Hi, from the UK would one of those Yamaha THR30II portable Amps suit the acoustic side or has it got to be the acoustic THR30IIA one or is there another amp that's suits both ?
@@qwertyzxcv123 I know! Crazy that I bought my 95 Fly for $660 back around 2010. And my 2014 lime gold fly is even rarer. It's got some dings now but STILL- there's only like 10-15 in that color in existence allegedly!
I think Parker flies are really good guitar and everybody really wants to go out and try one. They'll be amazed what you can achieve. Wonderful playability extremely versatile. Have fun, enjoy! That's what it's all about. I'll hopefully check out my new videos. God bless!
Agreed. The Fly is almost 30 years old and still super cool. The very first production models are 1993 vintage. I'm with you on the Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz combo. The tone is much warmer. The Fly Mojo's had these pups as standard. My Mojo is my favourite Fly tone-wise at present. I also think the refined models are potentially easier to maintain (especially wiring related issues). A Fishman Aura pedal makes a great addition to the signal chain to make the Piezo's (Pie-Zoh's) produce an even more authentic Acoustic sound
Oh nice! You know the Parker lore well :) Thanks for confirming 1993. So is that the main difference in Fly deluxe and mojo, the pickups? Is the wood different as well? And nice to hear from someone who sees some of the value in the newer fly models (most people I’ve interacted with crap all over them). Interesting about the Fishman Aura, I need to give that a go! Thanks for your insights here
@@EricBourassa yes, different wood & pups. Mojo is all Mahogany with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz set. Fly Deluxe is Basswood Neck/Poplar Body with Gen.1 (Air Norton/Tone Zone) or Gen.2 (Custom wound) Dimarzios
I'm gonna jump in here. First I know pre revised 93-03 better then revised. But you got the classic, deluxe, supreme, stealth, mojo, Spanish, and I know Im forgetting at least one other. The differences in pre revised was about the center woods, and electronic layout, not pickup configuration as many think. Pre revised dimarzzios, revised Seymour Duncans. Another cool fact Ken never intended on putting truss rods in and first yr, 93, flys have none. Was pressured that people wouldnt trust a guitar without and relented. But I'm 99% sure no 93 came with Seymour Duncans regardless of the model. Also remember who help start Parker....Larry fishman. That's who designed the undersaddle piezo pickups for the fly and Niteflys
From what I've researched the classic had the basswood/poplar combo, the deluxe had all mahogany. Now I'm not quite sure about the mojo woods, but they dialed back on the fourth knob on mojo's, that's how would recognize one over a different model. My very early 93 deluxe has dimarzzios, for what it's worth. Love to know about the info you have as I def don't know everything and there's a lot of misinformation out there about Parker's. If I'm wrong please educate me! Now as it used to be basically impossible to mod the pickups in a fly till they switched to Seymour Duncans, unless you do what this guy did and have them custom made as the route won't fit normal sized pups. Very possible somebody switched out the original dimarzzios for the hotter Seymours, just don't think thats the way it came from the factory in 93
I was looking up Parker guitars and found your video. Very nice guitar, really like the paint job. This and a Brian may red special are both my wish list guitars.
@@jeremyfried5463 oh cool, I’m glad you like the paint job because a lot of people hate it lol. it’s one of those guitars people either love or hate. No in between, so I may as well go all the way with an insane paint job 🤣
I just checked my Fly again and it is not working. Even the mag pickups are not working. So I am guessing there is a problem with the output jack. I think you said you had that problem. I am in Austin, TX does your repair guy know anyone down here in Austin who could fix this for me? If not I wonder if I can get it to him??? Thanks for the video!
I don’t know if he knows anybody in Austin. I am sure there is someone in Austin who can do it though. If not hit me up and I will give you my guys contact info. I am sure you could ship it to him.
check out Ed Roman's website. you can likely still buy the Duncans from them. Easy to replace if you've got a great tech/luthier in the area. I wouldn't do it yourself unless you're a pro at working on guitars. I think you can also send your Fly to Ed Roman's shop in Las Vegas and they'll install and ship back
I am with you 100% on the Parker Fly! I was touring the Collings guitars factory back in 1999 or so and I met one of the guys there and he had been involved with the original design and development of the Fly. He had one and said, “here take this and play it as long as you like.” I took it home and played it for about a year. Then I bought a NiteFly…big mistake. The night fly was not even close to being like the original! So I sold the NiteFly and bought a natural mahogany deluxe! LOVED IT! Played it in the band for 5 years or so. Then I bought a deluxe in trans blue! I still have the Trans blue one! So awesome!
