Parker Guitars Spanish Fly

This is most improbable electric guitar made as it is a nylon strung futuristic solid body. Made in USA. 24 stainless steel no-tang frets with low fast action and the 24th fret is as easy to access as first.

The one piece spruce top is the only wood on the guitar. The neck, finger board and back are composite (and really sculpted beautifully). The top resonates well, creates sustain and it is suprisingly loud when played without amplification.

It has two control knobs, volume and a split bass/treble knob that controls tone. The only pickup is an active custom piezo, supposedly the battery is good for 100 hours. The tuners hold their tune incredibly well, I've only had the guitar for a few weeks, but in that time I've only had to tune it once.

The custom Parker hardshell case is a rugged plastic container that would probably protect the instrument from airlines and shipping by UPS.

If you like to finger pick and are ever lucky enough to pick one up you will be amazed as to how light it is, how comfortable it is, how well it plays, how well it sounds amplified... and even if you are a die hard steel string player you might find yourself addicted to a wide classical fretboard whose only markers are on the edge. Even if you are a metal shredder, this guitar will catch your attention and you might not be able to put it down.

I mostly play blues, and rock. This guitar has taken me all over the place, causing my fingers to mix flaminco with surf rock. I'm not using any effects with it, leave the tone controls set to the center and keep the volume knob turned to about half way....the piezo pickup is very responsive. It has a rich full bright sound, if you could imagine Segovia on steroids playing Hendrix, thats what this baby brings to the table.

This guitar has one of the best factory set ups imaginable. The action is fast, the pickup is amazing. No need for bookmatching a one piece top, the wood is excellent. The bridge is properly routed and the intonation is perfect. I bought this used, so there were a couple of dings, but they aren't visible unless you subject it to intense scrutiny, and so I still give it a 10.

I think this thing will outlast me.

NA

I have been playing for over 35 years, have lots of other gear. This guitar makes me interested in buying an original Parker Fly.
If this was lost or stolen I would want to get another one.... only they cost $4000 new and I don't see many used ones for sale.

Price Paid
#2650
PURCHASED FROM Sounds Great Manchester U.K
Features 10
First feature to hit the eye is the finish combined with the colour-Gleaming Sitka Spruce top welded(??) to a black gloss finish kevlar body.THERE ARE JUST NO SEAMS!! Iron wood neck somehow melds into the body with no joins visible.How do they do it??
V.simple volume control plus 2 pot concentric bass/treble control.

Pure,driven,arresting and accurate-like previous reviewer I've played a multiac Godin nylon string for some 7 years.It's become apparent v.quickly that this baby is in a different league.V.rich and full bottom end with crystal clear treble response.Absolutely NO distortion-you can drive this all you like and there is no buzz, howl or clanking of any desription.This alone leaves audiences gaping!!I assume this is because there are no cavities where acoustic sound can interfere with electrified signals. I use only two pedals - Boss stereo chorus and digi-delay plugged direct into PA (Mackie speakers) with a monitor foldback of EV stage 200's powered by 1000 watt Peavey amplifier.

You open the case and pick it up. It is so light, one thinks "Is this what I paid so much for?". Toataly different approach from traditional "It's heavy therefore it's quality" - like a German tank!
Calssical fret board, wide and flat, plenty of room for finger-picking. Astounding accuracy of tone' even on 22nd, 23rd and 24th frets. Action so light, more akin to a Fender Strat. than a nylon Spanish classical guitar.Enables you to move around the board and do things you never thought possible previously. I've referred to the finish under "Features" because I regard this as being another outstanding plus of this machine. Noticed some play on the Volume knob - spoken to the retailer who reckons should be able to adjust fairly easily from the plate at the back. From the same point one can adjust the level of each individual string as each has its own pick-up pot. Personally not needed to do it, and have left it at factory settings.

N/A. Not qualified in this dept. - have only had this baby for 4 weeks- so far, so good!

I knew this section was coming up! Speaking as a UK customer, I found it v. difficult getting in touch with the company. I placed my order in November 20003 with a UK retailer (togethr with a #650 deposit) for a machine that I had not held, seen or heard as there were none available. I HAD to go on reviews such as these plus one article in "Guitarist" magazine - this is the main reason why I have made the effort to submit a review.
I only received the guitar in late October 2004, having been told on the phone throughout the year by Parker and the UK retailer that the guitar was (a) "being made as we speak" (b) " was being shipped" (c) "the importer has changed" (d) "the company was being relocated" etc.
I did e-mail Parker upon receipt to congratulate them on a superb product and also to ask them for advice n how to protect the finish, but have ad no response.

