A Parker Fly! Whoa, nostalgia. I remember seeing ads for these in guitar magazines in the 90s. And my thoughts were: "What the heck is this thing?" It's nice to know that quarter of a century later, I still have the same thought when I see one.
Yeah, remember the ad with Ken Parker with that goofy magnifying glass extension on his glasses? I'd think "who is this crazy guy, and what is this space guitar? And why is it $3999?" But I wanted one soooooo badly.
@@TheGuitarPit Oh yes, I remember. I always thought it looked like a shot of some myhtical dwarven engineer, posing proudly in his workshop with his latest invention. It had that Tolkien-esque quality to it. Incidentally, I never got to play one, and after your video, as someone who had a sternum fracture, I don't think I want to. But they look cool. Possibly ugly, but in a cool way. If that makes sense.
@@dpskvn Ha! Amazing. Tolkien-esque is so spot on. "A rare, master-grade artificer presents..." And yeah it makes perfect sense. The 90's rocked that ugly/cool thing so hard, and this was the pinnacle of all of it. Well, maybe that would go to the Lamborghini Diablo :)
@@TheGuitarPit Ah yes, the car monstrosity that I loved to wreck in Need for Speed. :) But guitars and cars always had that thing where guitar design elements were borrowed from cars of the era. If you take a look at the guitars from the 50s and 60s, you could literally take parts from them and stick them onto a Cadillac and they wouldn't look out of place. Even today, you have the Tesla finishes on the Silver Sky. That being said, I'm not sure Fly borrowed anything from a car outright... Maybe a car you'd see on an acid trip. I do wanna thank you for the innards shot of the Fly. I was aware of most of the Fly peculiarities, but I didn't know about the ribbon cables. For some reason this makes it more attractive to me. It looks like someone opened up a SNES. I was half-expecting a cartridge slot somewhere in there. I guess it's just more 90s nostalgia for me.
@@TheGuitarPit im 61 now and also remember the ad and seeing the price, ugh. I couldn't justify to the wife and kiddies a purchase like that[ needed diapers, lol] I had Ibanez, and Strats then and moved around good enough- I could afford one now, but why bother? for the reasons you cited. I remember meatloafs guitarist had one and was killin it--- was within a hairsbreadth of plunking down coinage, but I didn't want to pay child-support. thx great lil vid
I bought a Parker Fly deluxe when they first hit the market in the 90's before the company sold. Mine is still in like new condition other than minor fret wear, I still love it.
The last time I saw one of these in person was in the late 90s. Hands down the best guitar I’ve ever played, always wanted one but could never afford it. Such cool guitars.
I owned one, the deluxe and it was by far the best guitar I’ve ever had, and played. I put it up against a Black Beauty at guitar center on a 2x12 Orange amp and it not only sounded better, it was nicer to play since that neck feels like butter.
@@ChrisTopheRaz for sure, a LP doesn’t compare at all, besides maybe in classic looks. The Parker never fights you when playing it, it’s like it was made for the player first and foremost.
I had sold a effects pedal a couple of years ago and the guy came over to try it and he brought his guitar. It was a Parker, not like yours, but he let me play it and I was blown away. It was very light and perfect action. I had no idea they were so expensive. Great video Chris.
They have a huge range of prices. There are very cheap import models that can be found for $200, but they lack all of the cool details, carbon fiber, neck-thru, piezo, etc that the higher ones have. Really stunning instruments, but probably not for everyone.
Similar story. I used to have NAMM access c/o of my job and would try out Parkers as part of doing regular business, knew I couldn't afford one but always knew it was the dream guitar. Wandered into a GC and asked about one and they were being discontinued from the inventory so got it for $800. Still can not believe the deal I got, and it is still my dream guitar. Every other guitar I try is TOO FREAKING HEAVY, too thick, too clumsy. The Fly is like picking up a violin. And it stays in tune unbelievably. Totally unique.
Absolutely. They are just as cool as it gets...STILL. 30 years later! Can't believe it. Strandberg is tapping into the same vibe, but I still don't think they are nearly as cool. Parkers just have so many unique interesting features that they are hard to move on from. Killer guitars :)
I just saw your video, sory im late. Great video. I worked at Parker in the 90s and it was the most fun i ever had at work! Parker Fly is the second coolest guitar ever. I had a 90s Nightfly with a dark sunburst finish and THAT was the coolest guitar ever! Lol.
i love parker guitars, i think is a unique piece of art, i have a classic Fly from 2001, i think was the last year of ken as a owner of parker guitars, i spend 4 years trying to find this beuty guitar in my country (Venezuela) and i find it in 2012, im so happy with my fly, and i think if i found another in good price, i will buy it with eyes closed
Just found you and I really am enjoying your content man! I was just telling my wife about these guitars the other day, so awesome to run into this video. When I was first starting guitar in the late 90's, these were my exotic car dream as well. Really happy I found you and Subbed!
Thanks Jeremy! Parkers are one of those things I just can't get out of my head. Every time I sell mine, I think about them all the time. Glad to have one back. I think it was just perfectly timed for me to become obsessed with as a teenager and now I'm stuck loving them even with their less-than-ideal quirks :)
I'm going to make a soft gaurd to buffer the horn like a violin chin rest. The wheel is the spring tensioner to balance the string tention. Per the Parker manual, set the bridge to a dive down only. Then tune the guitar and rotate the wheel. working back-and-forth between the 2 until the bridge sits level touching the dive down metal stop block.
Back in 2001 the guitarist from Testeagles let me play his Parker, I asked him what it was like to play and he asked his guitar tech to plug one in for me. It was an absolute pleasure to play, and superlight with amazing tone
@24:30 "one of those perfect visions brought to reality." well said. that alone makes it worth it. kudos to Ken Parker. Also, a favorite guitar of the great Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad, which brought me here.
Good review. No mention of the nut though…Ken Parker is a master luthier and should and probably will be remembered as such. This is an amazing guitar!
I bought a Parker fly mojo, pre-refinement, 1998 serial number from Ebay based on this video. It is the lightest guitar I own and the most reliably in-tune instrument I have, even under the harsh conditions of 40 to 70% humidity, every day. I have a nerve injury in my neck and this guitar doesn't trigger it when I sit or stand. The only downfall is that the miraculous trem system has very few spare parts available, so I have locked it in place like a hard-tail.
I have always dreamed of owning one of these. Of all the weird guitar shapes that exist, Parkers are the only ones which actually look good, as well as Strandbergs maybe haha
I can't believe I'm watching your videos and I'm not even subscribed. I'm in!! There's always a lot of confusion with Parker I would love for you to do an in-depth video including some of the different models in history and where it went sideways.
Yeah...I'd have to do some research myself. There are so many variations, years, models, tiny changes. Thankfully the Parker fans run a surprisingly active forum with a lot of good info. There are a lot of die-hard Parker fans to this day. They're so unique that I guess that makes sense.
@@TheGuitarPit sorry it might be a headache. But there are so many confusing models. In the water gets muddy really quickly with this brand. Even the later Indonesia stuff and Korean stuff there's a bit of a divide between that stuff. I do have a couple Parker's myself but I am completely unaware of any of their lineage or history. even you going online and just clicking on photographs would work. And or talk about some of the endorsements. I remember my first moment with the Parker fly was Saturday night live David Bowie. His guitar player had one and it blew my f****** mind. Plus the music he was so cutting-edge for the time. That was the moment I figured out that David Bowie is a state-of-the-art artist that always push the boundaries.
@@a64tbird I saw that exact same episode of SNL. I remember it because it was the first time I saw someone playing a Parker that wasn't just in a magazine. Super super cool. Yeah I'll have to do some reading, I'm no expert. Phil McKnight is probably better at that sort of thing :P I'll see what I can dig up though.
@@TheGuitarPit ever since that video a couple weeks ago of Phillip McKnight losing his mind, l kind of lost interest in him. I thought what he did was shity.
Had one for 25 years... All guitars do not compare... So easy to play. Wonderful... Its like a Mercedes SL63 of a guitar.
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The piezo pickups in all Fly variations were a pretty big deal. They were custom-designed by Larry Fishman of the pickup company -- he (Andover, MA) and Ken Parker (Wilmington, MA) knew each other. By the way, I have Concert (later called the Bronze), no magnetic pickups. It's easily my favorite guitar, but I have odd tastes. When sitting, I hold the guitar to the left, and/or with the headstock up in the air, the way you'd hold a classical guitar, and I have no issue with the upper horn. For people who insist on holding it like an SG or an acoustic, it can be a problem.