Sweet video man, it helped convince me to pick up a fly recently. You recommend a luthier in the DFW area that helps with setups/pickup swaps/parts/finishes etc on your fly?
The only guy I know who can do anything on a Fly is Mark Cigainero (Arlington area). Another great luthier is in Fort Worth named Wick but I haven’t personally had him work on my Parker’s yet. BTW What year and color is your new fly?
@EricBourassa it's a black 98! A little rough around the edges but it plays super well! The pickup selector switch is wonky and will not go to the neck pup so just wanting to get it seen by a fly expert!
Awesome video. Really good content. I love how you cautiously mentioned you used to play in church. The church was the first place i got to play in public. Wish i could call over and play your guitar but i live in Ireland. Hope our paths cross one day as you seem like a really great down to earth guy.....and you play guitar really well too. Thanks again for making an informative video.
oh thank you very much, Shane! church can be a good opportunity to play for others for the first time- that's all I will say about that ;) hit me up if you're ever in TX. I'll make it to Ireland eventually
I own a 1995 Fly Deluxe, in Galaxy Grey, with original Gen 1 pickups. Back then, it cost $3,500 with Hiscox case. I use it an all-valve Marshall half-stack set clean, with an all-valve EHX English Muff'n on the front end for distortion as desired. It sounds great. I've had no issues. BTW, what you refer to as a trust rod (in reality it's a wire) adjustment is actually the adjustment for the Balance Wheel which is a crucial part of the vibrato system. It adjusts the tension of the flat spring under the back cover. There is a document on the web that describes the procedure to setup the guitar for impeccable tuning stability. You'll want to go through the setup process correctly. The truss rod adjustment is accessed where the headstock meets the neck. Try mixing a little of the piezo output with the neck pickup for a very nice clean sound.
Hey man, serious question, 99 fly here --with the JB pickups, do you use the active pick-up or wire it traditional? My guitar has the active pick-up stuff which I'm thinking about getting rid of?
@@EricBourassa I guess, if my 9 volt battery dies, the guitar will not play, regardless of piezo selection switch which I never use anyway, just thinking the whole system is active?
Thanks for timely response, I hear a lot of "famous" guitar players talk trash about active systems--in fact, they will not have anything to do with them with exception of (post metal), such a response makes me curious--in a nutshell, I don't trust my own ears and look for validation I quess
$3K purchased 2 days ago..but I --finally-- got one coming this week in Purple. With case, orginal tools and a #9 and #10 plate. Without all that, would not have been worth it.. You and Andre Tonelli were my inspiration to play one. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Great video. I really like the paint job on the Parker. I bought one in 1999 used and still have it, but the paint got chipped pretty severely. Anybody know a good place to have it refinished?
There’s a Parker fan group community on Facebook. It tends to be a good resource for Parker parts. Definitely a downside of owning a Parker- finding replacement parts!
It really is the Ferrari of guitars. I miss my Parker fly deluxe so badly. I had a 97 and I still have the serial number. I am going to find that guitar someday. I bet she misses me too
@@EricBourassa I feel that pain! Lol. Make a video about it, and I’ll send you pictures and the serial number along with my story. I’ll help provide content as well if necessary. We need to find our long lost guitar loves!
I've discovered this guitar watching Muse play live and Matthew Bellamy had this crazy tone coming out of a parker fly. Check out their performance of Cave from 2000 at the Eurockéennes
This guitar gave me the very rare event of love at first sight. One day after school I went to my local music store and there it was. Never seen such strange thing before. At the time we were rather after strats, JEMs or PRSs. Well, I knew some modern guitars played by Holdsworth or Frisell but this design beat them all. I could not resist to try it. Expecting some weight lifting the guitar with three times the force needed I was afraid crashing it into the ceiling. It felt like a surfboard made of styrofoam. I was particularly pleased of the piezo sound. I hate these piezo typical popping noises at the attack of a note and even worse: people who tell me that this is what an acoustic guitar sounds like. It took only minutes to realize that this would be the choice for a professional player. At that time I already switched to classical guitar and the price tag was out of reach for a 17 year old... I cannot remember but i think it was noticeably more expensive than the Ibanez Universe multicolor and by far the most expensive item in this little shop. As I can remember, none of my friends liked this plastic thing and I was rather alone with my opinion about this guitar. Way too expensive, awful looks and how long will it last? so they said - as well as our guitar teachers. I guess a guitar hero playing a Parker would have been a game changer? One day it was gone. I do not know if it was sold or sent back. Little later the shop owner retired and I got two nice Seymour Duncan single coils for half price at least. Still thinking of a decent electric but I will play it only twice a year anyway. By the way, how many of these were built?
