Parker Guitars P-38

I purchased my guitar from EBAY but I was lucky to get everything but a humidifier for my axe.

4 different pickup sounds on the electric side... I love the variations on this guitar more so that I do on the Fly Deluxe that I own. Rhythm, leads, Strat-like sounds... I love it. The acoustic sound is more of what I like, not too thin sounding. I also play a big box Takamine F-250 and my p-38 runs close to that sound.

all checked out well and it is still in mint condition...

She is my #1 guitar... I have a Parker Fly Deluxe to back it up with... but she's been 90% faithful...short of a busted string.

I had to have my piezo pickup fixed once but that's about it. I had different noise levels coming from each string when strum.

I have owned my p-38 since 1999 and was stoked when I purchased it. It came to me because at the time I couldn't afford the 'real deal' so I opted to get the p-38 as a close second. One year later and several gigs under my belt with the p-38, I was able to purchase the Parker Fly Deluxe. The REAL Parker!!! I must say, either my ear is deceiving me or I'm just plan deaf but, I love the warm textures that the pickups in my p-38 give me more so than I do my Fly. I noticed that most of the photos taken while I'm performing are always with my p-38. I own a custom shop 72 Fender Stat, Charvelle Jackson, and a Zion, all of which I play from time to time and love to have sitting in my guitar rack on stage... but it is my p-38 that I play 90% of the time. And it's only 90% because occasionally I break a string! I'm no Stevie Ray or John Mayer in my playing ability, but I am one gigging machine who plays on average 4-6 nights a week, every week. I give my p-38 a 10 out of 10.

P-38, 2000, tobacco sunburst, a korean nightfly copy produced by cort. Swamp ash body, s/s/h alnico pups. Piezo fishman / wilkinson bridge. 5 way blade. 3 way toggle for pups / mix / piezos. Very light body. Comfortable player in any position.

Not going to waste time on my preferences other than gear. I've been playing since the 60s. I use quite a few vintage Marshalls, 69 small box, 72 major, 1959, 2204, 9005 etc. as well as various other amps, fenders etc, racks and quite a few pedals. I have about 15 - 20 electrics, old gibsons (lp and 61 sg), fender strats, prs and other various brands. The p-38 is the bottom of the line parker now out of production. I find myself reaching for this instrument more than any others. I opted not to swap the pups. I'm not sure if they are all like mine but it is the best sounding strat I have. The cheap stock alnico singles can get you srv and ej very close. The bridge pup is hot enough to push an amp well without getting into the mud territory. But it's darker in humbucker than a 59 or jb. I can get an ej solo tone very well with the stock pups.. the marshalls kind of help that too.. Parker during production would sell the pups for $22 single / $44 for humbucker. I should have picked up a few sets when I could, they no longer support this model.

All around you get use this guitar in about any situation. Mixing in the fishman can be nice with some fingerstyle, I don't use that much. The trem and arm length and postion is perfect for me, only outdone by my prs. I let it float as with all my trems, vintage fenders etc. I have the trem tension so I can easily get those jeff beck trills. Tuning is very very stable, I don't use the string tree. The graphite nut helps.

Here's where it lacks.. When purchased there was quite a bit of fret buzz. Frets were thin and very high for me. I leveled the neck three times before I got it perfect. When I do a leveling I'm cautious how much to take off so I could have done it the first or second. After that the neck is one of my best players for action. I do all my setups, I can't remember how the pups and trem were at stock settings. All pots scratched after first year. Jack failed within a year causing a crackling everytime you move a cable. Blade switch was noisy. So a trip to stewmac.com was necessary. They have a replacement for the 9 pin jack that is a direct replacement. So basically all pots, except for piezo pot which is fine, blade and jack needed replacement. I altered the wiring scheme so that when in the middle / third position the neck and humbucker single coil are active, not the middle. This gives you a very nice tele tone on this guitar. Stock pups will remain in this one.

I'm an older guy now so I'm not as hard on my guitars like in the 70s... After the upgrades and setup. I'd use it anywhere, anytime. I'm actually thinking of purchasing another for a backup. Some have reporded piezos failing, I haven't run into that. Battery lasts at least a year for me.

