 frets. Has a Dimarzio humbucker on bridge plus 2 single coils in neck and middle. Volume control for dimarzios, volume for piezo pickup, 5 way selector for dimarzio with coil split in the 4th position, 3 way switch for 1) dimarzios 2) dimarzios and piezo 3) piezo, Pickups are passive, i need to get used to this... Beatiful sunburst finish, sperzel tuners, etc..

I have played active emgs in a standard strat for 7 years. I was really used to the high gain output of the emgs so i am having a hard time going into passive pickups, the seem to lack output. I play alternative rock and it sounds really good, very different from my strat, the parker has more mellow sound. I play it through a line 6 flextone II plus. It is very versatile, its closer to a classic strat sound but with some extra punch coming from the humbucker. It doesnt sustain much i have to use a compressor to compensate it. The piezo sounds well...like a piezo, it can sound like an acoustic guitar under the right conditions. I use a fishman D.I. when i use the piezo and it sounds very good but when i try the piezo with my line6, even in a clean tone it doesnt sound quite right. I give it a 8 just because i miss my emgs...and because of the sustain...

I bought it used from ebay, i had to setup the guitar to go with heavier strings, 10's, which i like. After seting it up it feels really good, the frets are out of this world, hardened frets make a HUGE difference in feel.

I bought this guitar 4 months ago and i am starting to get some scratch from the volume pot, i think with proper cleaning it might go away, also, the output became loose after a few weeks, that might be because of my cables...
i've gigged with it and i havent had a problem so far...i dont carry a bacup...

I emailed the parker dudes asking them about what stuff i can use to clean the fretboard, fast-fret, finger ease, etc...
i got a reply after the second email, 5 days later..

I am thinking about putting emgs on the parker, im not sure, i dont want it to sound like my other guitars, but i do miss that extra gain..
i would probably buy another one if something happened to this one...
i still have to get used to this guitar...i've only had one guitar before this one, so...

Made in 2002.Has 22 frets witch is still ok.Volume,tone,pick up select switch and a toggle to select either the acustic pick up or the electric pickups or both witch can give you a pretty cool sound.You can also turn the volume of the acustic pick up up or down by turning the small pot on th inside of the pick guard.this will let you balance the output volume between the two.Has one dimarzio humbuker and two single coil pick ups.The tremolo is pretty cool too.you can have it in three different posisions and with the locking tuners it stays in tune realy well even with some good whammys!Has hardend steele frets too.Neck is awsome.

I play Ibanez guitars and also have a ovation acustic.I think I like my PAF pros that are in the Jems I have better than the dimarzio's that come on this guitar but its not enough to make me change them out.Sound is nice and full.Pickups are quiet and the acustic is realy sweet sounding.I play through a line 6 amp with the band I am in and there are no problems at all.

All good! I have the transparent blue and it is a dark blue,kind of hard to explaine.But looks great,fits well with any style of music you play.Strap hooks are solid and the fit on the neck is good.

I play out with it and have had no problems so far!Strings change very easy so I dont take a back up......I know I know.

N/A

I bought this guitar so that I would not have to take three other guitars out to play.We do some acustic and some 1/2 step down and some drop D stuff too so I was taking three guitars all the time and it was just getting to be a pain.So when I came across this Parker I tried it out and it rocks!!Is it worth the $789 I paid for it used? YES! New you can pick them up for about $1200.I got a Parker hard shell case too so I thought it was a ok deal.The guitar looks like new.By the time you would buy two other guitas to do what one can your over $1200 anyway.

I think you now enough about the features. If not go to parkerguitars.com

I especially like the sound of the neck pickup for playing jazz. Sure, the sound of my archtop would fit better to that kind of music, but the playing comfort of my nitefly is much better and I also like the "fresh" sound. Mixed with the piezo I like the sound for playing fingerstyle.
I also play blues and rock on the nitefly (the playing comfort, you know) but if I think the sound of my Les Paul Studio especially for blues fits better.

