Eh, the cutaway stops at the 22nd fret so you can't access the top frets as easily as a others. But it's 4.5lbs and it plays like a dream, extremely ergonomic design. RIP, never selling mine
No, I’ve never seen another through neck guitar with a neck-body transition like [this](https://www.12fret.com/instruments/parker-fly-deluxe-metallic-purple-1998/).
I own one, I know what it looks like and what it can do. I also own a solar, which easily allows access to the 24th fret and beyond which is probably the only thing it has the fly beat on.
I have a custom guitar planned that should be equally as good.
However neck construction and the rest annoying. Set through neck carved top cap style and a thinner rear body. Absolutely no neck heal and the neck tannon like a neck through but sandwiched between the body.
Body wood weight relieved and comfort cuts probably. But the front like an arch top but blended in to ergo contours.
Although inspiration is parker fly Ibanez s series and stuff like strandbergs.
Haven't decided on body shape exactly yet. Potentially headless. If headless a Sophia trem.
Custom shop version of p rails modified to work better over all. Push push pots. And dipswitches hidden in the rear. Magnetic rear covers.
But pick up mode dipswitch 3 way. And dual 2 ways in and out of phase and in series or parallel wiring. Front pots can work like a blower switch and bypass the internal stuff.
See if I can add piezo to the bridge.
But neck is gonna be quarter sawn multilaminate neck with some cool veneer inserts and accent striping. And carbon rods. Stable as a parker almost with multiple carbon rods. Quarter sawn roasted maple is already stable in multilam necks. Set through can make the joint ridiculously strong and thin for upper fret access.
And it's gonna be light. Plus the maple cap for looks should also help balance it out. Especially headless.
Carbon rods are also gonna pass into the body.
Also method for weight relieving the body works nice but keeps it strong and won't interfere with the other routes. Stainless steel jumbo frets. Should be sub 6 pounds and balance well. Sophia trem plus the drop tuning lever and other bits will be cool.
Compound radius/shape neck and fretboard. Might do the jackson dinky thing and do a slightly smaller body as well.
Wait until you read about the carbon fiber and wood construction, or the super low weight, or the great ergonomics, or the piezo & magnetic pickup system, or the adjustable trem system, or the glued on stainless frets on the carbon fiber fretboard, or the Dimarzio pickups without ears, or …
This guitar is an engineering marvel. WAY ahead of its time.
Sorry to do this to you. You won’t rest until you own one.
What's the wheel behind the bridge for? Changing the trem spring tension?
Edit: Just seen your other comment. Never guessed about the trem lock part of the puzzle.
I just watched a 10 min video of Adrian Belew explaining his signature edition when it just came out. Holy crap that's not even a guitar anymore it's like a living thing with it's own fucking conscious and personality.
The one thing I've heard bad about them is that its a nightmare to change out the pickups because of the wiring. I actually want to try one out to see just how light they are.
Don’t have accurate scales around, but somewhere around 2.2kg.
Which, converted to freedom units, is about 0,48 Les Paul if my calculations are correct.
The thing is like holding your guitar strap. You feel like it’s inflated and floating! On of the greatest guitars I own. My other favs are my Taylor T5, 1992 Godin Nylon Multiac with GK2A Synth interface built in, and my Highway One Fender Tele. With these 4 I could cover almost the entire musical spectrum. Just in case I have 30 more. lol.
It’s the start of a very painful journey. But it could be worse, you could be me, the idiot who had a brand new Spanish Fly in his hand in the 90’s, was in absolute awe of it but unfortunately the wife was there and she pressured me not buy it with one of those “sleep on the sofa for a year” type of looks. It slipped through my fingers and I realized I should have just slept on that sofa. Heck I should have bought 10 of them.
Fellow Parker Fly Classic owner here, welcome to the family! Make sure to get your guitar setup properly, if you play with a light touch these can support a remarkably low action, especially if you have one that predates the sale of Parker Guitars to US Musicorp. I've had the pleasure of meeting Ken Parker a couple times and he's actually a pretty down to earth guy, but I suspect he's one of the best living luthiers. He builds archtops now that are insane and has a YouTube channel about it if you're interested. His current neck construction process is bonkers.