They were helpful when I contacted back in 2000. But for this model now, they will not support. I'm curious if Cort would supply parts for this now.

Great guitar for the money, just be prepared to do some neck work and upgrading most the guts.

I don't own this guitar any longer having traded it in about three weeks ago This guitar was made under licence in Korea to a Parker design, based on the Fly model. The bridge, complete with Fishman pick-ups has a Parker designed vibrato unit. The tuning stability seemed reasonable but I'm not a great user of vibrato. Tuners are again Parker designed/parts bin but are accurate and smooth. A good feature. The body finished in black paint, I think was bass wood. It was certainly nothing esoteric. This model has a wooden neck (maple I would guess) with a rosewood fretboard, not the fibre set up as on the high end Parker Models. It is fitted with 22 jumbo frets and has a reasonable width suitable for someone more used to playing acoustic guitars. The guitar came with a gig bag (not Parker) stereo lead but was lacking the tools. It was purchased secondhand so this was not a surprise. The pick up configuration S/S/H plus fishman piezos on the bridge is controled by a 5 way switch for the S/S/H with the option of mixing the Fishmans in or out or on their own with a fairly meaty toggle switch. There is one tone control (does not effect the Fishmans) and seperate volumes for the piezo or other pick ups. The pick ups are Parker, design alnicos for the singles, I've no idea about the humbucker. The S/S/H were not active but do not work if the 9V battery powering the Fishmans runs down. The finish was reasonably good and the body was light but still had good sustain. I think the shape either floats you boat or not there does not seem a middleway with a guitar like this.

I play various styles from rock/pop through to folk and jazz. I was looking for a guitar that could cover lots of different styles and had multiple voices and tones. Over the years I had the guitar it was used with a small Crate practice amp, a Vox Valvetronic ADT 50, a behringer ACK 1000 acoustic amp, driven diect into PA systems via orchid eleronics DI box and DI'd into home studio equipment. Using the stereo facility it would run into two amps, one (or PA) for the piezos the other for electic guitar tones. The main effects used were zoom 504 (acoustic) and 505 (electric), korg Pandora, on-bord amp effects and some cheap behringer pedals. I found the single coils to be noisy even at relatively medium volumes and susceptable to ineterferance. The humbucker was, as you would expect, quieter but seem to be lacking in bite and crunch. The Fishamns were fine but could have benefiteed from some on board facility to shape the sound. The guitar was at it's best when the piezos were mixed into the sound as unless this was done it seemed to be a bit "gutless". I did wonder if over the years the pick ups had become less efficent as over the time I owned the guitar it seemed to lose punch and tone. There was a great variety in the sonds it could offer with the mixture of pick ups the problem was that none of the tones were 100% convincing. it was a good workmanlike instrument and was good for experimentation and demos but it seemed unable to cut through in a lve situation. I liked the flexibility and but not the overall tone or power.

The original set up, I bought it second hand, was ok. I did get a set of tools from Stewart Macdonald and lowered the action slightly. The main problem over the years was that the neck was not stable. I also felt that the screening inside the body was poor. I would say that the fit and finish was acceptable for a licenced product. The frets were well finished and the tuners were very good. The paintwork was thin and scratched easily irrespective of the care lavished on the guitar.

This was the killer with this guitar and led to me ultimately getting rid of it. As I said above the neck was not stable and ultimately it required attention from a guitar tech. I know enough to know I don't know enough. There were several problems, as I have said above, the pick-ups seemed to lose output. I don't ever reall keeping it near a magnetic field and can think of no reason for this, but over the 4 years I had it but it lost it's bite. The next problem was setting the intonation, which became necessary as the neck moved. The fishmans are connected by a very thin wire (about as wide as a hair) and any adjustment can break this connection. Due to the movement in the neck the inevitable happened, fortunately for me when it was in the workshop, and the wire was reconnected, a very delicate operation. I was quoted ??75.00 (UK) for replacements should they need break beyond repair in the future and the advice given was that it would be best not to adjust the bridge in the future. I have to say I don't tinker with my guitars all the time (well hardly at all) but I was concerned it would only get worse so having had a set-up done on it I let it go. I would suspect it had a good few years in it but I was not happy with it any longer. In addition as I have said above the finish was thin and scratched easily, I don't mind my guitars having playing marks but this was looking poor given the very limited gigging it had done. I would have to say it was not a guitar I would have depended on in a gigging situation.