Glad you liked it. “Plastic thing” is underselling it a bit. a worthy contender against PRS, Fender, Ibanez, and the other well known brands. But its high price point combined with unique looks definitely turned a lot of people off. All good- I love both my Parker flys and I’m lucky to have them 🤘
I helped open the factory,he had a Fadal cnc that needed a 10 ft. x10ft. Door. Ken handed me a guitar bag and asked me what I thought was in there. I said a guitar, but there was 2 guitar body’s! 😊
The Fly is fantastic, right up there with the Steinberger. That flame job is absolutely horrendous though, looks like a nascar or a tattoo from the early 00's 😂
The DiMarzios in my Parker sound incredible. Crystal clear. I would never change them. Excellent for clean heavy effected ambient soundscapes. If I want to play heavy, then that's what the schecter is for lol. Don't mess with Ken Parker's vision LOL!!! Don't mess with perfection!
glad they work for you. For me, they DID NOT. I wish I had video to compare the original pickups with the ones I have now. All I know is that if the original Dimarzio's were Ken's vision and I have now "messed with his vision," you better get that boy some glasses, because I'm happy to have done such a thing
@EricBourassa Well, we may disagree about the pickups, but man, we are in agreement about how awesome the guitar is. I am I glad I bought my 1995 fly 25 years ago. $2300 on my credit card, LOL! Took me 3 years for my broke ass to pay it off, including the super high interest! The only thing I worry about is the pizeo preamp breaking. I've heard it's a kiss of death 💀 unless you got a real master working on the repair. I guess perfection was the wrong word to use. Old Ken didn't make the electronics very serviceable. The insides are a bit complicated. I hope it lasts until my end days. Please take it easy with the output jack!!!!! I hear that can be a bitttch to repair!! ✌️ bro!
@@danielcichello4421 yeah I got lucky my guitar tech was able to fix my output jack. Two of the Piezo pick ups are out on my 2014 Parker fly. gotta order a new set. No big deal though. Let’s just hope the rest of those electronics hold up! Because yeah, I am with you these guitars rule
I would like to heard more on tuning and intonation. I'd like an explanation of how it is tuned. You breezed very quickly over those tuning knobs on the bridge/saddle.
it's tuned like any normal guitar. no tuning knobs at bridge/saddle (those are piezo pickups). Only thing is to make sure back of guitar switch is flipped DOWN to "fixed bridge" position while tuning. As far as intonation, this guitar is intonated by slightly unscrewing piezo pickups with hex wrench, shifting saddle forward or backward, then retighten. Wild that saddles are shifted by loosening the piezo pickups, right?
Absolutely. My ONLY complaint is that the higher frets feel a bit slippery and it can be hard to play quickly up high. I find higher fret playing easier on a maple or rosewood fretboard
I can give u a basic breakdown of all the p series Parker's. Other then shape they're missing everything that makes a parker special. The neck, the carbon board, ss frets, the incredible bridge and fishman peizo system. It was Washburns way of making an affordable Parker so they stripped everything special from it. If price is a factor look at niteflys, which I prefer for many reasons, half the price of a fly, but still has everything that makes it special. Now your still goona spend $1500, but better then 3k. And flys can't easily me modded, have very proprietary parts and wiring that can be expensive to impossible to repair, parts a very hard to come by, niteflys are the perfect guitar imo
the only problem with the parker fly ist the guitarists. right, and those tiny piezo bridge ball bearings that pop out while changing strings getting lost in some fluffy hotel carpet having to be replaced with a leatherman trimmed piece of wire coathanger for the gig in 1h… i miss my nitefly2. stupid sell. has a boat rout for pickups, i fitted 3 custom häussel p90s in there… what a machine. forgot tuning was a thing for 5gigs in a row.
I'll never part with my Classic fly, midifly or nite fly mahogany. Simply the easiest to play they stay on tune and sound excellent clean, dirty and fuzzed up, and everything inbetween...