It`s allright. One thing - The magnetic pickups don`t work without the battery for the piezos - although the mags are not active. I think Parker should change this.

I really like my nitefly. It`s good value for the money.

Too many function.

Very good tone.

What I can say is this nitefly sa is the best guitar of the world.

Not damage yet-_

This monster is made by american. Beautiful finish style and many function. What I don't like is soft gig bag. I like handcase more than gig bag.

I played in band for 9 years. I played rock, metal, blues. This guitar is good for blues player. The clean tone is so nice.

Anyway nothing to say. Play this guitar yourself and believe your hand.

This guitar has the best of both worlds, you can get extreme electric or awesome simulated acoustic or both! Plus the stainless steel frets are out of this world. The playabilty is the best ever, period.

This is an incredible sounding guitar, I am yet to find anything like it. It doesn't really have its own signature sound, which can be annoying to some but sort of gives it a mysteriousness, simply known as "Parker Nitefly" (these guitars have so much work and exact technical specs, its almost as if its not of this world). On a clean setting, you get the absolute greatest clean of any guitar I've ever played. On a blues/jazz setting, you get the supreme of that style, and even for Metal/Hard Rock you get the absolute best (for you metal heads, the sound mixed w/ the playability of this guitar will blow you away.) It is def. the most sound versitile guitar ever. It has the fullest and brightest most awsome sound out of any guitar that I've ever seen. The Piezo is kinda cool, but buying special cabels can be sort of a pain.

I got this guitar 2 years used, and it was still as good as if I bought it new. The action and playability of this guitar is the best I have ever seen. I can get the action down to almost touching the frets w/out any buzz at all. The neck has to be the fastest/easiest to play out of any guitar on the market (same for any Parker, really). The finish is cool, but not absolutely awesome. Finish doesn't matter anyway, I've seen some pretty crappy guitars with killer finishes. The nut is graphite, and it has the Sperzel locking tuners and killer bridge that give it Floyd-Rose abilities, without the hassle. The neck is great for bolt on, and I've never adjusted the trussrod - it just doesn't need it.

Reliability is great, I've never had any problems with it. The Sperzel locking tuners are definetly a plus - it rarely ever goes out of tune, and string changing is a breeze. The Spezels are also quite durable, I know a lot of people with them and they've never bent or anything, even with persistant ceiling smackings. These guitars are hand made, and not mass produced in Korea or something. The effort put into these is way up there.

I got it used and don't know about the warranty. I haven't dealt with the customer support, but I assume that they'd be as good as customer "support" can be.

I had a strat before this one, and the Nitefly just blows my strat straight out of the water. I have friends with Gibsons, PRS's, Fenders, Brian Moore's, and I like my Parker WAY better than any of them. The sound and playability of this guitar will blow you away, and it looks pretty cool too :-) If you can find one of these used, go for it - I've talked to Parker Dealer employees who have been working at there store for years and have NEVER seen one in on consignment. If anything were to happen to this guitar, #1. I'd cry #2. I'd go right out and buy another. As the people at Parker Guitars say, "Nothing plays like a Parker. Nothing sounds like a Parker. Nothing looks like a Parker."

update review from an earlier one.
2000 model

I thought some of you may be interested in my experiences with this guitar after another year of work with it.

--Those stainless steel frets are amazing. None have come off despite daily use, a lot of use and there is not the slightest show of wear at all, none

-- I stopped using the piezo transducers and just use the selector switch as a master kill switch. In all honesty I hate dealing with the battery and the newer modeling technology in my Boss processors make for a much more realistic and flexible acoustic guitar sound than you'll ever get with a piezo pickup. Period.