As I have said above yes it was repaired. Harmony Music of Dorcester in the UK, who sold it to me second hand, went above and beyond the call of duty to keep it going for me, particularly as i owned it for over four years. They said that Korg, the UK distributer had provided support but ultimately the cost of parts could have been more than the instrument was woth. So I would say good local support and I've not tested the national UK distributor. The overall rating is for Hrmony Music, Trinity Street, Dorchester, UK. I can't rate Korg.

I have been playing for 34 years. I own a custom made acoustic (based on a Martin 000M) made by David Oddy of Exeter Devon UK, a Blade Durango T Classic, a 1970 Janaese Copy of a Jazz Bass, a Crafter Mandolin, a Peavey Briarwood 12 String, a troubodour travel guitar, Behringer ACX 1000, a small PA rig (18 channel), Korg D3200 digital studio with various outboard kit and I also use my sons Indie Les Paul and R shape guitars and his Vox amp. I've got various pedals etc.

I was pleased to get the Parker in the first place this was the first semi-serious electric guitar I had purchased, these were ??599.00 new, and Hrmony Music did me a good deal on a second hand model. The problem was with ownership as over the years it became more of a liability than an asset. There is nothing I could have asked before I bought it that would have made much difference, these were relatively new to the market so there was not much history to rely on for the product. Had it been lost after about the first year I would proably replaced it with something else. I loved the tone and versitility when i first got it but in the end lost faith as it went flabby and became unreliable. The best feature was the Fishman bridge, which sadly became the ultimate weak spot which led to me letting it go. It was versitile but flakey and unless someone was prepared to upgrade the pick ups and run the risk of breaking the Fishmans I would not really recommend the guitar as anything you spend on it would be better invested in getting something that is already up and together. If you come accross one second hand which has up graded pick ups and the fisman is working well, if the price is right consider it, if it is standard you may find you can get more for your money on something else.

My first submission for this guitar didn't make it, don't know why. So here is my second submission.

Even these Korean made Parker guitars are made quite well and play great. They have one humbucker, 2 single coils and a piezo that you can blend with the electric pickups. I wasn't fond of the tuners or the pickups (Parker pickups), so I changed the out (read more below). When I bought this guitar, it was brand new from a friend who just collects guitars and never plays them (best kind of friend to have if you are a musician). This particular model works well due to the fact that you have many pickup combinations and the piezos. I also have a Parker Fly which is much lighter and is already pimped out, but I prefer the P-38 over it any day. I never play the Fly.

When I bought this, I got it cheap since there was such a screwed up ground thing happening. There was so much hum in certain positions. I took it to a tech and found out that the piezo pot was dead. Also, while the pickups were not too bad, I didn't fully like the sound. On all my guitars, I always change what I can. I've been pro for 25 years and need gear to work for me. I play many diverse kinds of music (fusion, straight ahaed jazz, rock, top 40, country, blah, blah, blah) and need a guitar that kind of fits each style. I started out by changing the pickups. In the neck position, I put in a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. for a thick, almost jazzy sound. Granted, it's not a hollowbody, but I've managed to use this on big band dates and actually got a decent tone. I put a Duckbucker in the middle (I play a lot of funk and country) and a full size JB in the bridge. This gives me great lead tones and some very clean, clear beautiful tones with the neck and bridge pickups combined with the middle. It's funky, clean, thick in the bridge and cuts through the mix every time. I ended up calling Parker (for a while, they sold parts at Stewart-McDonald while they were changing ownership) and talked with a tech about ordering a new piezo pot. Man, it cost 90 bucks!! For a pot!! That's quite a bit, but that's business. I also took a tip from one of the other reviewers and installed some Planet Waves tuners. These things work like a charm. Low maintenance and they stay in tune perfectly.