Yeah absolutely. Have you tried a Strandberg? They come in at around 4.5lbs and thought they were equally comfortable. I have a video on them, if you're curious.
It makes sense that the neck would be thinner near the body. The layer of carbon fibre means you can have a neck that's thinner at the base and it will be just as solid as a regular wood neck.
Well it's so easy to play, so it has to hurt you with the horn to give you the "fighting with the guitar" feel ;) Looks really really cool tho, somehow back then people were trying to make futuristic looking guitars, while now a day most guitarists want their guitar to look as old as possible ^^
Hah yeah, it makes you pay your dues one way or another :) And yeah funny point. Really only Aristides and Strandberg are going the modern direction. Everyone else is beating their guitar up for style :P
Yea but that’s if your dumb enough to even listen to other so called guitar player constantly trash each other an can’t even play. Real musicians build each other up an don’t tear each other down. But I could be wrong
to me... best guitar in da world... got a Fly 95' in black... just modded her with Juggernout & Hexpander Midi... now it's Fly 2021...great video and demonstration...love that color... get the same now... sold all my other SG & Strat... only Parker now... best handmade & engineering ... from 1993 -2004. easy to mod if you really want... thx for da video... makes even more proud to be a Parker player... btw... only play standing... so the horn is only sexy too me... it hold's the guitar doesn't matter how you act in perfect angel to play... play stand up and mosh... you will see... crazy details.... and so quiet too...
The frets are the hardest on any instrument ( custom made for Parker.) I work on Parker and the main issue is if you need any work on the electrics of the pre-refined there are no parts and the flex circuit board is easily broken. One guy tried to tighten a loose pot from the top and broke the board . I had to replace the entire guts with the refined parts , cost £300 and I charged him trade for the parts.
Pickups stay but everything else goes. and the refined controls is one less pot so you have to think of something to do with the hole. A disconnected pot is fine to keep the look. It is actually just the Fishman power chip and new pots and switches so you can make up a kit yourself for less money.
As many of said, it was a $10,000 guitar that the company was selling for $3000! Mine is exactly like yours! I also had a natural solid mahogany! That one actually played a bit better for whatever reason. Looking for a Supreme now!
This is the best Parker Fly video I have ever seen, and I own six! All pre-Wasburn, all red with gold hardware all custom wound by DeMarzio for an even better sound. Washburn killed the company. I wish I could buy the rights to the Fly and the Nightfly. I own a stereo speaker company. I could retail a classic for $2495.00 made in USA. I just subscribed.
Cheers! And that's awesome -- seems to be an awfully rare color. Don't see them pop up used much at all anymore. This video is a couple years old and even then, you could get a really nice used one for 2k shipped. Now they're more like 3k+ in this condition.
Yeah..a lot of people gouging on Reverb, but the fairly priced ones seem to sell quickly. If you can find a good condition Fly Deluxe under $1700 I'd say hop on it. Most of them are pretty beat up in that price range.
Bought a deluxe from Sam Ash for $190, noticeable chips but plays and sounds amazing and came with the original gig bag. Only had to replace and buy extra Parker springs. Still pinch myself
I got my Fly Deluxe in 2007 and it just feels like one of those guitars you never ever sell. I've loved every second with it. I've had issues, fret delamination in a couple of spots but it wasn't hard to fix, and currently the trussrod needs adjustment, BUT it's all the way tight so I'm not sure what to do... Even then its STILL a much better guitar than I am a guitarist! 😁
With you on the parker love. Never understood then discovered the nylon fly. My word!!! You say the tuners were normal but locking tuners were quite an innovation. I love the neck. Great vid.
Oh man I've LOVE to try a Nylon one. Never seen one for less than 3~4k. What a cool instrument, and I love the way no pickups look on the front. Stunning.
@@TheGuitarPit yeah afraid I have only tried it never owned it. But they are something else - such a crisp sound with a real eq peak at a breaking glass range. So is like a classical guitar that needs taming.
"This guitar is not worth it...they're over priced...get some other guitar for the same price" (2 seconds later) "this is the coolest guitar ever made... nothing like it! I love it!" 🤣 I feel you man, I bought a new P38 in the mid 90s, had no idea what I was buying, but loved everything about it. Powerchip failed twice on me over 20 years. And you are 100% correct, local shops hate working on them and generally don't wire it properly (happened twice to me). I just rebuilt it during covid with Suhr pickups, new paint,, etc. Essentially making it a nightfly. Sounds better than all my other guitars. Parkers are still my favorite, and I think with them going out of business, they're going to go way up in value year after year because they are so unique, and who was originaply involved in their design. Definitely a guitar any collector should have at least one of.
100% man. They are on their own level. If I had one guitar, I probably wouldnt gamble on a Parker, but if you are lucky enough to have a couple...gotta have it :)
6:27 As someone whose (possibly one-of-a-kind) 1996 Parker Fly Classic has begun to show signs of fret shed (my fault 😩) and has researched this to death, let me be the first to tell you that the frets are not glued on but rather _baked on._ As I understand it, in manufacturing the frets were laid in place on the still-wet carbon fiber epoxy and chemically bonded to the fiber as the epoxy did its thing and pressure was applied (possibly under vacuum).
They were/are a great guitar. Fun to play, easy for getting your left fingers moving faster across the neck so when you get good on it, your fingers will “know” the movement for using on any guitar.
I used to get stabbed by the horn. I guess from 13 years of playing it I learned to position it like an acoustic. I forgot I ever used to get poked by it till you mentioned it.
Loved your honest review. Sold my old Pre-Refined Deluxe when I stopped playing temporarily, it had problems all over given it was purchased used - falling frets, busted nut & intermittent electronics among others - but man it's also the first guitar I purchased (back) when I started gassing again! Missed looking at the beautiful body sculpure the most haha. Funny thing is it was purchased pretty much in the exact same condition I sold it in, even the same strings! The friend who bought it basically left it in that state, since even one of the most highly respected guitar techs in my country didn't want to take it in lol..unpleasant previous experience perhaps. I braved myself to do an otherwise ugly DIY job on the frets myself with superglue, they're still holding up after almost two years so at the very least it is playable..been thinking of re-doing it better this year. Still mustering the courage to mess about with the electronics though..just touching the ribbons lightly scares me!
Wow, you're a brave man. I took my fly artist with problems to a tech and was quoted $900 for some finish work around the delaminated neck board and fret problems. It was probably a fair quote, to be honest. I'm sure it's a huge nightmare to get that stuff sorted out. Another tech in the comments here said he had to gut and replace the electronics with the stuff from a refined fly. Sounds like a huge pain haha.
Not only are parts hard to come by, even worthwhile reviews of a Parker of any kind are hard to find. Like most, I can't afford an original Parker, but I recently bought a Parker P38, made in 2000, which seems to be a Korean-made (thus much less expensive) version of a Fly, and the online manual is of little help in explaining what's going on under the skin. Yours is the best review this Parker newbie has come across. I like the nontraditional shape, don't care if the horn digs into my chest (I also play sitting down), and what sucked me in was the piezo bridge to go with the "regular" pickups (the P38 is an SSH setup). My favorite guitar is an Ovation Tangent, which is essentially an acoustic instrument with a piezo bridge that turns it into a sort-of-electric when it's plugged in, and I was attracted to Parkers by the "reverse-Ovation" engineering of turning what's basically an electric instrument into a sort-of acoustic.
Very cool! Yeah the piezo is a blast. Super unique. The Ernie Ball Petrucci models are also worth checking out, they have a similar system. They may even sound a little better, and they are certainly a little more ergonomic. They just aren't mind-blowingly cool the same way a Parker is :)
watching this brought back memories of the Dragonfly i had. loved everything about it, except the wide string spacing and the skinny neck. stupidly sold it. one thing you can do to really improve the sound of the electric and acoustic sides, is to replace the saddles with graphtech ones. the parker saddles add some super high frequencies, which can sometimes make the guitar sound a little sterile. the graphtech saddles are a massive improvement. congrats on the purchase...you got really lucky there!
Ah very cool, I hadn't heard of that saddle replacement thing. I'll have to look into that. I'd like to check out one of the modern ones too, but I can't get past the price. Haven't seen any reasonable deals on them at all. Parker DF842 or something along those lines.
yeah, it was the DF842 that i had. got it for a silly price when they were deeply unfashionable! just search for "graphtech parker" and you'll see the saddles are a straight drop-in replacement. the only thing you have to do, is use a dremel to remove a little finish from inside the string channels in the bridge, because the graphtech saddles are non-conductive and you need to make sure the bridge is earthed.