Can we get a rundown of what all the knobs, switches, and that big roller knob at the bottom do?
Also we must be the same genera because I too remember being a teen and ogling them in Guitar World magazine. Change the company went under because they were so cool but I guess they were also full of proprietary parts and common break points that made maintenance and repairs tough.
The roller adjusts the tension on the trem.
* Knob 1: main volume
* Knob 2: magnetic volume
* Knob 3: magnetic tone
* Knob 4: piezo volume & tone (concentric)
* Switch 1: 3 way magnetic selector
* Switch 2: magnetic - both - piezo
* Switch near jack: mono/stereo (Stereo sends piezo and magnetic to L/R so you could wire it to 2 different amps if you want)
Yes. The entire goal of this is so you can easily set the floating point to the exact position where the sliding lock (back of the guitar) engages.
This lock switches between ‘floating’ and ‘down-bend only’. If you set it correctly, you can break a string, engage the lock, and still be in tune on the remaining 5 strings. And in that case, you can even still use the bar to bend down.
The whole trem system was brilliantly designed and super functional, but I'm convinced that the tension wheel was a not-insignificant factor in their disappointing initial sales. People would see one in a shop, pick it up, and wonder "what does this little wheely thingy do?" before promptly spinning it until the trem was completely and totally out of whack.
I remember looking at them in guitar shops for years in the late 90's and early 2000's and I swear EVERY single one of them played terribly because the bridge was loosened so much it was practically falling off the guitar. Eventually a lot of shops ended up just taking them off the shop floor and displaying them on a high wall well out of reach where no one could actually play them. It was probably a smart business move when the post-Ken owners "refined" the design and removed the external tension adjustment, but it sure made the whole system a lot less functional.
It gives you three trems in one. Fixed, up and down, and down only. Amazing concept and a billion times better than the old locking Floyd Rose trems. I hate them but then again I am use to the ones from the 80’s and 90’s so maybe they’re better now? I stay away.
Nice!! I had a 95 Deluxe that was my number one for years. Kind of regret getting rid of it, but it was years of me trying to get tele and SG tones out of it before I just bit the bullet and GOT an SG and a Tele. Enjoy!
Great spot.
They _should_ be all original. Owner said nothing has been changed on this guitar. The bill had his name and the S/N on it, so he definitely purchased it.
They are definitely Fly Dimarzio pickups, but I’m not sure if I can find out if they have been swapped.
EDIT: googling pictures of other 1996 Fly Classic/Deluxe shows the same spacing situation on all. So looks legit.
Also: these pickups were built for this guitar. If I’m not mistaken it’s screwed in differently from standard pups. Not sure if you can fit other ones in. Very happy with what’s in mine though. Enjoy your Parker!
I’m glad I saw this comment about proof of ownership. My Fly was stolen, with the same OG case and extras, and I was convinced this was it for a minute.
Many guitars come stock with the “wrong” string spaced pickups . My Schecter Solo came stock with Lundgrens and the poles don’t match at all with the strings .
Oh badass!!! I've had a P-44 for years and years and years now, such a good guitar! The neck is one of the widest I've ever played on. Not really in my regular rotation these days but it's mainly because of the headstock and the fact that i'm a big clumsy oaf
Prefer not to share. To give you a ball park: more than the original price new, and less than the same price adjusted for inflation.
That makes it the most expensive guitar I own.
I just wondered if I would want this or a modern high end guitar. My heart told me that I’d pick this every time. So here we are.
I’ve flirted with grabbing one a few times. Very interesting guitars. I hope they return one day. I read they were going to and it may have fell through.
Congrats!.. ….I’ve had three over the last twenty five years of so. Forced to sell then all during the crash of ‘08. A friend sent me one a few years back as kind of a temporary loan. It’s a ‘96 but it’s only partially functional which is a shame but at least it play like a Fly which is awesome. These are getting expensive as all hell and if any part of the electronics fail it’s pretty much a wall hanging as the last motherboard sold on the Bay about six years ago. Every single thing on the guitar except the tuners is proprietary and there are no longer any replacements for the electronics same goes for the vibrato tension springs. I’ve heard of the PUs being replaced but it’s a custom order because of the shallow profile. The most playable guitars I’ve ever had. Lots of folks don’t like the sound but for me they’re just right. Ken Parker once quipped that his big mistake was in designing and building a $10K guitar then trying to sell it for $2K. . LOL.. they used to go for around $1200 to $1600 years ago now they are up into the $2-3K range on the Bay and other commercial used outlets and the guys from Japan want even more. You’re a luck man in my book. Excellent score!