Great video. Anyone with more questions about Parkers should def check out Dr fludds channel that he shouts out. Has the most compressive info on Parker flys niteflys p series and others. And always answers every question to the best of his abilities! Has other good videos too, but as a Parker fanatic he really is the go to
Respectfully, i call BS on the no dead frets claim...but i wouldn't say it's dead frets per se. More like dead NOTES, and virtually every guitar has them. I've friends who claimed their guitars didn't have any, but i always find them, much to their dismay. It's more about certain notes that ring too sympathetically with the the body and wind up getting cancelled out, as in they stop ringing out after a couple of seconds rather than sustaining longer. They're not truly "dead", they just don't sustain quite as long as their neighboring notes (although if the fret itself IS the culprit the note will die out immediately after being picked). The more "alive" and vibrant the guitar, the more likely this is to happen. This isn't a bash on Parker as i've owned 7 over the years and still have one in my collection that i'll never sell. My Classic and Butternut Ltd both had dead notes on their G strings, either at the 12th or 14th fret...can't remember for certain as it's been over 20 years now. My Nitefly SA that i currently have has one on the G string, 14th fret. never an issue unless i have to end a solo on that note. If i do, i simply repeat my attack. I've no problem with a guitar dictating how i play (within reason).
I had one dead fret on my 2014 Fly (which my guitar tech fixed). But I've never had a dead fret on my 1995 Fly. Every fret on it is perfect. I know what you're saying, I've experienced it on every other guitar I've ever played. But really, never on my 95 fly
Most European countries pronounce "I" like Americans pronounce "E"... and "E" is prnounced more like "aye" with soft y, so Piezo is (P-AyE-zo) in europe or "Pie-zo" in America.
the only problem with the parker fly ist the guitarists. right, and those tiny piezo bridge ball bearings that pop out while changing strings getting lost in some fluffy hotel carpet having to be replaced with a leatherman trimmed piece of wire coathanger for the gig in 1h… i miss my nitefly2. stupid sell. has a boat rout for pickups, i fitted 3 custom häussel p90s in there… what a machine. forgot tuning was a thing for 5gigs in a row.
Whoa never had an issue with the piezo ball bearings coming loose. And yeah, we’ve all regretfully sold a Parker or 2- I sold my 2014 lime gold fly years ago but fortunately found another just like it last year
@@EricBourassa some glue issue probably…luckily never lost a fret. somebody ran over a guitar case containing a fly so i got a couple of piezo elements as spares. was not possible to get spare parts in germany even when parker still existed. hope somebody. ll restart the brand properly.
Hello from England, I'm a now frail 77 yrs old, and my parker fly classic is the only guitar that I can now comfortably play. I love them .
heck yes that's awesome. and I bet "frail" is a STRONG word. I doubt that you're very frail if you're still playing guitar!
Your guitar is now worth a small fortune.
Hi, from the UK would one of those Yamaha THR30II portable Amps suit the acoustic side or has it got to be the acoustic THR30IIA one or is there another amp that's suits both ?
@@qwertyzxcv123 I know! Crazy that I bought my 95 Fly for $660 back around 2010. And my 2014 lime gold fly is even rarer. It's got some dings now but STILL- there's only like 10-15 in that color in existence allegedly!
@@gtibruce An acoustic amp really is needed to bring out the piezo pickups.
Thanks for the shout out :). It's pronounced Flood, I wish I knew the origin but such is American history lol.
Yeah man! You rock, I love your channel. And I will remember that pronunciation
@@EricBourassa Thank you :). Always nice to see other Parker guys.
I think Parker flies are really good guitar and everybody really wants to go out and try one. They'll be amazed what you can achieve. Wonderful playability extremely versatile. Have fun, enjoy! That's what it's all about. I'll hopefully check out my new videos. God bless!
I'm still excited about my Parker Flys. Absolutely love them. You're right- very versatile and among the best playing guitars ever.
Agreed. The Fly is almost 30 years old and still super cool. The very first production models are 1993 vintage. I'm with you on the Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz combo. The tone is much warmer. The Fly Mojo's had these pups as standard. My Mojo is my favourite Fly tone-wise at present. I also think the refined models are potentially easier to maintain (especially wiring related issues). A Fishman Aura pedal makes a great addition to the signal chain to make the Piezo's (Pie-Zoh's) produce an even more authentic Acoustic sound
Oh nice! You know the Parker lore well :)
Thanks for confirming 1993. So is that the main difference in Fly deluxe and mojo, the pickups? Is the wood different as well?
And nice to hear from someone who sees some of the value in the newer fly models (most people I’ve interacted with crap all over them).
Interesting about the Fishman Aura, I need to give that a go!