I currently play through a Fender DeVille (the 2X12), a Crybaby wah, a Loooper A/B box (one side to tuner, other to effects), a Barber Tone Press, Barber LTD, Boss SD-1 with Indyguitarist Fullclone mod that I did myself, Barber Direct Drive, Boss CE-2 chorus and a Digitech Digidelay. I also loop a Digitech Digiverb through the effects loop of the DeVille. I use a myriad of effects and change them all the time, but currently this is my setup. I string it together with George L's and power it all with a Dunlop DC Brick. My sound is FLAWLESS. I should eat this tone. It's working well with all kinds of music and settings and even through different amps. I doesn't have ice pick highs or muddy lows, no noise and has beautiful Nigel Tufnel like sustain. Perfect!!! Sounds better than my Strat and Tele and much more versatile. Sounds great through an acoustic amp as well. What more could I ask for?

When I bought this, like I said, it was noisy. But it played really well. I liked the high frets (much higher than my Fenders) but the sound was jacked. With a little bit of imagination and cash flow of course, this thing went from crap to phenomenal. I did the pickup work myself so that's good. There are really no problems with the action, fit or finish. It's made well, feels great and plays great.

One thing that I forgot to mention, the placement of the the strap button on the horn is bogus. But, considering the shape of the guitar, it might be the only option. I've heard about people attaching the strap button to the neck plate. Good idea, haven't done it. I actually got some locking tuners (which I don't really like, it makes the guitar feel a little bit different to me). If you plan on using a normal strat and not taking precautions, prepared to have it drop on your foot (it's happened to me twice already). There are also things that will slide between the strap and the button to lock it on, I suggest this more than the straplocks since the straplock screws are longer and require you to really grind them into the guitar. Not advisable. That said, when I dropped the guitar, it actually didn't do any damage other than making me walk like a gimp for about 2 days. Good finish on the guitar as well. No complaints. I use this without a backup and have no problems. A soldered wire joint can detach, but that's with any guitar.

I've only had to deal with the one call for the pot and the guy that I talked to was friendly, curteous and very helpful. Based on the one experience, I give them a thumbs up. There is no warranty on this guitar anymore, but I don't sweat that.

I've been pro for 25 years and have made my living from touring the world. I've had gear break down and come and go. Some of it I miss, some I was glad to get rid of. I have many different amps, some direct recording preamps, about 60 different pedals and all sorts of other crap. I need gear that is consistent, works, sounds good and can be the perfect sound for the gig at that particular time. Playing such diverse music can be a drag since you have to change your setup every time. This guitar eliminates that. If this were lost or stolen, the thief had better hope that he moves to the moon or something because I would definitely beat his ass blind. This guitar is the last guitar that I'll probably ever buy, unless I buy another P-38 (I've been checking out eBay for them). They are still pretty cheap, that's a good thing so far. It sounds great, plays great and looks outstanding. I definitely scored on this one. It's more versatile than my other guitars and I don't think that I'd change a thing. If you buy this guitar and play it stock, you will have some dissapointments, but with some personal touches, this guitar is way ahead of even the high end Parker guitars.

P-38 no Pickgaurd, redish brown, korea, 22 fretts. Got it from Shreve audio with a free shirt yeah for 385.oo clams. I like the guitar it has some problems like the trem arm design not sure if I agree with it, like I said no pickgaurd makes me wonder is this a p40 body with a p38 neck?
Anyone know? I like the fishnet stockings / sounds sweet! I play it in stereo our a RP7 into a Fender twin and a 57 Magnatone double v 280a and for the clean I send it to a PA or Dean Markley 112a. I get a damn good sound out of this thing its light my back thanks me, the fingerboard is okay, I like my Vaccaros and Aluminum neck Kramers better I think I am hooked on the ebonal boardmy back hates them, studio only sitting down thank you. Taking the Parker to New Orleans to do some recording hope to get on the plane with the damn thing hate to check it in with the gig bag an all! I am sure the Fly is better and more money right! I bet they hold their value and maybe even rise a little, Parker seems to be putting out some cool new stuff I heard someone eles is making them??? OH yeah the stereo cable with it sucked have to buy a better one, broke 2 string at once that was a 1st and it killed and chance of finishing a song without anyone noticing.... what else? Action can be set low or it buzzes real bad, it looks like the bridge could have been better maybe the install was bad to start with? overall I like the guitar fishhead, hum, single, single is good. I can't get sustain like I want thou out of it so that is a problem, its not noisy but you better have a 9v ready cause it gets pissed if you don't and it affects the whole damn guitar. Well I give everything a 5 and was expecting a 9 or a 10.
Strats, Teles, Les Pauls they just keep kicking that A$$!