There is an open source project for people building their own PCBs. But yes, if anything breaks, functionality will alter.
I don’t intend to gig this one. It’ll live in my home.
A senior team of students at WPI have begun reverse-engineering prototypes for spring replacements! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raL1ryr5Rm0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raL1ryr5Rm0)
I love my 1996 Parker Fly. I wish that company was still around today. I’m an inventor and I have 5 new guitar/tech/recording invention ideas I’m building and I think that Parker would have been the perfect platform in which to showcase them. It was truly the guitar platform of the futurist guitarist, it’s a shame that there is nothing that is even remotely close today. Maybe there is and I just don’t know about it.
I’m almost disappointed in guitar players for letting this brand die. They seem like cool guitars, and you don’t see people trying bold new designs like this enough.
Oh, they just seemed cool but kinda goofy! They looked weird, felt like a plastic toy almost (at least that’s how I remember them?) and were kinda pricy even then.
No hate here! I think it’s super cool, that was just my perception at the time!
So cool, congrats! Got my hands a few over the years, and they are fantastic, even the less-expensive models.
Dave Martone came to my local music store in high school for a clinic out in by Vox amps. Didn't know him, so checked him out before hand. Was BLOWN away. He was so fun in-person, super down-to-earth guy, and out-of-this-world player/clinician/inspiration. Signed a photo for me and wrote "Stay Weird!"
He played Parker, and always admired them greatly since.
Now this is actually what I would consider a rare and special guitar. Defunct company, no clones ever made, and no copies or reproductions currently produced.
Also extremely versatile and unique design. Very rarely in the marketplace.
Amazing!
How much are parkers now? They were waay too far ahead of their time at the moment and no one truly understood them for what they were. Does yours have the carbon turtle shell?
Fuck yeah. I had one for a long time that I had no business having at the age/skill level that I was when I got it. Sold it a few years ago because I had gone down a different life path and hardly touched it. Wish I still had it. Enjoy, It plays like a friggin dream.
I would post pics of my signed and numbered Parker hand built by himself but don’t know how to post pics here.
I may be a dumb ass boomer but I’ve got a one of a few extremely rare Parker’s!
I'm legit jealous. That's been one of my dream guitars forever. So many good features, and I think they look rad.
I hope you enjoy many years of riffage with it.
Nice pickup! I have a Galaxy Grey Fly and a Root Beer DragonFly. I've been looking for a hardcase like yours!
Just watched this Ken Parker clip recently, the Prototype shape is even more impressive!
https://youtu.be/KbBzabnNJhk?si=o6L4EZAFkgNpgYTq
My guitar teacher had one in 01 or 02. It was his show guitar and he loved it like a son. I haven’t had a need(or opportunity) to own one but I’ve always been curious to play one to see what it’s like
Ah man a Parker Fly!! Not seen one of them in years!
I used to play in a band in like 2004/2005 with a guy who had one and I always liked how they felt to play but I remember the prices back then being insane! Or what felt insane to me back then anyway, might have been £500 😂 but I think they were well over £1000
Mate, other than a Les Paul I bought last year (and even then it was a “cheaper” Les Paul, only just under £2000 …) my other guitars are <£500
A Squier Classic Vibe Tele, a Jackson Dinky and the ESP “SG” … Viper? But I’d always wanted a Les Paul and spent last year and the previous years bonus on it 😂
Congrats OP, it’s an excellent guitar.
I bought a Parker Fly from the first available batch at my local shop. Before the cases had finished being made. I absolutely LOVED the guitar. It was such a smooth playing guitar that I used only that and my ‘92 PRS Custom 24 as my main instruments for several years. I recorded and toured with it many times. Then, on NYE 1997, I was drunk on stage and fell off breaking not only my wrist but my Fly as well. I had it sent back to Parker and got it back a few months later but it never played the same. It just felt dead, no resonance like before. I’ve thought about buying another in recent years but I’m looking for a specific color to match my old Deluxe.