Ok, now I understand why they are expensive and popular overseas! Is it safe to say that it is a JP Monarchy mixed with a Strandberg (especially for the spare parts) but way ahead of its time. Soundwise.... I'm still blown away by your latest Suhr!
Spot on, Oilid. The Majesty kind of took this idea and took all the weirdness out of it. It's about 5000% more comfortable than a Parker too :) But agreed, way ahead of its time and one of the coolest 90's objects ever. But...the Suhr is better in every way and is effectively worth the same. Tone alone, it's not a comparison haha.
Funny you guys bust out the majesty comparison. I got a Fly as a relatively broke college student too, largely because I was so enamored with the idea of the (then-relatively new) EBMM JP models with the piezo. Just thought that was the coolest thing ever. Found out about the Fly and snagged a cheap red one off eBay. My first really nice guitar. I just couldn’t get past the “toy” feeling and didn’t really dig the DiMarzios that much. Off it went. Very cool engineering feat though, and I wouldn’t mind getting to play another one someday.
@@chiricm I think right now the best you can do for that sort of thing is a JP15. Piezo, lots of tone options, and doesn't have the toy feel the majesty has. It's a small neck, but still feels 100% like a guitar.
Great deal and fun video man. I have exclusively used Parkers for many years and I play professional gigs. Excellent piece of machinery. Only thing that comes close is the Steinberger
Thanks Eli! Yeah, amazing instruments, absolutely. Have you tried an Aristides? They don't really have the same vibe but they were going for a similar thing in spirit, if nothing else.
Opening few minutes were the soundtrack to my teenage years lol! Thanks for that, I still have my silver Parker Fly Deluxe from 98’. It was my first guitar I bought myself. Saw Reeves Gabrels playing one with Bowie and I was sold. Thinking of repainting it with a color shift or color effects paint. My chest has definitely developed a muscle in that center area over the years lol.
Only artists I knew that used the Fly as their main guitars are, of course, Adrian Belew from King Crimson, and Daniel Gildenlow from Pain of Salvation. Definitely has a lot of prog cred!
The carbon fiber is one piece and glued to the neck and back. The guy from Firefall showed me his in '96 and I played only acoustic on it. It was in Atlanta when they hosted the Olympics. Remember that guitar to this day...
I'm glad you mentioned that the horn on the Parker guitar is not comfortable for sit down playing. I am looking for an electric guitar for sit down playing that is very comfortable. What do you recommend? Thanks and great channel 💯 ❤️
Only for some people. It bugs me, but it's still worth it :) I assume since you're leaving this comment here, you're looking for something super modern? Aristides 060 would be a good place to look. I also think the Music Man JP6 is very comfortable. Very small neck on that one though, but it has the piezo like a Parker.
Not something I'd normally be into but like I said Mark Farner plays one and he (and Jimi) are my earliest guitar hero's so I have one on my bucket list. Nice demo and detailed info ,I'm glad you like it well enough to keep it for the history ,etc. Cheers !
I want to keep one in good shape for history alone. Everyone seems to be selling wrecked ones but this one is in good enough shape where I'll baby it and probably be glad I did so 30 years down the road :)
Good review of the Fly ! The one thing that most people do not do that you need to do to get the guitars full potential is to have 2 amps. You need a dedicated acoustic amp and an electric amp. Putting both mag and piezo in the same amp does not work. If you have a touch of delay on say the piezo, you get a great 2 guitar player effect. I was always amazed by the song Diary of a Madman by Ozzy, the intro is amazing acoustic then the insane electric comes and and the 2 blend together and switch back and forth. Easy to do in a studio, impossible live. I was sold on the Parker Fly before i ever seen it. I was at a trade show and i hear someone playing the intro to Diary of a Madman" and was surprised by how loud it was with no feedback, then the overdrive sound kicked in and the acoustic continued, now i am thinking 2 guitar players. Make my way to the Parker both, an amazing guitar player is playing this and i had to know what it was. I too was shocked at the price, $2,000 in 1993. I eventually found a New Unsold Fly at Guitar Center 6 years later, it somehow was lost in the store room, or so the story went. The price was great and have had it ever since. There are so many features about the guitar that you dont appreciate until after you have had it for a while and compare it to other guitars. The body really feels alive when its played, you feel every note thru the body. If you ever have the chance to buy a REAL Fly, not the US Music cheap version, buy it.
Yeah they are unbelievable. And good point on the stereo thing...I've never had the chance to try it. I do love the mixed down piezo+magnetic pickups though. Must be incredible if you split the piezo off to an acoustic amp though. Just one of the coolest objects ever made, in my opinion :)
When I was in guitar lessons 15 years ago my guitar teacher had one of these in blue with a white pickguard. I remember not having any idea what it costed, what brand it was etc and being mesmerized of how cool it looked. Today I look at these things and think of how timeless they are. And today when I look at these guitars I realize how well built they are. During that era when everyone's doing crazy v guitars, Parker kept it simple and their design holds true even until this day you can look at these and never guess it's from the early 2000's.
Absolutely timeless. They could come out today and would be just as groundbreaking and modern looking as they were in the 90's. Ken Parker hit the biggest home run of all time with this, and I can't believe after so much has changed, they still hold up fairly well.
The Parkers with Pick Guards were not the same as the Fly. They were more of a traditional guitar with a Parker body outline. The Nite Fly was one such guitar. For the 'full Parker experience', only a Fly will do
It sure is! I don't think it's up for debate. It's 100% the absolute coolest guitar ever made. It's not the most comfortable, but it's just so out there I love love love it.
I bought my Parker fly deluxe new in 06 for $2k. Had to wait months for it to come in. It’s my baby and still in perfect condition. I rarely let anyone touch it. Only thing I ever had to replace was the jack output.
Don't let it go! I sold this one and even though I made some good cash, I haven't seen one in it's condition for less than $3k. Anything under $2k is wrecked.
Greetings. Did I hear you say that the neck was thicker than a wizard neck? I’m bummed because I love my wizard necks and I severely want a Parker fly!. Mind if I ask how much you play yours? Thank you very much for the effort and best regards and best wishes
The $699 JS 1000 $599 Crate Red Voodoo amp $399 Cab $99 Morley Tremonti Wha pedal is just a good combination!! I got lucky I guess? I bought allonline when Musician's Friend took over Mars Music
It’s not a Classic, it’s a Deluxe. I have a Classic. The Classic model says “Classic” under the name Parker in the headstock, the Deluxes say “Guitars”. The seller was correct. Also, in the 90s the only colour for a Classic was Transparent Cherry, the only Parker you could see the wood through the paint (and besides the Supreme, flagship model). They added more colours later.
This guitar is from 2000. Not sure what's up with the headstock label (as you are correct, it does says guitars not classic), but the finish *is* transparent (hard to get on camera) and you could see mahogany grain up close. The only place I could find the trans ocean color was mentioned on some old parker forums, but I don't have more details than that. Here's a pic of it in the sun: photos.app.goo.gl/SvVyEsAKRzovmwLG7
@@TheGuitarPit your link does not work. Yes, like I mentioned above, they did add some extra colours later. When I bought my first Parker in 1998, the Classic was the second most expensive model, and transparent Cherry was the only available color for that model. Mine says “Classic”, but my other 2 Parkers say “Guitars”.
@@JohnnyGuitar1 Why does the serial number (087060BMH USA) say mahogany body then? Do any Deluxes' come in transparent colors with BMH spec? Link works.
@@TheGuitarPit yes link works now. They did add some colours, just like I mentioned. That was after 1998, definitely not before, I don’t know the exact date. You Parker must be post 2003, right after Ken Parker sold the company to US Music Corp.
@@JohnnyGuitar1 You keep mentioning they added colors, but that isn't really the question here. I'm asking about trans colors and a mahogany body on a deluxe. My understanding is no, they didn't. As mentioned, this guitar is from the year 2000 (can check via the serial). So I guess the question is, is it a classic with the wrong headstock sticker? Or a deluxe with a color and body wood they didn't offer on deluxes?
@@TheGuitarPit Hey! Did you put yours up on Reverb a while ago? I saw one that looked exactly like yours and was "Nahh..no way ..." Unless you did???? There is a Red Pre-refined up there now in pretty good condition for $2,000 w/ case... Sorely tempted... Best Regards!!