Yall have seen them all in previous post

I was rather pleased with the sound for the very short time I kept it, I enjoyed being able to flip to the piezo pickups, I was playing through my stereo system so that really helped the acustic type sound. Over all I liked the sound better than the Import Charvell that I have been messing with.

Now this is where things really went south for me. Of course I was like a little kid on Christmas ripping open the package, I was pleased that the guitar looked better than it did in photos. It was nice and light, the neck felt pretty good, but something just didnt seem right about the whole set up as began to look. The first thing I noticed was that the nut was not straight, was a few mils lower on the bass side, I so happy to just have a Parker, been wanting one for 10 years, I think well I can just move the saddles back to make intonation right. I plug it up start tuning it up play for a while with the different sound combinations which I liked but then I look at e pickups and the high side are all screwed down like half a inch lower than the other side, Im kind of curious why this is,im thinking maybe it has some thing to with the piezo pickups. So I start messing with it, I put the tremelo arm in, as I look at the bridge I notice it is no where near level, Im thinging maybe shipping messed it up,its just loose, but it is all tight, the bass side has been raised up so it is about half and inch higher than the other side. Of couse the first thing i think is, the strings can not be level like this, I look at the strings, they look level to the finger board. Impossiable Im thinging, so I start to look at the neck joint and I can see that I is not level, there are no loose screws or gaps, it was just not cut right from the start. Of course my heart just sank, its like a bent frame on your new car. I start thinking how could this thing even leave the factory,someone had to sit there and move the pickups and bridge to get the strings level, I guess they just tell them level the strings with the finger board anyway you can. I think these are made by Cort, mine was in a cort box, it was $349 from shreve audio, they were great, so it must have been a B stock, of more like F stock. I called them the next day and set up to return it, Im just getting a refund, because Im affraid the rest of them may have similar problems. So all in all I more than unhappy with the way it was built, believe me I wanted to be happy with this guitar, been telling everyone it was coming and how cool it was, couldnt wait to go to my brothers house, he has 9 guitars and show him, of course the first thing he would have said was "what the heck is wrong with this thing" so I will be looking for something else to purchase, been looking at rickenbacker 650s, or maybe a Schecter, dont know yet, im still pretty bummed.

didnt have long enough

Im very amature guitarist been messing around for 10 years off and on, but im affraid someone that had started playing last week could tell this poor guitar was in bad shape.
So im going to give it the hunk of junk rating I cant believe someone could actually be building and setting up this guitar and not see how out of whack it was. Believe me it makes me very sad, I wanted to be the coolest kid on the block, well im 43 so it would have to be rather old block,hhehehe

I've had mine for two years. It has been may main axe on & off during that time. I always replace stock tuners with locking Sperzels. It is NOW very reliable (see below) and beautiful to see, hear & play. The piezo sound, especially when blended with the magnetic pickups, is awesome.

I play in a light/heavy cover band, and also do lots of private/corporate stuff. The magnetic stock pickups are a bit tinny, it can be eq'ed out, or I am thinking of replacing them. It is the most versatile guitar I have ever had (I now have a 59 Strat re-issue, 72 Gibson SG, Washburn H35, 2001 Tele, 80's Ibanez rg-something, Danelectro,, and have had many others pass through my world). This one takes the cake, sound-palette-wise.

Love the finish (Blue-ish woodgrain), love the action (perfect from factory. Love the sound, love the neck, i'll stop gushing.

The piezo under the B string was non-functional from the factory (Drag) -- got it soldered locally for under $10. No prob.

I take care of my stuff, but I buy guitars to PLAY, not shove under the bed forever. It takes what I give it, & probably would take more. I have used it on many gigs with no backup, it has been very reliable. This is the only guitar I ever bought through the mail, instead of at a local store (no local dealer here, and I wanted one of these. Other than the B string, it was perfect out of the box.