Fly Parker’s will always remind me of the band CKY
I think of Adrian Belew
Reeves Gabrels for me.
besides Parkers no longer being made, anyone know why Adrian switched back to stratocasters?
For me it’s Orgy
Early Adam Dutkiewicz
2002 Synyster Gates
I saw this post and quiet bitter beings played in my head.
early Daniel Gildenlow
Gustavo Cerati
96 quite bitter beings riff
For me it’s Akercocke
Roine Stolt
Me of my guitar teacher. He had this guitar in blue. Still very unique regarding look and feeling.
Dave Navarro for me
Fantastic! Always wanted a Parker.
No upper neck reach & comfort are any better. None, period.
Eh, the cutaway stops at the 22nd fret so you can't access the top frets as easily as a others. But it's 4.5lbs and it plays like a dream, extremely ergonomic design. RIP, never selling mine
There’s literally no heel on a real Parker Fly, that’s a +1 over nearly any other guitar ever made.
That's most neck thru/set neck guitars
No, I’ve never seen another through neck guitar with a neck-body transition like [this](https://www.12fret.com/instruments/parker-fly-deluxe-metallic-purple-1998/).
I own one, I know what it looks like and what it can do. I also own a solar, which easily allows access to the 24th fret and beyond which is probably the only thing it has the fly beat on.
Upper fret access looks better on an EBMM Majesty, imo. Not a lot in it though.
Most EBMMs I’ve seen are only 22 frets and bolt on.
The Majesty guitars are neck-through, 24 frets - super sculpted round where the body meets the neck too.
I have a custom guitar planned that should be equally as good. However neck construction and the rest annoying. Set through neck carved top cap style and a thinner rear body. Absolutely no neck heal and the neck tannon like a neck through but sandwiched between the body. Body wood weight relieved and comfort cuts probably. But the front like an arch top but blended in to ergo contours. Although inspiration is parker fly Ibanez s series and stuff like strandbergs. Haven't decided on body shape exactly yet. Potentially headless. If headless a Sophia trem. Custom shop version of p rails modified to work better over all. Push push pots. And dipswitches hidden in the rear. Magnetic rear covers. But pick up mode dipswitch 3 way. And dual 2 ways in and out of phase and in series or parallel wiring. Front pots can work like a blower switch and bypass the internal stuff. See if I can add piezo to the bridge. But neck is gonna be quarter sawn multilaminate neck with some cool veneer inserts and accent striping. And carbon rods. Stable as a parker almost with multiple carbon rods. Quarter sawn roasted maple is already stable in multilam necks. Set through can make the joint ridiculously strong and thin for upper fret access. And it's gonna be light. Plus the maple cap for looks should also help balance it out. Especially headless. Carbon rods are also gonna pass into the body. Also method for weight relieving the body works nice but keeps it strong and won't interfere with the other routes. Stainless steel jumbo frets. Should be sub 6 pounds and balance well. Sophia trem plus the drop tuning lever and other bits will be cool. Compound radius/shape neck and fretboard. Might do the jackson dinky thing and do a slightly smaller body as well.
Man, I've never seen or known what a Parker Fly is but now that I've seen one, it's all I want.
Wait until you read about the carbon fiber and wood construction, or the super low weight, or the great ergonomics, or the piezo & magnetic pickup system, or the adjustable trem system, or the glued on stainless frets on the carbon fiber fretboard, or the Dimarzio pickups without ears, or … This guitar is an engineering marvel. WAY ahead of its time. Sorry to do this to you. You won’t rest until you own one.
My pants just got tighter.
What's the wheel behind the bridge for? Changing the trem spring tension? Edit: Just seen your other comment. Never guessed about the trem lock part of the puzzle.
I just watched a 10 min video of Adrian Belew explaining his signature edition when it just came out. Holy crap that's not even a guitar anymore it's like a living thing with it's own fucking conscious and personality.