Thanks for your insights here
@@EricBourassa yes, different wood & pups. Mojo is all Mahogany with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz set. Fly Deluxe is Basswood Neck/Poplar Body with Gen.1 (Air Norton/Tone Zone) or Gen.2 (Custom wound) Dimarzios
I'm gonna jump in here. First I know pre revised 93-03 better then revised. But you got the classic, deluxe, supreme, stealth, mojo, Spanish, and I know Im forgetting at least one other. The differences in pre revised was about the center woods, and electronic layout, not pickup configuration as many think. Pre revised dimarzzios, revised Seymour Duncans. Another cool fact Ken never intended on putting truss rods in and first yr, 93, flys have none. Was pressured that people wouldnt trust a guitar without and relented. But I'm 99% sure no 93 came with Seymour Duncans regardless of the model. Also remember who help start Parker....Larry fishman. That's who designed the undersaddle piezo pickups for the fly and Niteflys
From what I've researched the classic had the basswood/poplar combo, the deluxe had all mahogany. Now I'm not quite sure about the mojo woods, but they dialed back on the fourth knob on mojo's, that's how would recognize one over a different model. My very early 93 deluxe has dimarzzios, for what it's worth. Love to know about the info you have as I def don't know everything and there's a lot of misinformation out there about Parker's. If I'm wrong please educate me! Now as it used to be basically impossible to mod the pickups in a fly till they switched to Seymour Duncans, unless you do what this guy did and have them custom made as the route won't fit normal sized pups. Very possible somebody switched out the original dimarzzios for the hotter Seymours, just don't think thats the way it came from the factory in 93
@@micemr76 that would be the opposite: classic = mahogany; deluxe = poplar+basswood
I was looking up Parker guitars and found your video. Very nice guitar, really like the paint job. This and a Brian may red special are both my wish list guitars.
@@jeremyfried5463 oh cool, I’m glad you like the paint job because a lot of people hate it lol.
it’s one of those guitars people either love or hate. No in between, so I may as well go all the way with an insane paint job 🤣
I just checked my Fly again and it is not working. Even the mag pickups are not working. So I am guessing there is a problem with the output jack. I think you said you had that problem. I am in Austin, TX does your repair guy know anyone down here in Austin who could fix this for me? If not I wonder if I can get it to him??? Thanks for the video!
I don’t know if he knows anybody in Austin. I am sure there is someone in Austin who can do it though. If not hit me up and I will give you my guys contact info. I am sure you could ship it to him.
I have a fly classic with the original demarzio pickups. Can you still get the custom Duncan’s? Was it fairly easy to replace them?
check out Ed Roman's website. you can likely still buy the Duncans from them. Easy to replace if you've got a great tech/luthier in the area. I wouldn't do it yourself unless you're a pro at working on guitars. I think you can also send your Fly to Ed Roman's shop in Las Vegas and they'll install and ship back
@@EricBourassa - thanks. I will reach out to them
I am with you 100% on the Parker Fly! I was touring the Collings guitars factory back in 1999 or so and I met one of the guys there and he had been involved with the original design and development of the Fly. He had one and said, “here take this and play it as long as you like.” I took it home and played it for about a year. Then I bought a NiteFly…big mistake. The night fly was not even close to being like the original! So I sold the NiteFly and bought a natural mahogany deluxe! LOVED IT! Played it in the band for 5 years or so. Then I bought a deluxe in trans blue! I still have the Trans blue one! So awesome!
That’s rad!
Sweet video man, it helped convince me to pick up a fly recently.
You recommend a luthier in the DFW area that helps with setups/pickup swaps/parts/finishes etc on your fly?
The only guy I know who can do anything on a Fly is Mark Cigainero (Arlington area).
Another great luthier is in Fort Worth named Wick but I haven’t personally had him work on my Parker’s yet.
BTW What year and color is your new fly?
@EricBourassa it's a black 98! A little rough around the edges but it plays super well! The pickup selector switch is wonky and will not go to the neck pup so just wanting to get it seen by a fly expert!
@@stetsynjennings9966 I just got my pick up selector switch fixed by Mark last week
And the 98 that’s cool. Makes sense that it would have some wear and tear. The paint was chipping off of my 95 before I got it repainted.
Very cool guitars and they were (and still are) so innovative. One of my buddies had one back in the day.
Definitely! Did you see my most recent videos featuring my latest- a 2014 Parker Fly in lime gold. It rules
Awesome video. Really good content. I love how you cautiously mentioned you used to play in church. The church was the first place i got to play in public. Wish i could call over and play your guitar but i live in Ireland. Hope our paths cross one day as you seem like a really great down to earth guy.....and you play guitar really well too. Thanks again for making an informative video.
oh thank you very much, Shane! church can be a good opportunity to play for others for the first time- that's all I will say about that ;)
hit me up if you're ever in TX. I'll make it to Ireland eventually
I own a 1995 Fly Deluxe, in Galaxy Grey, with original Gen 1 pickups. Back then, it cost $3,500 with Hiscox case. I use it an all-valve Marshall half-stack set clean, with an all-valve EHX English Muff'n on the front end for distortion as desired. It sounds great. I've had no issues.