Great Score!!! That's a great Fly Classic for what you paid. Absolute bargain (especially with the SKB Case..). I have a 1997 Parker Fly Deluxe in Majik Blue. I spent 2 years searching for a good one and finally found one in NOS condition. Had a Fly Single 2 years before and sold it. I regretted it thereafter. Glad to be an owner again. I will never sell it. Even though, yes, the upper horn bugs me occasionally too. The Fly Deluxe has a Poplar Body not Basswood. The neck is Basswood. Hence, the "BP" suffix on the Serial Number. Yours is "BMH" - Basswood neck, Mahogany body. The Carbon Fibre exoskeleton on the back of the guitar is super rigid. There was an advert back in the day of Ken Parker standing on top of a Fly suspended between two chairs. Needless to say, I won't be testing mine that way.. I measured the neck of my Fly against my 2016 MIJ Jem. The results surprised me. Pretty much a similar thickness all the way down the neck (apart from closer to the neck joint, obviously). The profile is quite different. The Fly is more "C" profile, the Jem is more of a shallow "D". The Fly is actually wider than the Jem by a couple of mm by the 24th fret! I find both super comfortable in their own way. Washburn or not, I'd love to have a Parker DF842 - which is basically a Fly with the upper horn rounded off. Unlikely to happen. Just waaaaaay too expensive...
Awesome, glad you re-found one :) Good call on it being poplar, I totally forgot about that. I knew it was something light, but should have double checked. I didn't measure the necks but went back and forth between a couple of my guitars and thought the Parker was rounder and thicker. I will measure today but I no longer have a Wizard neck to compare to. It's thin but people make it sound like it's paper thin. I think it's fairly usable as far as thin-ish necks go.
@@TheGuitarPit I always thought the necks were thinner than they actually are. Back then I never had Wizard necks tho. As I said, I was surprised by the measurements. The Parker neck just feels thicker because it's rounder. However, it's super comfy in the hand and somehow the 'thickness' disappears with use (for me at least..). Whatever. As you said, it is a totally cool guitar. Loved the bit of Ziggy BTW :-)
Isn't it? I just love the curves. It's very light, but this one is about 5.5lbs. The Fly Deluxe is probably a little lighter, but still around 5lbs. The Strandberg Boden I had was 4.5lbs, so a fair bit lighter.
I remember when these launched and was thinking it was super cool to have an electric and acoustic (sounding) guitar in one - It was the first guitar I had ever heard of or seen that could do that and the first I remember having a stereo output. There was only one shop that actually had one - the first in the county to get one and I went to try it. Personally I didn't like it - I couldn't believe how light it felt but as a 'Les Paul' player, I found the neck too thin, the fretboard too slippy, the sound too thin and the stereo out was pointless to me as I only had mono input amps. It felt 'delicate' - probably wasn't with the Carbon Fibre shell but I wanted to feel like I had a solid guitar that I could hit the strings and feel under my fingers so I lost interested. For the money, the PRS Custom 24 was cheaper and looked more 'expensive' with the intricate Bird inlays, the crazy figured maple tops etc compared to something that looked more like a plastic kids toy. I know it wasn't Plastic but looked 'plastic'. As such PRS remained as my 'ultimate' ambition guitar - and now I own 4 (594, 509, Cu24 & HB2). With the HB2, I finally got a Piezo too. Its a shame they have gone though. They were unique but not exactly the best looking guitars. Some of the contours looked OK but that top horn is ugly and the overall shape isn't 'sexy' and curvaceous which is what I like - no straight lines (other than the neck) or hard angles. When you look at a PRS for example, its all curves - even the headstock too...
Yeah I was mesmerized by the idea of an electric that could emulate acoustics. And yeah, the styling might not be for everyone but in my opinion, it's one of the best shapes of all time :) I really wish they were still around innovating, but I'll hold on to this one to remember it :)
@@TheGuitarPit Each to their own LOL I was amazed that you could get an Electric that sounded like an acoustic back then - which was what appealed to me. The shape not so much. If I had the chance to own one now - an original in working good condition, I would but only for the historical value. I doubt I would play it though. I don't blame you for getting one - with a case too as I bet that will be an investment in the future but as a 'tool', I couldn't see myself playing in a band and not looking pretentious. I now have a Hollowbody 2 with Piezo so I would use that in preference. Mine is as light as your Parker Fly too but a lot more comfortable and familiar feeling to play for me. Anyway, an interesting video and a walk down memory lane too so thanks for sharing. Enjoy your new guitar :)
Thanks man. Agreed, I won't play this much either...I have plenty of better guitars haha. But it's just so damn cool. I remember when the line 6 variax first came out too, same deal there. I thought it was so incredible that one guitar could do everything. I didn't know enough at the time to realize it did everything poorly, but the concept really drew me in.
Its not a stereo guitar, it has 2 outputs, one for Piezo one for electric. You really need 2 amps to get the full use from it. Its kinda like the Godin A6
Agreed! The delicate parts really worry me too. You're looking at a HUGE bill on these if something goes wrong...safer to get something a little more modern unless you just can't do without the insanely awesome shape :)
Just FYI... I have a Parker Fly Classic that i bought new in 2001 (good deal at $1700). I don't think I baby it... but every piece and feature has held up just fine. I normally carry it by the horn. Of particular note, the neck and frets are perfect, i cannot find another guitar that plays like it does (I've tried). Thanks for your review!
That intro Dinosaur JR riff
1. J Mascis is cool 2. It's a tribute to the horn placement :)
90s overload. love it
@@TheGuitarPit Feel The Pain!! Love that track!!
THAT's IT! I couldn't for the life of me remember what song it was
I thought it sounded like an iron chic song
Best guitar ever, can do anything and the light weight is beyond incredible
10/10 on the cool scale too. Don't forget that part too! :)
I love my Maxxfly I played a 10k LP an 5k strat an the fly sounded better then both for 1200 lol
A Parker Fly! Whoa, nostalgia. I remember seeing ads for these in guitar magazines in the 90s. And my thoughts were: "What the heck is this thing?" It's nice to know that quarter of a century later, I still have the same thought when I see one.
Yeah, remember the ad with Ken Parker with that goofy magnifying glass extension on his glasses? I'd think "who is this crazy guy, and what is this space guitar? And why is it $3999?" But I wanted one soooooo badly.
@@TheGuitarPit Oh yes, I remember. I always thought it looked like a shot of some myhtical dwarven engineer, posing proudly in his workshop with his latest invention. It had that Tolkien-esque quality to it.
Incidentally, I never got to play one, and after your video, as someone who had a sternum fracture, I don't think I want to.
But they look cool. Possibly ugly, but in a cool way. If that makes sense.
@@dpskvn Ha! Amazing. Tolkien-esque is so spot on. "A rare, master-grade artificer presents..." And yeah it makes perfect sense. The 90's rocked that ugly/cool thing so hard, and this was the pinnacle of all of it. Well, maybe that would go to the Lamborghini Diablo :)
@@TheGuitarPit Ah yes, the car monstrosity that I loved to wreck in Need for Speed. :) But guitars and cars always had that thing where guitar design elements were borrowed from cars of the era. If you take a look at the guitars from the 50s and 60s, you could literally take parts from them and stick them onto a Cadillac and they wouldn't look out of place. Even today, you have the Tesla finishes on the Silver Sky.
That being said, I'm not sure Fly borrowed anything from a car outright... Maybe a car you'd see on an acid trip.
I do wanna thank you for the innards shot of the Fly. I was aware of most of the Fly peculiarities, but I didn't know about the ribbon cables. For some reason this makes it more attractive to me. It looks like someone opened up a SNES. I was half-expecting a cartridge slot somewhere in there. I guess it's just more 90s nostalgia for me.
@@TheGuitarPit im 61 now and also remember the ad and seeing the price, ugh. I couldn't justify to the wife and kiddies a purchase like that[ needed diapers, lol]
I had Ibanez, and Strats then and moved around good enough-
I could afford one now, but why bother? for the reasons you cited.
I remember meatloafs guitarist had one and was killin it--- was within a hairsbreadth of plunking down coinage, but I didn't want to pay child-support.
thx great lil vid
i cant avoid thinking about cky when i see these. congrats on the buy.
Ha! Thanks :)
Kioni Hernandez CKY, yes! \m/
I bought a Parker Fly deluxe when they first hit the market in the 90's before the company sold. Mine is still in like new condition other than minor fret wear, I still love it.
Awesome. I'm surprised you were able to wear the SS frets down. I take it you've put some heavy playtime on it?
Have those ss fret buffed out my a good tech and your frets will feel like new again. From another Parker fan
The last time I saw one of these in person was in the late 90s. Hands down the best guitar I’ve ever played, always wanted one but could never afford it. Such cool guitars.
I owned one, the deluxe and it was by far the best guitar I’ve ever had, and played. I put it up against a Black Beauty at guitar center on a 2x12 Orange amp and it not only sounded better, it was nicer to play since that neck feels like butter.