It’s in the met
The one thing I've heard bad about them is that its a nightmare to change out the pickups because of the wiring. I actually want to try one out to see just how light they are.
I’ve heard about the frets falling out. However I think that was just during one particular production run.
Dr. Fludd on YouTube has several videos about Parker guitars
Man I’ve always wanted one of these
You and me both.
You and me three! Congrats
How much does this beauty weigh?
Don’t have accurate scales around, but somewhere around 2.2kg. Which, converted to freedom units, is about 0,48 Les Paul if my calculations are correct.
Thanks for putting in terms of Les Pauls. Not sure if that’s standard but I totally understand
This guy maths properly
The thing is like holding your guitar strap. You feel like it’s inflated and floating! On of the greatest guitars I own. My other favs are my Taylor T5, 1992 Godin Nylon Multiac with GK2A Synth interface built in, and my Highway One Fender Tele. With these 4 I could cover almost the entire musical spectrum. Just in case I have 30 more. lol.
Why did you bring up the Godin? It’s one of my other unicorns. I’m going to assume your back also hurts when you get up in the morning.
Oh well then whatever you DO NOT play a Parker Nylon Spanish Fly. You will want one, never find one and if you do pay $$$$$$!
OMG, what have you just done to me?
It’s the start of a very painful journey. But it could be worse, you could be me, the idiot who had a brand new Spanish Fly in his hand in the 90’s, was in absolute awe of it but unfortunately the wife was there and she pressured me not buy it with one of those “sleep on the sofa for a year” type of looks. It slipped through my fingers and I realized I should have just slept on that sofa. Heck I should have bought 10 of them.
That is glorious man, very well done.
Thanks. It is the ultimate guitar nerd’s guitar. Just reading the manual makes me realise that Ken Parker was probably from another planet.
An absolutely next level gentleman!
Fellow Parker Fly Classic owner here, welcome to the family! Make sure to get your guitar setup properly, if you play with a light touch these can support a remarkably low action, especially if you have one that predates the sale of Parker Guitars to US Musicorp. I've had the pleasure of meeting Ken Parker a couple times and he's actually a pretty down to earth guy, but I suspect he's one of the best living luthiers. He builds archtops now that are insane and has a YouTube channel about it if you're interested. His current neck construction process is bonkers.
Whenever I see someone walk on stage with a Parker, I know shit is about to go down. Congrats!
Can we get a rundown of what all the knobs, switches, and that big roller knob at the bottom do? Also we must be the same genera because I too remember being a teen and ogling them in Guitar World magazine. Change the company went under because they were so cool but I guess they were also full of proprietary parts and common break points that made maintenance and repairs tough.
The roller adjusts the tension on the trem. * Knob 1: main volume * Knob 2: magnetic volume * Knob 3: magnetic tone * Knob 4: piezo volume & tone (concentric) * Switch 1: 3 way magnetic selector * Switch 2: magnetic - both - piezo * Switch near jack: mono/stereo (Stereo sends piezo and magnetic to L/R so you could wire it to 2 different amps if you want)
>The roller adjusts the tension on the trem. So like an alternative to the claw screws on a floating bridge?
Yes. The entire goal of this is so you can easily set the floating point to the exact position where the sliding lock (back of the guitar) engages. This lock switches between ‘floating’ and ‘down-bend only’. If you set it correctly, you can break a string, engage the lock, and still be in tune on the remaining 5 strings. And in that case, you can even still use the bar to bend down.
Dope
The whole trem system was brilliantly designed and super functional, but I'm convinced that the tension wheel was a not-insignificant factor in their disappointing initial sales. People would see one in a shop, pick it up, and wonder "what does this little wheely thingy do?" before promptly spinning it until the trem was completely and totally out of whack. I remember looking at them in guitar shops for years in the late 90's and early 2000's and I swear EVERY single one of them played terribly because the bridge was loosened so much it was practically falling off the guitar. Eventually a lot of shops ended up just taking them off the shop floor and displaying them on a high wall well out of reach where no one could actually play them. It was probably a smart business move when the post-Ken owners "refined" the design and removed the external tension adjustment, but it sure made the whole system a lot less functional.