Despite previous man re. customer support, this is the guitar of my dreams. # years considering the purchase whilst reading specs. plus one year of waiting for order to come through.
Well worth the wait, and it's true what they say, you get what you pay for.

This guitar is very simple in the feature department. So my rating isn't a... it makes 600 sounds, has 4 pickups, etc... type tons of feature. I am rating it on the uniqueness of the instrument and the quality of the features it has. It has a single piezeo pickup system. But as the name suggest, it is cross between a classical spanish style guitar (i.e. nylon string, wider string spacing, the use of spruce) and an electric guitar (i.e. solid body, its electirc). I am a big parker fan. They are really light and comfortable to play. This thing makes my other Parker Guitars (a deluxe and a supreme) feel light. The finish on the instrument and single piece spruce body are stunning looking. It has locking sperzel tuners specifically made for the classical string configuration. The overall look is simple and classy.

This is a different kind of instrument... so I struggled a bit to describe the sound. Lets start with it sounds great. Naked from the piezeo without any effects into a string direct box you can get a good approximation of a miced traditonal spanish guitar sound to an good acoustic sound by adding more treble. I bought an Yamaha AG-STOMP to add to its tone and add a bit of air and reverb to the sound... I like that box.. but other than the reverb I think the naked sound is good enough. Lately, I have been experiment with it as an alternate electric guitar because I enjoy playing it so much. It rocks. I have played it through straigh tube amp and a POD. In both cases you can get some great tones from some of the cleanest warmest jazz sounds I have ever heard to rectifier metal tones. Their is a very distinct characteristic the nylon string/piezeo combination. It gets a bit processed away in the POD... but it really comes through in the native amp use. It doesn't sound like a strat or les paul in the same situation... but that isn't necessarily bad. This guitar gets great reviews from people who hear it.

Excellent in all regards. It has a wider flater fret board like a classical instrument. I tried instruments from Godin and a Gibson Chet Atkin model in the semilar electric/nylon string style... but this thing just feels the best. The Godin was much heavier and didn't really feel like a classical guitar to me. It felt like a Les Paul with Nylon Strings in comparison the Parker... the Godin was big, heavy, chunky. Some people like that... I prefere the Parker... sleek, light, action... smooth. This thing is beautiful to look at. Again... it is very simple... but on a wall with two other Parkers, custom made Tim Tone, Brian Moore MC/1, Steinberger, Strat, and a few others... this thing stands out as the simple beauty. It is like the girl in high school without the makeup... who just stood out in the crowd of beauty queens.

This is my third parker. My previous two all had problems with loose nuts. Nothing major... but that seems to be a chronic problem with Parkers. Other than that I have never had a problem with any of my Parker guitars. They are great and despite the light weight seem to hold up. My first is now 5 years old and has seen a lot of action.

The warranty on Parker Guitars is pretty mediocer in the industry... 1 year. Whenever, I have called they have always been helpful and friendly. I have had to do nothing with this guitar... but on my others I wanted to upgrade the string tension which requires a new spring be put in and the nut holes to be shaved. I ideally wanted the factory to do it... but they don't do any of this tuff and told me to go to a local guitar center. I ended up not leaving the instrument because the guy at the guitar center new less about how to do the work needed than I did. So they get a 10 for helpful/friendly quick response... but I am only giving a 7 for the poor warranty and a for a pretty crappy support network in my limited experience with my other instrument. Fortunately this guitar doesn't have a trem... so no spring word needed.

I have been playing for 20 years and this is my favorite guitar. I have owned it for 6 months now... so I am past the new guitar love thing. I own a bunch of other guitars, beyond the ones I listed above I have a Taylor 810C and a handmade classical guitar. I love the feeling of the strings and neck spacing on a classical guitar and playing finger style. However, I love the overall body feel of my parkers, having 24 frets, being able to play a wide variety of styles and tones. This guitar bridges the gap an fits a unique spot that has limited options in the market. I highly recommend the instrument despite my lower ratings on support.

late 1999 model, 24 frets, solid one-piece sitka spruce body
with basswood neck. one volume knob and one concentric
knob for bass and treble boost/cut- knobs are made from
ebony w/ abalone dot markers. NO magnetic pickups- just
a fishman under-the- bridge piezo- this yields an even lighter
parker. a very sleek, clean look. each string's piezo has a trim
pot so you can adjust the volume for each string.(in rear cavity)
the bridge is made from ebony and has an abalone inlay.
gold open-back non-locking sperzels for tuning and a tusq nut
even though it is not as feature-laden as their other models,
i still give it a "10" as given what it was designed to do, it really doesn't NEED anything more than it already has.