@@ChrisTopheRaz for sure, a LP doesn’t compare at all, besides maybe in classic looks. The Parker never fights you when playing it, it’s like it was made for the player first and foremost.
Love my Parker Fly. Love this video, the glee of having found this guitar shines through.
Man I remember wanting one of these when they came out... and then Dino Jr, haha... like a kid again.
That was my intention :) I should have learned some Faith No More songs or something haha.
I had sold a effects pedal a couple of years ago and the guy came over to try it and he brought his guitar. It was a Parker, not like yours, but he let me play it and I was blown away. It was very light and perfect action. I had no idea they were so expensive. Great video Chris.
They have a huge range of prices. There are very cheap import models that can be found for $200, but they lack all of the cool details, carbon fiber, neck-thru, piezo, etc that the higher ones have. Really stunning instruments, but probably not for everyone.
Similar story. I used to have NAMM access c/o of my job and would try out Parkers as part of doing regular business, knew I couldn't afford one but always knew it was the dream guitar. Wandered into a GC and asked about one and they were being discontinued from the inventory so got it for $800. Still can not believe the deal I got, and it is still my dream guitar. Every other guitar I try is TOO FREAKING HEAVY, too thick, too clumsy. The Fly is like picking up a violin. And it stays in tune unbelievably. Totally unique.
Absolutely. They are just as cool as it gets...STILL. 30 years later! Can't believe it. Strandberg is tapping into the same vibe, but I still don't think they are nearly as cool. Parkers just have so many unique interesting features that they are hard to move on from. Killer guitars :)
Exactly bro I have a maxxfly without the horn lol but it stays in tune until the strings are so lose they fall off lol
I just saw your video, sory im late. Great video. I worked at Parker in the 90s and it was the most fun i ever had at work! Parker Fly is the second coolest guitar ever. I had a 90s Nightfly with a dark sunburst finish and THAT was the coolest guitar ever! Lol.
I remember when the Parker Fly first hit the market, it was a huge advancement in guitar design. Thanks for sharing Chris!! Cheers man!!
Thanks Ben. It's a cool moment in time for sure!
Missing your videos so rewatching them. Excellent review!
Thanks man. Can you imagine, I bought that Parker Fly for $1200 lol. Now they're like $3000 on reverb :(
i love parker guitars, i think is a unique piece of art, i have a classic Fly from 2001, i think was the last year of ken as a owner of parker guitars, i spend 4 years trying to find this beuty guitar in my country (Venezuela) and i find it in 2012, im so happy with my fly, and i think if i found another in good price, i will buy it with eyes closed
Just found you and I really am enjoying your content man! I was just telling my wife about these guitars the other day, so awesome to run into this video. When I was first starting guitar in the late 90's, these were my exotic car dream as well. Really happy I found you and Subbed!
Thanks Jeremy! Parkers are one of those things I just can't get out of my head. Every time I sell mine, I think about them all the time. Glad to have one back. I think it was just perfectly timed for me to become obsessed with as a teenager and now I'm stuck loving them even with their less-than-ideal quirks :)
I'm going to make a soft gaurd to buffer the horn like a violin chin rest. The wheel is the spring tensioner to balance the string tention. Per the Parker manual, set the bridge to a dive down only. Then tune the guitar and rotate the wheel. working back-and-forth between the 2 until the bridge sits level touching the dive down metal stop block.
Nice to see the channel growing! Much love
Thanks man, appreciate it! It's coming along :)
Thanks for this video, one showed up in my local shop and this video helped me to decide to get it.
Amazing guitar
Glad I could help!
I love my Parker Fly Deluxe, never had any trouble with it.
Yes!! Flashback to the 90's 🙌🏼
Dinosaur Jr and Beta Band...did my best to channel the 90's vibe. Should have played Faith No More Epic. Yesssss.
Very informative. I need one now. Thanks.
Sorry Jason :)
Back in 2001 the guitarist from Testeagles let me play his Parker, I asked him what it was like to play and he asked his guitar tech to plug one in for me. It was an absolute pleasure to play, and superlight with amazing tone
@24:30 "one of those perfect visions brought to reality." well said. that alone makes it worth it. kudos to Ken Parker. Also, a favorite guitar of the great Mark Farner from Grand Funk Railroad, which brought me here.
Love it. Like to get one of these one day. Love your style of reviewing. Honest guitar dude.
Appreciate it Johnny!
kinda looks like a space ship from star trek !!!!! love it !!! thanks for your very good work !!!
Sick guitar!! I always loved those. Congrats!!
Me too! Love at first sight 20+ years ago. Still love it.
Good review. No mention of the nut though…Ken Parker is a master luthier and should and probably will be remembered as such. This is an amazing guitar!
I bought a Parker fly mojo, pre-refinement, 1998 serial number from Ebay based on this video. It is the lightest guitar I own and the most reliably in-tune instrument I have, even under the harsh conditions of 40 to 70% humidity, every day. I have a nerve injury in my neck and this guitar doesn't trigger it when I sit or stand. The only downfall is that the miraculous trem system has very few spare parts available, so I have locked it in place like a hard-tail.
I have always dreamed of owning one of these. Of all the weird guitar shapes that exist, Parkers are the only ones which actually look good, as well as Strandbergs maybe haha
Yeah it's got curves from heaven, for sure. I know some people don't dig em but I really love the way they look.
The Guitar Pit do you like the ibanez fireman body (eg paul Gilbert style)? It’s similar in appearance if nothing else...
Excellent find dude!!
Thanks gmx!
I can't believe I'm watching your videos and I'm not even subscribed. I'm in!! There's always a lot of confusion with Parker I would love for you to do an in-depth video including some of the different models in history and where it went sideways.
Yeah...I'd have to do some research myself. There are so many variations, years, models, tiny changes. Thankfully the Parker fans run a surprisingly active forum with a lot of good info. There are a lot of die-hard Parker fans to this day. They're so unique that I guess that makes sense.
@@TheGuitarPit sorry it might be a headache. But there are so many confusing models. In the water gets muddy really quickly with this brand. Even the later Indonesia stuff and Korean stuff there's a bit of a divide between that stuff. I do have a couple Parker's myself but I am completely unaware of any of their lineage or history. even you going online and just clicking on photographs would work. And or talk about some of the endorsements. I remember my first moment with the Parker fly was Saturday night live David Bowie. His guitar player had one and it blew my f****** mind. Plus the music he was so cutting-edge for the time. That was the moment I figured out that David Bowie is a state-of-the-art artist that always push the boundaries.
@@a64tbird I saw that exact same episode of SNL. I remember it because it was the first time I saw someone playing a Parker that wasn't just in a magazine. Super super cool. Yeah I'll have to do some reading, I'm no expert. Phil McKnight is probably better at that sort of thing :P I'll see what I can dig up though.
@@TheGuitarPit that is burnt into my mind!!!
@@TheGuitarPit ever since that video a couple weeks ago of Phillip McKnight losing his mind, l kind of lost interest in him. I thought what he did was shity.
Had one for 25 years... All guitars do not compare... So easy to play. Wonderful... Its like a Mercedes SL63 of a guitar.
The piezo pickups in all Fly variations were a pretty big deal. They were custom-designed by Larry Fishman of the pickup company -- he (Andover, MA) and Ken Parker (Wilmington, MA) knew each other.
By the way, I have Concert (later called the Bronze), no magnetic pickups. It's easily my favorite guitar, but I have odd tastes. When sitting, I hold the guitar to the left, and/or with the headstock up in the air, the way you'd hold a classical guitar, and I have no issue with the upper horn. For people who insist on holding it like an SG or an acoustic, it can be a problem.
I love my Parker Fly - I bought it new in '96, Gold! After 2 back surgeries, the Fly is a nice guitar to hand around my neck.
Yeah absolutely. Have you tried a Strandberg? They come in at around 4.5lbs and thought they were equally comfortable. I have a video on them, if you're curious.
It makes sense that the neck would be thinner near the body. The layer of carbon fibre means you can have a neck that's thinner at the base and it will be just as solid as a regular wood neck.
Im incredibly glad that this opened up with dinosaur jr
I tried to keep this as mid-90's as possible :)
@@TheGuitarPit it worked well enough to secure a sub from me!