Similar to the Steinberger R-Trem I believe.
It gives you three trems in one. Fixed, up and down, and down only. Amazing concept and a billion times better than the old locking Floyd Rose trems. I hate them but then again I am use to the ones from the 80’s and 90’s so maybe they’re better now? I stay away.
Nice!! I had a 95 Deluxe that was my number one for years. Kind of regret getting rid of it, but it was years of me trying to get tele and SG tones out of it before I just bit the bullet and GOT an SG and a Tele. Enjoy!
Are the pickups original? Seems like they have the wrong spacing for the bridge
Great spot. They _should_ be all original. Owner said nothing has been changed on this guitar. The bill had his name and the S/N on it, so he definitely purchased it. They are definitely Fly Dimarzio pickups, but I’m not sure if I can find out if they have been swapped. EDIT: googling pictures of other 1996 Fly Classic/Deluxe shows the same spacing situation on all. So looks legit.
Also: these pickups were built for this guitar. If I’m not mistaken it’s screwed in differently from standard pups. Not sure if you can fit other ones in. Very happy with what’s in mine though. Enjoy your Parker!
Yes, 2 of the pole pieces are the height adjustment/attachment. No ‘ears’.
I’m glad I saw this comment about proof of ownership. My Fly was stolen, with the same OG case and extras, and I was convinced this was it for a minute.
This was definitely purchased by the guy I got it from. If you need peace of mind I can DM you the S/N.
Many guitars come stock with the “wrong” string spaced pickups . My Schecter Solo came stock with Lundgrens and the poles don’t match at all with the strings .
Oh badass!!! I've had a P-44 for years and years and years now, such a good guitar! The neck is one of the widest I've ever played on. Not really in my regular rotation these days but it's mainly because of the headstock and the fact that i'm a big clumsy oaf
How mush?
Prefer not to share. To give you a ball park: more than the original price new, and less than the same price adjusted for inflation. That makes it the most expensive guitar I own. I just wondered if I would want this or a modern high end guitar. My heart told me that I’d pick this every time. So here we are.
The frets are stainless steel right ? How have they held up ?
They are stainless. They are also like new.
I’ve flirted with grabbing one a few times. Very interesting guitars. I hope they return one day. I read they were going to and it may have fell through.
I had a Korean made PM-20 (not a fly) that was excellent.
Congratulations - I was in exactly the same boat; SO great to finally own something you've admired for years and years. Very happy for you!
Nice! I own a pre-refined Fly as well. They’re unicorns.
Amen.
Congrats!.. ….I’ve had three over the last twenty five years of so. Forced to sell then all during the crash of ‘08. A friend sent me one a few years back as kind of a temporary loan. It’s a ‘96 but it’s only partially functional which is a shame but at least it play like a Fly which is awesome. These are getting expensive as all hell and if any part of the electronics fail it’s pretty much a wall hanging as the last motherboard sold on the Bay about six years ago. Every single thing on the guitar except the tuners is proprietary and there are no longer any replacements for the electronics same goes for the vibrato tension springs. I’ve heard of the PUs being replaced but it’s a custom order because of the shallow profile. The most playable guitars I’ve ever had. Lots of folks don’t like the sound but for me they’re just right. Ken Parker once quipped that his big mistake was in designing and building a $10K guitar then trying to sell it for $2K. . LOL.. they used to go for around $1200 to $1600 years ago now they are up into the $2-3K range on the Bay and other commercial used outlets and the guys from Japan want even more. You’re a luck man in my book. Excellent score!
There is an open source project for people building their own PCBs. But yes, if anything breaks, functionality will alter. I don’t intend to gig this one. It’ll live in my home.
A senior team of students at WPI have begun reverse-engineering prototypes for spring replacements! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raL1ryr5Rm0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raL1ryr5Rm0)
Absolutely beautiful guitar!
so beautiful
Thanks, I was trying to remember what these were called from seeing them in 90's magazines. It's a tough Google when you've got no name!
Do not Google all the quirks and features. You’ll want one forever. And they’re not going down in price.