I had to deal with Parker. Here's the scoop:

It was supposed to buck hum in three of the five switch positions: neck/middle; bridge/middle; and bridge. It only did so, however, in the neck/middle and bridge positions. Of course, I do 90% of my playing in the bridge/middle position (sdame as a 5-position Strat), so the fact that this hummed was bad, especially when their literature said it wouldn't. Sooo...I called Parker, and actually talked to a tech (twice). I had to send it to them, which REALLY WAS A DRAG, but that is the only way to get it fixed correctly (and free).
While they had it, the tech actually called me to ask me something (don't remember what). Whoa. He was very cool. Turn around time was 4 weeks-not bad IMHO.
When it came back, it was perfect, and they even threw on a pearl-inlay sweet-looking pickguard for free (cool).
So, my dealing with them was great, they went above and beyond the call of duty to correct the hum problem, and get me happy.
Obviously, it would have been better if I never had to deal with them, but they handled it nicely, and that's why I'm writing this.
Yay Parker.

I own too much gear to list here. -- lots.
I would definitely get another one of these if it left my possession.
It is in my top two or three guitars all time.

There are a lot of very usefull reviews in english I've consider buying this guitar, so I think it could be more usefull write in italian to fill the lack of reviews in my language.
Chitarra del 2003 costruita in Korea nei laboratori della Cort su rigide (davvero!) specifiche Parker.Solid body, corpo in frassino dalla particolare forma Parker (piatta tipo Nitefly, non ergonomica e scavata come le Fly), manico in acero, tastiera in palissandro senza intarsi, molto duro e compatto(sembra ebano). Hardware cromato, ponte trmolo wilkinson tipo vintage,ma dal bel design moderno che tiene ottimamente l'accordatura (anche se non permette escursioni enormi). Meccaniche semplici, ma efficaci. CONFIG. PICK-UPS: H-S-S passivi, Parker custom wound, 1 vol, 1 tono, 1 selettore a slitta 5 vie tipo Fender. Pick-up PIEZO Fishman: trasduttori per ogni corda installati nelle sellette del ponte. Preamp.a batteria 9v con controllo trimmer(guadagno), selettore a tre vie per miscelare il suono dei pick up magnetici e del piezo, oppure per selezionare solo i magnetici, o solo il piezo.
Uscita cavo stereo ad Y in dotazione, in modo da pilotare il segnale in due diversi ampli dedicati (ovviamente l'ideale e 1Valvolare per i magnetici e Mixer per il piezo.Usando invece un cavo mono i segnali vengono inviati insieme ed escono dallo stesso ampli.
Il manico ha scala Fender 25,1/2 ed un po' largo e piuttosto piatto, la tastiera e anch'essa piatta e senza intarsi frontali, ma presenta solo i segnatasti laterali. I tasti sono mid-jumbo.Il truss rod e di quelli con testa scoperta a rondella posta a fine tastiera tra questa e il pick up al manico. La verniciatura e nera lucida non molto spessa (in controluce si notano le venature del legno). Accessori inclusi: pratica borsa morbida imbottita con scritta Parker sul tascone e cavo stereo jack ad Y, brugole per sellette ponte e per truss rod.