BTW, what you refer to as a trust rod (in reality it's a wire) adjustment is actually the adjustment for the Balance Wheel which is a crucial part of the vibrato system. It adjusts the tension of the flat spring under the back cover. There is a document on the web that describes the procedure to setup the guitar for impeccable tuning stability. You'll want to go through the setup process correctly. The truss rod adjustment is accessed where the headstock meets the neck.
Try mixing a little of the piezo output with the neck pickup for a very nice clean sound.
right on, thanks! long live the 95 fly
Hey man, serious question, 99 fly here --with the JB pickups, do you use the active pick-up or wire it traditional? My guitar has the active pick-up stuff which I'm thinking about getting rid of?
Do you mean active as in the piezo system is still hooked up? Mine is. All original electronics just with swapped pickups
@@EricBourassa I guess, if my 9 volt battery dies, the guitar will not play, regardless of piezo selection switch which I never use anyway, just thinking the whole system is active?
Thanks for timely response, I hear a lot of "famous" guitar players talk trash about active systems--in fact, they will not have anything to do with them with exception of (post metal), such a response makes me curious--in a nutshell, I don't trust my own ears and look for validation I quess
@@tacklewarfare if you don’t use the piezo you could rip it out. I just replace the 9v as needed
Epic 🤘👽🎸
$3K purchased 2 days ago..but I --finally-- got one coming this week in Purple. With case, orginal tools and a #9 and #10 plate. Without all that, would not have been worth it.. You and Andre Tonelli were my inspiration to play one. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Dude yes!!! You should upload pics or video and share with us. Really happy for you. And Andre Tonelli is cool
@@EricBourassa Also discovered Dr. Fludd just as I ordered. All of you have been a great contribution to the Parker community. Best Regards!
Don't forget about the good Dr! Best UA-cam videos about Parkers period
Great video. I really like the paint job on the Parker. I bought one in 1999 used and still have it, but the paint got chipped pretty severely. Anybody know a good place to have it refinished?
I don’t know a specific person or company in your area. But a good starting point might be a car shop that specializes in custom paint
I’ve played most everything but I’ve never seen a Parker guitar in person I’ve never been to a music store that stocked them .
Yeah they’re hard AF to find!
Great video! and great guitar!! What's the distortion you use in 6:02?
most likely running through my Carl Martin 'Greg Howe's Lick Box,' which is essentially a suped-up plexi drive
I have two I made at the company when I was in my 20s. Love them!
no kidding??? what years?
Hey Bud, great playing! Any idea where to get parts for these things?
While moving, I lost the battery cover for my late 90’s Fly in Majik Blue.
There’s a Parker fan group community on Facebook. It tends to be a good resource for Parker parts. Definitely a downside of owning a Parker- finding replacement parts!
It really is the Ferrari of guitars. I miss my Parker fly deluxe so badly. I had a 97 and I still have the serial number. I am going to find that guitar someday. I bet she misses me too
I feel the same about my lime gold Fly I let get away- still have the serial number as well 😓
@@EricBourassa I feel that pain! Lol. Make a video about it, and I’ll send you pictures and the serial number along with my story. I’ll help provide content as well if necessary. We need to find our long lost guitar loves!
I've discovered this guitar watching Muse play live and Matthew Bellamy had this crazy tone coming out of a parker fly. Check out their performance of Cave from 2000 at the Eurockéennes
Oh that’s cool I didn’t know he ever played a Parker fly
This guitar gave me the very rare event of love at first sight. One day after school I went to my local music store and there it was. Never seen such strange thing before. At the time we were rather after strats, JEMs or PRSs. Well, I knew some modern guitars played by Holdsworth or Frisell but this design beat them all. I could not resist to try it. Expecting some weight lifting the guitar with three times the force needed I was afraid crashing it into the ceiling. It felt like a surfboard made of styrofoam. I was particularly pleased of the piezo sound. I hate these piezo typical popping noises at the attack of a note and even worse: people who tell me that this is what an acoustic guitar sounds like. It took only minutes to realize that this would be the choice for a professional player. At that time I already switched to classical guitar and the price tag was out of reach for a 17 year old... I cannot remember but i think it was noticeably more expensive than the Ibanez Universe multicolor and by far the most expensive item in this little shop. As I can remember, none of my friends liked this plastic thing and I was rather alone with my opinion about this guitar. Way too expensive, awful looks and how long will it last? so they said - as well as our guitar teachers. I guess a guitar hero playing a Parker would have been a game changer? One day it was gone. I do not know if it was sold or sent back. Little later the shop owner retired and I got two nice Seymour Duncan single coils for half price at least. Still thinking of a decent electric but I will play it only twice a year anyway. By the way, how many of these were built?