Well it's so easy to play, so it has to hurt you with the horn to give you the "fighting with the guitar" feel ;)
Looks really really cool tho, somehow back then people were trying to make futuristic looking guitars, while now a day most guitarists want their guitar to look as old as possible ^^
Hah yeah, it makes you pay your dues one way or another :) And yeah funny point. Really only Aristides and Strandberg are going the modern direction. Everyone else is beating their guitar up for style :P
Yea but that’s if your dumb enough to even listen to other so called guitar player constantly trash each other an can’t even play. Real musicians build each other up an don’t tear each other down. But I could be wrong
to me... best guitar in da world... got a Fly 95' in black... just modded her with Juggernout & Hexpander Midi... now it's Fly 2021...great video and demonstration...love that color... get the same now... sold all my other SG & Strat... only Parker now... best handmade & engineering ... from 1993 -2004.
easy to mod if you really want... thx for da video... makes even more proud to be a Parker player... btw... only play standing... so the horn is only sexy too me... it hold's the guitar doesn't matter how you act in perfect angel to play... play stand up and mosh... you will see... crazy details.... and so quiet too...
The GOAT. Full stop.
The frets are the hardest on any instrument ( custom made for Parker.) I work on Parker and the main issue is if you need any work on the electrics of the pre-refined there are no parts and the flex circuit board is easily broken. One guy tried to tighten a loose pot from the top and broke the board . I had to replace the entire guts with the refined parts , cost £300 and I charged him trade for the parts.
Wow good to know on how easy they are to break. Do the refined parts drop right in? Or do you have to gut everything including the pickups and such?
Pickups stay but everything else goes. and the refined controls is one less pot so you have to think of something to do with the hole. A disconnected pot is fine to keep the look. It is actually just the Fishman power chip and new pots and switches so you can make up a kit yourself for less money.
As many of said, it was a $10,000 guitar that the company was selling for $3000! Mine is exactly like yours! I also had a natural solid mahogany! That one actually played a bit better for whatever reason. Looking for a Supreme now!
Love my Parker deluxe
This is the best Parker Fly video I have ever seen, and I own six! All pre-Wasburn, all red with gold hardware all custom wound by DeMarzio for an even better sound. Washburn killed the company. I wish I could buy the rights to the Fly and the Nightfly. I own a stereo speaker company. I could retail a classic for $2495.00 made in USA.
I just subscribed.
Man you should be happy with that purchase! That's a serious find! 🤘😎🎸🎶🎶🎶🎶🤘
Yeah, pretty hot pickup for sure! :)
Hi from England. I love my parker fly classic. Same colour as yours.
Cheers! And that's awesome -- seems to be an awfully rare color. Don't see them pop up used much at all anymore. This video is a couple years old and even then, you could get a really nice used one for 2k shipped. Now they're more like 3k+ in this condition.
That intro was spot on mate!
Thanks man! This guitar took me right to 1995 :P
Always wanted one of these. Still on the lookout...
Yeah..a lot of people gouging on Reverb, but the fairly priced ones seem to sell quickly. If you can find a good condition Fly Deluxe under $1700 I'd say hop on it. Most of them are pretty beat up in that price range.
Bought a deluxe from Sam Ash for $190, noticeable chips but plays and sounds amazing and came with the original gig bag. Only had to replace and buy extra Parker springs. Still pinch myself
Yeah that might be the most legendary purchase of all time. Nice work!
very useful review. Appreciated.
You bet, thanks fro watching!
I got my Fly Deluxe in 2007 and it just feels like one of those guitars you never ever sell. I've loved every second with it. I've had issues, fret delamination in a couple of spots but it wasn't hard to fix, and currently the trussrod needs adjustment, BUT it's all the way tight so I'm not sure what to do... Even then its STILL a much better guitar than I am a guitarist! 😁
Agreed these are amazingly cool
Guitars! Thanks for video!!
Thanks for stopping by :) Some of the coolest design of all time. Still.
With you on the parker love. Never understood then discovered the nylon fly. My word!!! You say the tuners were normal but locking tuners were quite an innovation. I love the neck. Great vid.
Oh man I've LOVE to try a Nylon one. Never seen one for less than 3~4k. What a cool instrument, and I love the way no pickups look on the front. Stunning.
@@TheGuitarPit yeah afraid I have only tried it never owned it. But they are something else - such a crisp sound with a real eq peak at a breaking glass range. So is like a classical guitar that needs taming.
"This guitar is not worth it...they're over priced...get some other guitar for the same price" (2 seconds later) "this is the coolest guitar ever made... nothing like it! I love it!"
🤣
I feel you man, I bought a new P38 in the mid 90s, had no idea what I was buying, but loved everything about it. Powerchip failed twice on me over 20 years. And you are 100% correct, local shops hate working on them and generally don't wire it properly (happened twice to me). I just rebuilt it during covid with Suhr pickups, new paint,, etc. Essentially making it a nightfly. Sounds better than all my other guitars. Parkers are still my favorite, and I think with them going out of business, they're going to go way up in value year after year because they are so unique, and who was originaply involved in their design.
Definitely a guitar any collector should have at least one of.
100% man. They are on their own level. If I had one guitar, I probably wouldnt gamble on a Parker, but if you are lucky enough to have a couple...gotta have it :)
6:27 As someone whose (possibly one-of-a-kind) 1996 Parker Fly Classic has begun to show signs of fret shed (my fault 😩) and has researched this to death, let me be the first to tell you that the frets are not glued on but rather _baked on._ As I understand it, in manufacturing the frets were laid in place on the still-wet carbon fiber epoxy and chemically bonded to the fiber as the epoxy did its thing and pressure was applied (possibly under vacuum).
No, the frets are glued on and the glue is cured by sending an electric current through it to heat the glue
Best guitar I've ever had
Still the BEST looking guitar!!! One day I'll get one. Thanks for good video.
Agreed man! Unbeatable curves on it :) It could feel a little better ergonomically but it's still a 9.5/10!
@@TheGuitarPit Yes :) It's basically piece of art... masterpiece :)
Oh man this was every late 90’s early 00’s garage band leads wet dream
Sure was. I still can't get enough of them, this many years later. Never seen another shape like it.
They were/are a great guitar. Fun to play, easy for getting your left fingers moving faster across the neck so when you get good on it, your fingers will “know” the movement for using on any guitar.
I used to get stabbed by the horn. I guess from 13 years of playing it I learned to position it like an acoustic. I forgot I ever used to get poked by it till you mentioned it.
i do this too, its more comfortable position.
Beautiful playing bro 👍 very great talent seen this video 👍 nice music 👌 more wishes u r channel 👍 good luck 👍
Loved your honest review. Sold my old Pre-Refined Deluxe when I stopped playing temporarily, it had problems all over given it was purchased used - falling frets, busted nut & intermittent electronics among others - but man it's also the first guitar I purchased (back) when I started gassing again! Missed looking at the beautiful body sculpure the most haha. Funny thing is it was purchased pretty much in the exact same condition I sold it in, even the same strings! The friend who bought it basically left it in that state, since even one of the most highly respected guitar techs in my country didn't want to take it in lol..unpleasant previous experience perhaps. I braved myself to do an otherwise ugly DIY job on the frets myself with superglue, they're still holding up after almost two years so at the very least it is playable..been thinking of re-doing it better this year. Still mustering the courage to mess about with the electronics though..just touching the ribbons lightly scares me!
Wow, you're a brave man. I took my fly artist with problems to a tech and was quoted $900 for some finish work around the delaminated neck board and fret problems. It was probably a fair quote, to be honest. I'm sure it's a huge nightmare to get that stuff sorted out. Another tech in the comments here said he had to gut and replace the electronics with the stuff from a refined fly. Sounds like a huge pain haha.
Not only are parts hard to come by, even worthwhile reviews of a Parker of any kind are hard to find. Like most, I can't afford an original Parker, but I recently bought a Parker P38, made in 2000, which seems to be a Korean-made (thus much less expensive) version of a Fly, and the online manual is of little help in explaining what's going on under the skin. Yours is the best review this Parker newbie has come across. I like the nontraditional shape, don't care if the horn digs into my chest (I also play sitting down), and what sucked me in was the piezo bridge to go with the "regular" pickups (the P38 is an SSH setup). My favorite guitar is an Ovation Tangent, which is essentially an acoustic instrument with a piezo bridge that turns it into a sort-of-electric when it's plugged in, and I was attracted to Parkers by the "reverse-Ovation" engineering of turning what's basically an electric instrument into a sort-of acoustic.