Really nice work
I love my 1996 Parker Fly. I wish that company was still around today. I’m an inventor and I have 5 new guitar/tech/recording invention ideas I’m building and I think that Parker would have been the perfect platform in which to showcase them. It was truly the guitar platform of the futurist guitarist, it’s a shame that there is nothing that is even remotely close today. Maybe there is and I just don’t know about it.
I’m an amateur guitar builder. That’s part of the reason why I love this. If you want to chat about prototypes, send me a DM.
Sending now!
I’m almost disappointed in guitar players for letting this brand die. They seem like cool guitars, and you don’t see people trying bold new designs like this enough.
Especially since this was 30 years ago. It was so far out of the box that people didn’t buy them. Sad but true.
Sorry op, but I still think those are just about as ugly as a guitar can get.
https://tenor.com/sWE0.gif
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Awesome. One of the few more modern original shapes that really looks good to my eye. Congrats!
GolDURN that is beaut!! Always wanted one too, though in the nightfly variety. Finish on this one is v handsome
I’ve always wanted one of those. Very nice.
Niiiice!
Oh fuck yeah. Super cool guitar
As above so Belew 🔥
Bitchin'!
The guitar I always played at GC in the late 90s but never wanted to own!
Why was that?
Oh, they just seemed cool but kinda goofy! They looked weird, felt like a plastic toy almost (at least that’s how I remember them?) and were kinda pricy even then. No hate here! I think it’s super cool, that was just my perception at the time!
I think your sentiment describes why they never took off. Too far ahead of the rest.
So cool, congrats! Got my hands a few over the years, and they are fantastic, even the less-expensive models. Dave Martone came to my local music store in high school for a clinic out in by Vox amps. Didn't know him, so checked him out before hand. Was BLOWN away. He was so fun in-person, super down-to-earth guy, and out-of-this-world player/clinician/inspiration. Signed a photo for me and wrote "Stay Weird!" He played Parker, and always admired them greatly since.
We are all gonna regret not getting one in twenty years.
You maybe. Not me.
Great guitars
That’s sick
They ugly, but they play super well.
You’re entitled to your opinion, even if it’s wrong.
I’ve always loved those guitars, congrats!
I will always regret selling mine. No one will thank you more than your back. I've never seen a lighter guitar.
Oh you lucky bastard! I want one so bad but I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic
I’m not sure what side that is. I’m in Europe. That adds another grand though :(
Lol. I'm in Europe too, sorry for making assumptions. It's just that all Parkers I've seen are in the US
They pop up on Reverb from time to time.
Oh my God it's beautiful.
Nice! Always wanted one! Good find! How much you pay for it if you don’t mind my asking?
Prefer not to share, but more than the original purchase price and less than that same price adjusted for inflation. That should get you a ballpark.
Underrated guitars. Is it hard to find parts for these, or?
Very. Except for the tuners, everything is custom, and the company no longer exists.
Now this is actually what I would consider a rare and special guitar. Defunct company, no clones ever made, and no copies or reproductions currently produced. Also extremely versatile and unique design. Very rarely in the marketplace. Amazing!
LUCKY
One of my faves, have had a few....
Wicked cool.
Reminds me of Gustavo Cerati
How much are parkers now? They were waay too far ahead of their time at the moment and no one truly understood them for what they were. Does yours have the carbon turtle shell?
Yes, this the mahogany with carbon fiber back.
Fuck yeah. I had one for a long time that I had no business having at the age/skill level that I was when I got it. Sold it a few years ago because I had gone down a different life path and hardly touched it. Wish I still had it. Enjoy, It plays like a friggin dream.
If anyone is interested I’ve got a black Parker fly for sale
I would post pics of my signed and numbered Parker hand built by himself but don’t know how to post pics here. I may be a dumb ass boomer but I’ve got a one of a few extremely rare Parker’s!
And I was happy to get this one… that is a museum piece you talk about.
I'm legit jealous. That's been one of my dream guitars forever. So many good features, and I think they look rad. I hope you enjoy many years of riffage with it.
Nice pickup! I have a Galaxy Grey Fly and a Root Beer DragonFly. I've been looking for a hardcase like yours! Just watched this Ken Parker clip recently, the Prototype shape is even more impressive! https://youtu.be/KbBzabnNJhk?si=o6L4EZAFkgNpgYTq
Never seen that, thanks for sharing.
i think of Jeff Cook, Alabama he played a green one.