Glad you liked it. “Plastic thing” is underselling it a bit. a worthy contender against PRS, Fender, Ibanez, and the other well known brands.
But its high price point combined with unique looks definitely turned a lot of people off.
All good- I love both my Parker flys and I’m lucky to have them 🤘
I helped open the factory,he had a Fadal cnc that needed a 10 ft. x10ft. Door. Ken handed me a guitar bag and asked me what I thought was in there. I said a guitar, but there was 2 guitar body’s! 😊
Haha that’s awesome! Must’ve been cool to be there for the genesis
The Fly is fantastic, right up there with the Steinberger.
That flame job is absolutely horrendous though, looks like a nascar or a tattoo from the early 00's 😂
Cool thanks 🔥🔥🔥
The DiMarzios in my Parker sound incredible. Crystal clear. I would never change them. Excellent for clean heavy effected ambient soundscapes. If I want to play heavy, then that's what the schecter is for lol. Don't mess with Ken Parker's vision LOL!!! Don't mess with perfection!
glad they work for you. For me, they DID NOT. I wish I had video to compare the original pickups with the ones I have now. All I know is that if the original Dimarzio's were Ken's vision and I have now "messed with his vision," you better get that boy some glasses, because I'm happy to have done such a thing
@EricBourassa Well, we may disagree about the pickups, but man, we are in agreement about how awesome the guitar is. I am I glad I bought my 1995 fly 25 years ago. $2300 on my credit card, LOL! Took me 3 years for my broke ass to pay it off, including the super high interest! The only thing I worry about is the pizeo preamp breaking. I've heard it's a kiss of death 💀 unless you got a real master working on the repair. I guess perfection was the wrong word to use. Old Ken didn't make the electronics very serviceable. The insides are a bit complicated. I hope it lasts until my end days. Please take it easy with the output jack!!!!! I hear that can be a bitttch to repair!! ✌️ bro!
@@danielcichello4421 yeah I got lucky my guitar tech was able to fix my output jack. Two of the Piezo pick ups are out on my 2014 Parker fly. gotta order a new set. No big deal though.
Let’s just hope the rest of those electronics hold up!
Because yeah, I am with you these guitars rule
You forgot the weight. Such a amazingly light, comfortable guitar.
Indeed! How could I forget???
I could not possibly agree with you more. I've been playing Parkers since they came out in 1994.
Heck yes 🙌
They came out in 93😉
I would like to heard more on tuning and intonation. I'd like an explanation of how it is tuned. You breezed very quickly over those tuning knobs on the bridge/saddle.
it's tuned like any normal guitar. no tuning knobs at bridge/saddle (those are piezo pickups). Only thing is to make sure back of guitar switch is flipped DOWN to "fixed bridge" position while tuning. As far as intonation, this guitar is intonated by slightly unscrewing piezo pickups with hex wrench, shifting saddle forward or backward, then retighten. Wild that saddles are shifted by loosening the piezo pickups, right?
can you switch to drop d and back on the fly with that trem system?
Yes. You just flip the switch on the back to put it in “down only mode” instead of floating 🤘
I wont lie you dont know what a really really good guitar feels like untill you play a parker fly/nitefly
It’s definitely like going from test driving a Camaro to a Ferrari, lol. Parker’s are The Ferrari’s of guitars 😎
I suspect that John Petrucci picked up some tech and ideas from the deluxe series that he applied on his own Musicman axe.
you may very well be right! I played that MusicMan Majesty and was definitely reminded of the Parker Fly
The PF makes me a better guitar player! Everything gets so easy to play!
Absolutely. My ONLY complaint is that the higher frets feel a bit slippery and it can be hard to play quickly up high. I find higher fret playing easier on a maple or rosewood fretboard
Can you do a review on a Parker P42 if you happen to find one ? I think it might be interesting since it's the cheapest Parker one can get.
Plus, there's no decent review on this thing on UA-cam...