Very cool! Yeah the piezo is a blast. Super unique. The Ernie Ball Petrucci models are also worth checking out, they have a similar system. They may even sound a little better, and they are certainly a little more ergonomic. They just aren't mind-blowingly cool the same way a Parker is :)
watching this brought back memories of the Dragonfly i had. loved everything about it, except the wide string spacing and the skinny neck. stupidly sold it. one thing you can do to really improve the sound of the electric and acoustic sides, is to replace the saddles with graphtech ones. the parker saddles add some super high frequencies, which can sometimes make the guitar sound a little sterile. the graphtech saddles are a massive improvement. congrats on the purchase...you got really lucky there!
Ah very cool, I hadn't heard of that saddle replacement thing. I'll have to look into that. I'd like to check out one of the modern ones too, but I can't get past the price. Haven't seen any reasonable deals on them at all. Parker DF842 or something along those lines.
yeah, it was the DF842 that i had. got it for a silly price when they were deeply unfashionable! just search for "graphtech parker" and you'll see the saddles are a straight drop-in replacement. the only thing you have to do, is use a dremel to remove a little finish from inside the string channels in the bridge, because the graphtech saddles are non-conductive and you need to make sure the bridge is earthed.
Ok, now I understand why they are expensive and popular overseas!
Is it safe to say that it is a JP Monarchy mixed with a Strandberg (especially for the spare parts) but way ahead of its time.
Soundwise.... I'm still blown away by your latest Suhr!
Spot on, Oilid. The Majesty kind of took this idea and took all the weirdness out of it. It's about 5000% more comfortable than a Parker too :) But agreed, way ahead of its time and one of the coolest 90's objects ever. But...the Suhr is better in every way and is effectively worth the same. Tone alone, it's not a comparison haha.
@@TheGuitarPit 🤣👍
Funny you guys bust out the majesty comparison. I got a Fly as a relatively broke college student too, largely because I was so enamored with the idea of the (then-relatively new) EBMM JP models with the piezo. Just thought that was the coolest thing ever. Found out about the Fly and snagged a cheap red one off eBay. My first really nice guitar. I just couldn’t get past the “toy” feeling and didn’t really dig the DiMarzios that much. Off it went. Very cool engineering feat though, and I wouldn’t mind getting to play another one someday.
@@chiricm I think right now the best you can do for that sort of thing is a JP15. Piezo, lots of tone options, and doesn't have the toy feel the majesty has. It's a small neck, but still feels 100% like a guitar.
Great shiny finish! And that headstock may be the only one that strays from traditional Fender or Gibson headstocks but actually looks good.
Well its certainly different Chris, i think its one of those that grows on you , great color thanks for sharing , Cheers
It's a weird one, but in a way that rubs me in the right way :)
i had no idea the FB was carbon fiber! that made me want to try one!
Tons of wild stuff in this ancient video: th-cam.com/video/Yt085421u_U/w-d-xo.html
Cool man I went to a wedding recently and the bands guitar player was playing a what looked like a forest green Parker. sounded awesome
Heck yeah, that's a great color on these too. They're so wild. Nothing else like em!
Great deal and fun video man. I have exclusively used Parkers for many years and I play professional gigs. Excellent piece of machinery. Only thing that comes close is the Steinberger
Thanks Eli! Yeah, amazing instruments, absolutely. Have you tried an Aristides? They don't really have the same vibe but they were going for a similar thing in spirit, if nothing else.
Opening few minutes were the soundtrack to my teenage years lol! Thanks for that, I still have my silver Parker Fly Deluxe from 98’. It was my first guitar I bought myself. Saw Reeves Gabrels playing one with Bowie and I was sold. Thinking of repainting it with a color shift or color effects paint. My chest has definitely developed a muscle in that center area over the years lol.
What is that song? I'm losing my mind trying to remember.
Only artists I knew that used the Fly as their main guitars are, of course, Adrian Belew from King Crimson, and Daniel Gildenlow from Pain of Salvation. Definitely has a lot of prog cred!
Yeah for sure. I've also seen em on various live stages but usually cause it's cool, not because it's their main guitar hah.
You should listen to Gustavo Cerati play one in "ella uso mi cabeza como un revolver" un-plugged version.
The carbon fiber is one piece and glued to the neck and back. The guy from Firefall showed me his in '96 and I played only acoustic on it. It was in Atlanta when they hosted the Olympics. Remember that guitar to this day...
Ha, awesome! Straight from outer space :) I love these things.
I'm glad you mentioned that the horn on the Parker guitar is not comfortable for sit down playing. I am looking for an electric guitar for sit down playing that is very comfortable. What do you recommend? Thanks and great channel 💯 ❤️
Only for some people. It bugs me, but it's still worth it :) I assume since you're leaving this comment here, you're looking for something super modern? Aristides 060 would be a good place to look. I also think the Music Man JP6 is very comfortable. Very small neck on that one though, but it has the piezo like a Parker.
Not something I'd normally be into but like I said Mark Farner plays one and he (and Jimi) are my earliest guitar hero's so I have one on my bucket list. Nice demo and detailed info ,I'm glad you like it well enough to keep it for the history ,etc. Cheers !
I want to keep one in good shape for history alone. Everyone seems to be selling wrecked ones but this one is in good enough shape where I'll baby it and probably be glad I did so 30 years down the road :)
You dont see very often on sale now, can cost 2500 to 3000. You get a really good deal.
Yeah the prices since I made this video have gone to absolute hell. Bummer for sure.
Tweak the audio just barely and scoop the tone a little and this is an unintentional asmr video. You have an outstanding voice for it.
If you need someone to work on your Parker Fly, Adrian Belew recommends Joe Glazer of Glazer Instruments in Nashville. Joe works on his Parkers.
Great job here!
Thanks John!
Good review of the Fly ! The one thing that most people do not do that you need to do to get the guitars full potential is to have 2 amps. You need a dedicated acoustic amp and an electric amp. Putting both mag and piezo in the same amp does not work. If you have a touch of delay on say the piezo, you get a great 2 guitar player effect. I was always amazed by the song Diary of a Madman by Ozzy, the intro is amazing acoustic then the insane electric comes and and the 2 blend together and switch back and forth. Easy to do in a studio, impossible live. I was sold on the Parker Fly before i ever seen it. I was at a trade show and i hear someone playing the intro to Diary of a Madman" and was surprised by how loud it was with no feedback, then the overdrive sound kicked in and the acoustic continued, now i am thinking 2 guitar players. Make my way to the Parker both, an amazing guitar player is playing this and i had to know what it was. I too was shocked at the price, $2,000 in 1993. I eventually found a New Unsold Fly at Guitar Center 6 years later, it somehow was lost in the store room, or so the story went. The price was great and have had it ever since. There are so many features about the guitar that you dont appreciate until after you have had it for a while and compare it to other guitars. The body really feels alive when its played, you feel every note thru the body. If you ever have the chance to buy a REAL Fly, not the US Music cheap version, buy it.
Yeah they are unbelievable. And good point on the stereo thing...I've never had the chance to try it. I do love the mixed down piezo+magnetic pickups though. Must be incredible if you split the piezo off to an acoustic amp though. Just one of the coolest objects ever made, in my opinion :)
The guy from Orgy played one of these, always wanted to try one but my god... I could never be caught dead on stage with that thing.
When I was in guitar lessons 15 years ago my guitar teacher had one of these in blue with a white pickguard. I remember not having any idea what it costed, what brand it was etc and being mesmerized of how cool it looked.
Today I look at these things and think of how timeless they are. And today when I look at these guitars I realize how well built they are. During that era when everyone's doing crazy v guitars, Parker kept it simple and their design holds true even until this day you can look at these and never guess it's from the early 2000's.
Absolutely timeless. They could come out today and would be just as groundbreaking and modern looking as they were in the 90's. Ken Parker hit the biggest home run of all time with this, and I can't believe after so much has changed, they still hold up fairly well.
The Parkers with Pick Guards were not the same as the Fly. They were more of a traditional guitar with a Parker body outline. The Nite Fly was one such guitar. For the 'full Parker experience', only a Fly will do
That's the coolest guitar i ever seen
It sure is! I don't think it's up for debate. It's 100% the absolute coolest guitar ever made. It's not the most comfortable, but it's just so out there I love love love it.
I bought my Parker fly deluxe new in 06 for $2k. Had to wait months for it to come in. It’s my baby and still in perfect condition. I rarely let anyone touch it. Only thing I ever had to replace was the jack output.
Don't let it go! I sold this one and even though I made some good cash, I haven't seen one in it's condition for less than $3k. Anything under $2k is wrecked.
The Guitar Pit that’s insane. I had no clue they went for so much. I never see them for sale
The guitarist from 88 Finger Louis played Parker Fly's.