Innanzi tutto il legno e il timbro da "spenta". La chitarra ha un'eccezionale resa sonora anche unplugged, chiara, pulita e acustica, probabilmente dovuta al legno utilizzato; questo infatti,e notevole per la risposta sulle alte frequenze, anzi in quelle che lo yankee definirebbe "presence", e buona sui bassi, mentre i medi scarseggiano.Il suono riprende ottimamente il timbro Strato 50/60, coi single che rendono suoni cristallini perfetti per le ritmiche (funk, pop). Le timbriche da me predilette sono pos.3 (centrale solo)e 4 (centrale+bobina interna dell'humbucker): molto funky, ma anche corposi, adatti alle ritmiche ma anche ad assolo nasali. Il single al manico a mio gusto e un po' chiaro (credo sia uguale al centrale,ma li sta bene, li e paradossalmente piu corposo,perche piu nasale), a me piacerebbe qualcosa di un po' piu medioso e cicciotto per assoli blues e jazz. L'humbucker,in quanto tale, si distingue dai single, ma senza esagerare, mantenendo le caratteristiche di brillantezza, ed e capace di catturare dolci armoniche in distorsione.
Per quanto riguarda il piezo chiariamo una cosa: l'acustica e un'altra cosa. Qui e comunque utile nell'emulazione di una acustica elettrificata (tipo ovation), e se inviato ad un mixer ed equalizzato fa molto comodo in situazioni live tipo cover dove hai mille differenti suoni da ricreare al volo. Se usato in mono puo essere comunque interessante sia su un ampli valvolare, in quanto in un switch si puo passare ad un suono elettrico ricco di acuti e bassi definiti. Ma in una chitarra di per se con queste caratteristiche timbriche non si distingue troppo dai single (ergo:presto provero a montare un mini-humbucker al manico, tanto il suono pulito si emula bene col piezo nell'ampli valvolare).
Per quanto riguarda rumorosita di fondo direi che e piuttosto silenziosa e le posizioni 2 e 4 dei magneti sono hum cancelling.
In complesso la Parker p-38 e uno strumento versatile ed affidabile, che si adatta agevolmente nella terra di mezzo delle timbriche chitarristiche e dei generi musicali, escludendone l'utilizzo nei settori estremi (jazz main stream-metal) e prediligendo la definizione timbrica, e i suoni puliti o crunch, cosi come, pur non disdegnando l'assolo, credo che si faccia apprezzare maggiormente per chiarezza e definizione nelle ritmiche complesse (funk).
Do un 7 a questa categoria perche cambiero i pick up al manico e al ponte. Al manico voglio preovare un mini humbucker che credo possa aumentarne la duttilita e ingrossarne il suono per assolo rock-blues e jazz, al ponte mettero un Dimarzio Fred che gia possiedo e che mi soddisfa molto per ricchezza di medi e potenza non eccessiva.
In una chitarra estremamente brillante il mio ragionamento tende a colmare la mancanza di medie in queste situazioni strategiche, senza pero perdere,credo, quella definizione tanto apprezzabile

La messa a punto dello strumento (arrivatomi dagli USA via corriere) era davvero ottima, ho alzato un po' i pick-up, si, ma e un fatto di gusti. Piuttosto mi soffermerei su manico e tastiera che hanno un'action morbidissima e comoda, il manico piatto,dopo poco rodaggio, facilita per davvero scorribande tecnicistiche (che,a dire il vero, non sarebbero il mio forte), i tasti midjumbo (non grandissimi) facilitano parecchio l'impostazione degli accordi e l'esecuzione di bending. Il feeling e molto buono e corpo/manico vibrano forte sulla pancia il che mi piace assai.
DIFETTI: avendo preso la mia su un sito americano (Elderly) ad un prezzo stracciato ($435,00 piu spese di spedizione e tasse di importazione), dal momento che in Italia di listino viene Eur 1.150 ed anche nei siti Usa non si trova a meno di $600, ero in ansia perche immaginavo ci fosse sotto la fregatura. All'arrivo del pacco ho scrutato attentamente lo strumento rinvenendovi: un nodo superficiale in cima al manico, verniciatura sottile e delicata tanto che in controluce si vedono le venature del legno, una quasi impercettibile scheggiatura sul lato della tastiera. I difetti ci sono e vanno annotati ma devo ammettere che sono ininfluenti: il manico scorre e vibra a meraviglia, il corpo, forse anche per quella verniciatura sottile e non ovattante vibra anch'esso magnificamente e la tastiera la liscia che e un piacere, densa e dura che pare ebano.

La chitarra e resistente e straordinariamente leggera. Questa e una delle sue doti migliori, puoi stare ore in piedi con lei al collo senza affaticarti. In realta sono andato ad aprire il coperchio delle molle del tremolo ed il battipenna: ho scoperto che nella zona centrale, dove dovrebbero alloggiare i pick-ups, il corpo e interamente forato, non c'e la nicchia scavata tipo Strato, ma c'e un bel buco quadrato passante. Ecco perche,oltre al profilo sottile,la chitarra e cosi leggera. Eppure il corpo vibra che e un piacere! Bah, meglio cosi!
L'hardware e ok, ma la verniciatura opaca del ponte si e un po' consumata sul retro delle sellette dove, per impostazione, poggio il polso della mano destra. In realta ora non si nota piu la differenza di colore perche si e tutto uniformato. I potenziometri vanno un po' stretti, ma attenzione perche l'elettronica e delicata!
Problema: anche il suono dei magneti passa atraverso il
pre-miscelatore che non ne corrompe il suono, ma in caso di pila scarica lo strumento e completamente muto. Occorre sempre una pila di riserva