-- I've been worried off and on about the neck -- it seems a bit loose on the body. However, I'm beginning to think that it's not that the neck is loose per se but really flexible. Weird. No set into the body like a Paul or bolted into a pocket like on a strat or tele you can, if you wiggle the neck, get some pretty wild lateral shifting of the neck. But it goes right back in place. In two years I've adjusted the truss rod twice. The day I got it and about 2 years later when summer set in.

--periodically when you pick up the guitar it will creak. This had me boggled for a long time until I realized it wasn't the neck coming off the body but the neck rubbing against the pick guard. No problem.

-- vol pot became very scratchy but solved with some cleaner. Just routine stuff.

--the only problem with this guitar is the distance the saddles are permitted to travel poses an issue with perfect intonation. With 9s and a low action, you will not get the B string to intonate just right. It is slightly off. I solved this by raising the action just a bit and then re-intonated.

--I still love this guitar and use it every day. I'm working on a new album now and use it almost exclusively.

--I like the pickups in the guitar although I must admit that compared to my other guitars they seem a bit generic. My Gibson, Fender, Carvin, etc., all have a "sound" but the Fly sounds like none of them but has no signature sound of its own really. It just sounds like "a guitar." It's just sorta "there" -- but I'm not really complaining. It sounds great and since I use so much processing anyway, it makes little difference -- I use it as a blank canvas and get the color from pedals and pres. The sound is not sterile or cold or harsh or anything like that, just lacking a strong personality like most major brands of guitar. The single coils sound like single coils and the hummer sounds like "a' hummer

In hindsight, the nitefly sa was a great buy and I'd do it all over again without hesitation. Though, one reason I bought the guitar was the stainless frets and I see now that Warmoth is putting them on necks. I may look into that and build my own guitar in the future.

still sounds good to my ears but like I was saying it is not a "character" guitar like a Les Paul, etc. It is more universal sound.

the only time I had contact with an employee or rep was when my Y cable went out and I was considering a more robust replacement. they wanted $80 for the thing. Forget it. I just went back to a non-stereo cable and forgot the "acoustic" pickup. my boss gt-3 and gt-6 have a much, much better acoustic sound than any piezo pickup. -- they all sound crispy and harsh to me.

I'd buy it again. I use it every day and it has just about replaced all my other guitars except for those moments when I need a very particular clean guitar sound that only my Gibson or Fender or Carvin can get.

2000 model, USA, 22 frets, the entire body is one solid piece of swamp ash (unlike my POS Fender Strat that literally exploded into 50 pieces revealing that it was made of, gasp, plywood), the neck is mahognay encapsulated in the 'stuff' they coat it in.

the frets on the nite fly are larger than on the other fly models which is one of the reasons I went for this guitar over the more expensive flys. Also the neck is beefier...I just like the way it plays more than the other fly models.

AS for other features, they've all been done in the other reviews.

Jeez, it kills. full range of sounds. beautiful. more stratty than a strat more throaty than a LP. the snap is insane. I've never had a guitar this good before

I bought this from Musicians F(r)iend sight unseen, obviously, which worried me a lot. But I was not dissapointed. I pulled it out of the box and saw that sunburst finish and the swamp ash figure and said "Oh My God!" It exceeded every expectation I ever had. The action is outrageous. It shreds, it screams, perfect bending, my intonation has never been better with those silky stainless frets.

I've been gigging with it for a bit over one year. I always take a backup but have only broke a string once. No problems. the cheesy y cord broke after 6 months.

farily responsive plus there's a support email group that is helpful but, no surprise, pretty dead.

I've been playing 21 years almost, I've owned about 20 guitars, fender, gibson, ibanez, you name it. This is by far the most flexible and best sounding, best playing guitar I've had. I'll never let it go and I've had little interest in other guitar since I bought this one.

I'd get this guitar again, instantly. No question at all.

After a couple of months of playing this thing (a lot too) and even recording my bands first album with it I just laughed at all the money I had spent on Fender strats which can't compare at all to this parker. conventional guitars feel and play like a joke to me now.

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

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).