If I come across one, definitely
I can give u a basic breakdown of all the p series Parker's. Other then shape they're missing everything that makes a parker special. The neck, the carbon board, ss frets, the incredible bridge and fishman peizo system. It was Washburns way of making an affordable Parker so they stripped everything special from it. If price is a factor look at niteflys, which I prefer for many reasons, half the price of a fly, but still has everything that makes it special. Now your still goona spend $1500, but better then 3k. And flys can't easily me modded, have very proprietary parts and wiring that can be expensive to impossible to repair, parts a very hard to come by, niteflys are the perfect guitar imo
Parker fly boi. Sound like all the other Parker fly bois. I’m cool boi
@@napfourteen awesome boi. Parker fly boi to the max!
the only problem with the parker fly ist the guitarists. right, and those tiny piezo bridge ball bearings that pop out while changing strings getting lost in some fluffy hotel carpet having to be replaced with a leatherman trimmed piece of wire coathanger for the gig in 1h… i miss my nitefly2. stupid sell. has a boat rout for pickups, i fitted 3 custom häussel p90s in there… what a machine. forgot tuning was a thing for 5gigs in a row.
I'll never part with my Classic fly, midifly or nite fly mahogany.
Simply the easiest to play they stay on tune and sound excellent clean, dirty and fuzzed up, and everything inbetween...
Absolutely. I support your stance
Great video. Anyone with more questions about Parkers should def check out Dr fludds channel that he shouts out. Has the most compressive info on Parker flys niteflys p series and others. And always answers every question to the best of his abilities! Has other good videos too, but as a Parker fanatic he really is the go to
I have 3 parkers guitars 💪😎🤟
nice! which is your fave?
Respectfully, i call BS on the no dead frets claim...but i wouldn't say it's dead frets per se. More like dead NOTES, and virtually every guitar has them. I've friends who claimed their guitars didn't have any, but i always find them, much to their dismay. It's more about certain notes that ring too sympathetically with the the body and wind up getting cancelled out, as in they stop ringing out after a couple of seconds rather than sustaining longer. They're not truly "dead", they just don't sustain quite as long as their neighboring notes (although if the fret itself IS the culprit the note will die out immediately after being picked).
The more "alive" and vibrant the guitar, the more likely this is to happen. This isn't a bash on Parker as i've owned 7 over the years and still have one in my collection that i'll never sell. My Classic and Butternut Ltd both had dead notes on their G strings, either at the 12th or 14th fret...can't remember for certain as it's been over 20 years now. My Nitefly SA that i currently have has one on the G string, 14th fret. never an issue unless i have to end a solo on that note. If i do, i simply repeat my attack. I've no problem with a guitar dictating how i play (within reason).
I had one dead fret on my 2014 Fly (which my guitar tech fixed). But I've never had a dead fret on my 1995 Fly. Every fret on it is perfect. I know what you're saying, I've experienced it on every other guitar I've ever played. But really, never on my 95 fly
@@EricBourassa gotcha. My Classic was a ‘97, and my Butternut Ltd was a ‘98. Still, both “Ken-era” instruments.
@@nigeldaddyo rad
If they had you promoting they wouldn't have gone out of business
@@hodge1970ify 🤣🤣 I like to think so!
Great video bro...and thanks for being brave about the beauty of the Parker guitar
Most European countries pronounce "I" like Americans pronounce "E"... and "E" is prnounced more like "aye" with soft y, so
Piezo is (P-AyE-zo) in europe or "Pie-zo" in America.
Pi-e-zo is the correct pronounciation as it's Italian :)
like PIE- AYE- ZO? or PEE-AYE-ZO?
@@EricBourassa Last one. Pee aye zo
@@kanzeon7729It's not Italian. It's Greek.
STOP with the squeaky notes! PLAY CHORDS!
oops
@@EricBourassa THANKS for being a good sport bro. Chords matter too is my point!
@@EricBourassa Also agree with you about Parker guitars...TOP OF THE LINE!
@@josephesposito3499 totally 🤘
the only problem with the parker fly ist the guitarists. right, and those tiny piezo bridge ball bearings that pop out while changing strings getting lost in some fluffy hotel carpet having to be replaced with a leatherman trimmed piece of wire coathanger for the gig in 1h… i miss my nitefly2. stupid sell. has a boat rout for pickups, i fitted 3 custom häussel p90s in there… what a machine. forgot tuning was a thing for 5gigs in a row.
Whoa never had an issue with the piezo ball bearings coming loose. And yeah, we’ve all regretfully sold a Parker or 2- I sold my 2014 lime gold fly years ago but fortunately found another just like it last year
@@EricBourassa some glue issue probably…luckily never lost a fret. somebody ran over a guitar case containing a fly so i got a couple of piezo elements as spares. was not possible to get spare parts in germany even when parker still existed. hope somebody. ll restart the brand properly.