i will rate the sound of this guitar based on what it was DESIGNED to sound like, and that is an amplified nylon string
guitar. well, it sounds great but you will need to tweak both your
amp (preferably a "full-range" acoustic amp) and the guitar to get
the sound that is in your head. i was not initially blown away by
the sound in the music store but after a couple of minutes- there
it was. i would advise one to set the guitar eq's flat to their center detents and get the sound the best you can w/the amp
controls first, THEN gently eq the guitar knobs to your liking. i found
the guitar eq to be more "musical" and more manageable this
way. i auditioned it through a crate acoustic amp and when i got
it home and put it through my Carvin acoustic amp (AG 100D)
it sounded ten times better. the eq on the guitar seems to cover
alot of range. for example, if your amp's settings were set for another guitar and you just plugged in the parker and it sounded
boomy or muddy, you could easily remedy this right from the guitar.(if you're THAT lazy) like all piezos, expect some finger
sliding noise on the wound strings. nothing that'll bum you out-
i actually kinda like it. other than that, very quiet operation. would've liked the volume knob a little closer to the strings for
volume swells. oh well... also- just got done doing a little recording w/it to see how it would do. went into a joemeek british channel, then into pro-tools and got a pretty damned good
sound in just a few minutes. an acoustic nylon string miked may
be preferred, but the sounds i got had an ear to ear grin on my
face upon playback. give me more time tweaking and it'll only get better.

if you know parkers, you know what I'm about to say. PERFECTION! it is almost kind of eerie how they can do this
kind of work. the top is finished in transparent butterscotch and
is simply stunning to look at. to steal a line from a guy named
paul reed smith, "it looks like it was dipped in glass" as always
the stainless-steel frets are perfectly seated and a dream to play.
the contrast of the black rear of the guitar against the natural spruce sides and top is seamless and a thing of beauty. viewed
from the back, the neck joint reminds me of the small of a girl's
back. quite sexy. o.k. i'll stop now. oh yeah, the action is low and buzz free. the neck is wider than that of other parkers and
as far as i can tell, the fingerboard is flat w/no radius- just like
most classical guitars. the open-backed sperzels look sharp,
simplistic(in a good way) and are way smooth and stable.

i've only had this guitar a couple of days but this is my third parker. i have a fly classic that was born in 1996 and have not
had a problem with it. EVER. i should also mention that in the five years i've had it and all the playing i've done on it there is not
even a HINT of fret wear. these guitars, despite their light weight
are VERY stable. i use 10-52's on them and haven't had to touch
the truss-rod once. i also have a fly butternut ltd. (#34 of only 50
made) that has the best clean sound of any guitar i've owned in
my 20 yrs. of playing- but that is for another review. this guitar too is very stable. so...given my experience w/2 other parkers,
i anticipate no problems w/the spanish fly.

only had to deal w/them once when i switched to fat guitar strings and had to have the nut slots widened. instead they
simply replaced the nut and ALSO gave me new sperzels!
if i remember correctly, my originals wouldn't acommodate
the fatter strings so they just switched them for me. cool.
it would also be nice if they'd keep up on their web site a little
more. as of this writing it seems that they are starting to address
the issue finally.

i must say that i did not set out to buy this guitar. i'm not even a classical player! what happened was the local music store i've
been dealing with and have developed a great relationship with
over the course of almost ten years now called me up and told me that they just got the spanish fly in on trade at another location of theirs and wanted to know if i'd like to see it.(knowing
what a parker nut i was)i was reluctant until i heard the price.
so then i figured i'd treat myself and play it for a few months and
throw it on eBay and actually make some profit- it lists for $4,139.00!! and it is in near mint condition. thing is, it has begun to grow on me. maybe i'll keep it. very fun to play and
also very different. if it were stolen, i'm not sure at this point if
i'd replace it. again, i'm not a classical player. BUT- i always
insure my gear for list price and i'm sure if i got a check for
four grand in the mail, there would be an inevitable parker purchase for sure! to wrap up here, let me just say in i've been
playing for over 20yrs. now and as a result have become somewhat of a "guitar-snob." i've played them all and i've found
THE guitar line for ME. previously, i'd been playing PRS for about
7yrs. and never thought i'd switch. then in '96 i tried out a parker
unplugged in a noisy music store and could FEEL the chords
going through my body. plugged it in and immediatly knew that
my current main guitar was sub-par. got a parker, sold the PRS,
bought another parker, and now the spanish fly. personally, i cannot imagine playing anything but a parker. highest reccomendation. this being my third parker, i'm going to have
to hit them up for a factory tour as i live less than an hour from
the factory. we'll see......