Greetings. Did I hear you say that the neck was thicker than a wizard neck? I’m bummed because I love my wizard necks and I severely want a Parker fly!. Mind if I ask how much you play yours? Thank you very much for the effort and best regards and best wishes
The $699 JS 1000 $599 Crate Red Voodoo amp $399 Cab $99 Morley Tremonti Wha pedal is just a good combination!! I got lucky I guess? I bought allonline when Musician's Friend took over Mars Music
It’s not a Classic, it’s a Deluxe. I have a Classic. The Classic model says “Classic” under the name Parker in the headstock, the Deluxes say “Guitars”. The seller was correct.
Also, in the 90s the only colour for a Classic was Transparent Cherry, the only Parker you could see the wood through the paint (and besides the Supreme, flagship model). They added more colours later.
This guitar is from 2000. Not sure what's up with the headstock label (as you are correct, it does says guitars not classic), but the finish *is* transparent (hard to get on camera) and you could see mahogany grain up close. The only place I could find the trans ocean color was mentioned on some old parker forums, but I don't have more details than that. Here's a pic of it in the sun: photos.app.goo.gl/SvVyEsAKRzovmwLG7
@@TheGuitarPit your link does not work.
Yes, like I mentioned above, they did add some extra colours later. When I bought my first Parker in 1998, the Classic was the second most expensive model, and transparent Cherry was the only available color for that model. Mine says “Classic”, but my other 2 Parkers say “Guitars”.
@@JohnnyGuitar1 Why does the serial number (087060BMH USA) say mahogany body then? Do any Deluxes' come in transparent colors with BMH spec? Link works.
@@TheGuitarPit yes link works now. They did add some colours, just like I mentioned. That was after 1998, definitely not before, I don’t know the exact date. You Parker must be post 2003, right after Ken Parker sold the company to US Music Corp.
@@JohnnyGuitar1 You keep mentioning they added colors, but that isn't really the question here. I'm asking about trans colors and a mahogany body on a deluxe. My understanding is no, they didn't. As mentioned, this guitar is from the year 2000 (can check via the serial). So I guess the question is, is it a classic with the wrong headstock sticker? Or a deluxe with a color and body wood they didn't offer on deluxes?
Entire back, neck and headstock are carbon. You got a great deal for a Pre-Refined :) I"m hunting for one :)
Prices have been brutal lately! A nice condition deluxe is around 2500 used, classic up to 3k, and other models even more. Torture!
@@TheGuitarPit Hey! Did you put yours up on Reverb a while ago? I saw one that looked exactly like yours and was "Nahh..no way ..." Unless you did???? There is a Red Pre-refined up there now in pretty good condition for $2,000 w/ case... Sorely tempted... Best Regards!!
Great Score!!! That's a great Fly Classic for what you paid. Absolute bargain (especially with the SKB Case..).
I have a 1997 Parker Fly Deluxe in Majik Blue. I spent 2 years searching for a good one and finally found one in NOS condition. Had a Fly Single 2 years before and sold it. I regretted it thereafter. Glad to be an owner again. I will never sell it. Even though, yes, the upper horn bugs me occasionally too.
The Fly Deluxe has a Poplar Body not Basswood. The neck is Basswood. Hence, the "BP" suffix on the Serial Number. Yours is "BMH" - Basswood neck, Mahogany body.
The Carbon Fibre exoskeleton on the back of the guitar is super rigid. There was an advert back in the day of Ken Parker standing on top of a Fly suspended between two chairs. Needless to say, I won't be testing mine that way..
I measured the neck of my Fly against my 2016 MIJ Jem. The results surprised me. Pretty much a similar thickness all the way down the neck (apart from closer to the neck joint, obviously). The profile is quite different. The Fly is more "C" profile, the Jem is more of a shallow "D". The Fly is actually wider than the Jem by a couple of mm by the 24th fret! I find both super comfortable in their own way.
Washburn or not, I'd love to have a Parker DF842 - which is basically a Fly with the upper horn rounded off. Unlikely to happen. Just waaaaaay too expensive...
Awesome, glad you re-found one :) Good call on it being poplar, I totally forgot about that. I knew it was something light, but should have double checked. I didn't measure the necks but went back and forth between a couple of my guitars and thought the Parker was rounder and thicker. I will measure today but I no longer have a Wizard neck to compare to. It's thin but people make it sound like it's paper thin. I think it's fairly usable as far as thin-ish necks go.
@@TheGuitarPit I always thought the necks were thinner than they actually are. Back then I never had Wizard necks tho. As I said, I was surprised by the measurements. The Parker neck just feels thicker because it's rounder. However, it's super comfy in the hand and somehow the 'thickness' disappears with use (for me at least..). Whatever. As you said, it is a totally cool guitar. Loved the bit of Ziggy BTW :-)
Parker Fly is beautiful man. Is this the lightest guitar in the world?
Isn't it? I just love the curves. It's very light, but this one is about 5.5lbs. The Fly Deluxe is probably a little lighter, but still around 5lbs. The Strandberg Boden I had was 4.5lbs, so a fair bit lighter.
One day I will obtain this instrument.
I remember when these launched and was thinking it was super cool to have an electric and acoustic (sounding) guitar in one - It was the first guitar I had ever heard of or seen that could do that and the first I remember having a stereo output.
There was only one shop that actually had one - the first in the county to get one and I went to try it. Personally I didn't like it - I couldn't believe how light it felt but as a 'Les Paul' player, I found the neck too thin, the fretboard too slippy, the sound too thin and the stereo out was pointless to me as I only had mono input amps.
It felt 'delicate' - probably wasn't with the Carbon Fibre shell but I wanted to feel like I had a solid guitar that I could hit the strings and feel under my fingers so I lost interested. For the money, the PRS Custom 24 was cheaper and looked more 'expensive' with the intricate Bird inlays, the crazy figured maple tops etc compared to something that looked more like a plastic kids toy. I know it wasn't Plastic but looked 'plastic'. As such PRS remained as my 'ultimate' ambition guitar - and now I own 4 (594, 509, Cu24 & HB2). With the HB2, I finally got a Piezo too.
Its a shame they have gone though. They were unique but not exactly the best looking guitars. Some of the contours looked OK but that top horn is ugly and the overall shape isn't 'sexy' and curvaceous which is what I like - no straight lines (other than the neck) or hard angles. When you look at a PRS for example, its all curves - even the headstock too...
Yeah I was mesmerized by the idea of an electric that could emulate acoustics. And yeah, the styling might not be for everyone but in my opinion, it's one of the best shapes of all time :) I really wish they were still around innovating, but I'll hold on to this one to remember it :)
@@TheGuitarPit Each to their own LOL
I was amazed that you could get an Electric that sounded like an acoustic back then - which was what appealed to me. The shape not so much. If I had the chance to own one now - an original in working good condition, I would but only for the historical value. I doubt I would play it though. I don't blame you for getting one - with a case too as I bet that will be an investment in the future but as a 'tool', I couldn't see myself playing in a band and not looking pretentious. I now have a Hollowbody 2 with Piezo so I would use that in preference. Mine is as light as your Parker Fly too but a lot more comfortable and familiar feeling to play for me.
Anyway, an interesting video and a walk down memory lane too so thanks for sharing. Enjoy your new guitar :)
Thanks man. Agreed, I won't play this much either...I have plenty of better guitars haha. But it's just so damn cool. I remember when the line 6 variax first came out too, same deal there. I thought it was so incredible that one guitar could do everything. I didn't know enough at the time to realize it did everything poorly, but the concept really drew me in.
Its not a stereo guitar, it has 2 outputs, one for Piezo one for electric. You really need 2 amps to get the full use from it. Its kinda like the Godin A6
Plugged the Fly in to a Fishman Aura pedal, and you will be amazed.
I have an equal, started to make a noise like zzzzzz us humbucker, it's clean? I am from Brazil
Love those early original Parker Classics. Too expensive now though
Agreed! The delicate parts really worry me too. You're looking at a HUGE bill on these if something goes wrong...safer to get something a little more modern unless you just can't do without the insanely awesome shape :)
the neck is compound radius
yup, 10~14"
Dinosaur JR!!!!! 😍
what is the intro riff from? it sounds so familiar
Just FYI... I have a Parker Fly Classic that i bought new in 2001 (good deal at $1700). I don't think I baby it... but every piece and feature has held up just fine. I normally carry it by the horn. Of particular note, the neck and frets are perfect, i cannot find another guitar that plays like it does (I've tried). Thanks for your review!
Feel the Pain!
Is that white humbucker strat with the dark brown sides on the wall a suhr!?
Sure is. Here is my review on it: th-cam.com/video/Fm0TGgIIj_I/w-d-xo.html