Non ho mai avuta la sfortuna di incorre in riparazioni altre situazioni che necessitassero di contattare il produttore, ma comunque lo strumento e coperto da garanzia credo annuale

Suono da 15 anni: ho cominciato a 10 e ne ho 25.
E' una buona chitarra, ottima se rapportata al prezzo. Potrei ricomprarla come potrei provare altro nella spasmodica ricerca del mito della "chitarra totale",ma credo che riuscireiad avvicinare tale leggenda solo facendomene costruire una artigianale come dico io !
Non esitate a chiedere altre informazioni, saro lieto di scambiare opinioni.

The feature I enjoy the most is the Piezo pickup and the abilty to blend it with the magnetic pickups.

The ultra light-weight body provides good comfort for extended hours of playing.

I compared the Parker to the RMC pickup system found in Brian Moore Guitars and found the Parker to sound more acoustic.

I also compared the Parker to a Godin Multiac acoustic/electric and found the Parker to be more versatile since it gives you the ability to blend the magnetic pickups.

In my opinion the piezo pickup should be played through an acoustic guitar amp or stereo PA system. The magnetic pickups run through your electric guitar amp. This setup allows the magnetic and piezo signal to be separate but yet blends perfectly to create an unbelievable wall of sound. (this is easily achieved using the srereo Y-cable provided with the Parker guitar.)

The wine-red transparent paint finish and body are beautiful.

I have a slight bow in the pick-guard and my battery cover fits exremely tight... probably do to contraction from the dry weather here in Nevada.

I had to re-set the intonation on the low "E" string and tweak the buzz out of the "G" string.

Great low action for terrific playability.

I've owned this guitar only a few weeks but it seems like the guitar and hardware will hold up for a very long time.

There really isn't any support at this time since PARKER HAS BEEN PURCHASED BY ANOTHER COMPANY. When I called PARKER I was told that they won't be up and running for several months.

Unlike EVERYONE who's playing a Strat or Les Paul through a Marshall, The Parker gives you your own unique sound.

This is a great guitar for the money. Highly recommended for those looking to stop feedback and still get a great acoustic tone from a solid body guitar.

If you want the ultimate acoustic tone... play stereo through a good PA and use a Boss AD-5 acoustic processor to add body, warmth, chorus and reverb.

I bought mine when Guitar Center was blowing these out @ approx. $550 with gig bag in 2001. Sun burst with pearloid pickguard. You can read others review for pickup features.

Mostly I liked the sound. Piezo sound great for acoustic rendition though to use live, I had to buy a longer V cable to use. Disorted, it sometimes got mushy but was able to get good sounds most of the time. When the battery voltage got low, sounds would get "brownish" then die into a clicking sound.

Frets a little too high for my preference, especially for sliding. I did quite a bit adjusting the action when I first received to clear initial buzzing. Filed down nut, put strap locks on. Adjusted truss rod to get neck where I wanted it, which was at the end of it's turns.

Looking at that hockey puck neck makes me afraid to drop or bang it against anything though nothing happened while I had the guitar playing live. Using dive bar or breaking a string puts this thing out of commission tuning-wise. Mine also chewed up batteries and this requires a screwdriver to replace (roughly once a month - don't forget to unplug it when finished playing!), not the easiest battery replacement. Whammy handle just doesn't like to stay in place, I would have to look on the floor sometimes to find it popped out while I played live.

never called.

Playing over twenty years - I have Gibson J180EC, ES333, Tele. I bought P-38 based on glowing magazine review, Parker website, and trying out at Guitar center and making that spontaneous purchase.
I couldn't get used to the upper wing digging into my chest when I played it sitting down. Battery replacement was a drag, breaking strings puts this out of commission. Great range of sound possibilities though and the neck felt great otherwise. I ended up trading it away after 5 months. It just didn't work for me.