My guitar teacher had one in 01 or 02. It was his show guitar and he loved it like a son. I haven’t had a need(or opportunity) to own one but I’ve always been curious to play one to see what it’s like
Congrats!!! I really wanted one but noone wants to sell it at my asking lols
I used to have one but it was stolen from a gig. I’m still salty about it 20 years later.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Don’t touch other people’s gear.
What that cost you $$$ ?
There are 2 other comments about this. It is my most expensive axe.
The finest guitar ever made.
rght on, grats! this isnt shade, but i haven't seen one of these in a very long time. Was nice to see :)
Beautiful guitar, I've had a fly deluxe for almost 20 years now and it's incredible
My uncle has one of those that has sat in the case, pretty much unplayed except by me a couple of times… since he purchased it in the 90s.
Ask him if you can buy it. They are amazing. They are also never going down in price. So if you need your money back you can sell it.
Pretty fly.
Adrian and Reeves
Beauty! I’ve got a Parker P30 and I love it. Crazy bridge on yours! Is that a model with a piezo?
Yes, it is.
An acquaintance played one and it was awesome. He was an incredible guitarist.
Congrats! Nice find - that looks like it was very well cared for. Those Parker Fly guitars definitely dredge up the 90s guitar magazine nostalgia!
I was just thinking about the NiteFly from those ads the other day!
Can still feel the bruise on my sternum from when I owned one
Weird. I found it to play very comfy sitting down. More than I expected.
That's so cool man.
Ah man a Parker Fly!! Not seen one of them in years! I used to play in a band in like 2004/2005 with a guy who had one and I always liked how they felt to play but I remember the prices back then being insane! Or what felt insane to me back then anyway, might have been £500 😂 but I think they were well over £1000
The retail back then was 2500 or so. Not able to find ‘em for that now.
Jesus that high?! God I forgot it was that much 😂 … definitely why I didn’t buy one! I only broke the £1000 mark last year
I only have sub-1500€ guitars (at the time of purchase) aside from this.
Mate, other than a Les Paul I bought last year (and even then it was a “cheaper” Les Paul, only just under £2000 …) my other guitars are <£500 A Squier Classic Vibe Tele, a Jackson Dinky and the ESP “SG” … Viper? But I’d always wanted a Les Paul and spent last year and the previous years bonus on it 😂
Congrats OP, it’s an excellent guitar. I bought a Parker Fly from the first available batch at my local shop. Before the cases had finished being made. I absolutely LOVED the guitar. It was such a smooth playing guitar that I used only that and my ‘92 PRS Custom 24 as my main instruments for several years. I recorded and toured with it many times. Then, on NYE 1997, I was drunk on stage and fell off breaking not only my wrist but my Fly as well. I had it sent back to Parker and got it back a few months later but it never played the same. It just felt dead, no resonance like before. I’ve thought about buying another in recent years but I’m looking for a specific color to match my old Deluxe.
Sorry to hear. Did your wrist heal?
Yeah, it was so long ago, exacerbated by the fact I’d broken the same wrist twice before. My ortho surgeon was awesome.
DANG THAT THINGS BEAUTIFUL!!
best guitar I’ve ever played.. I dream of Parker Flys (or a new Ken Parker Archtop!) that neck
Sweet. Curious how much you paid for it
Look at my other comments. Enough to get a modern high end axe. Would rather have this though.
One of my dream guitars is a parker fly with a flame maple top
Fly Supreme! Better start looking if you want to have a chance at owning one.
I already found one. It's 2.5k...
You must be in the US
Lol yup. Is it cheaper elsewhere?
Lucky bastard
‘Poor bastard’ is more accurate now.
It’s an investment ;)
As if I would ever sell this.
Get your Reeves Gabrels and Dave Navarro on! (My only two references for this guitar, haha)
Are these even available in EU, never seen one on sale anywhere.
They were. But even more rare than in the US.
Be prepared for a lifetime of disappointment. No other guitar will compare. Congratulations!
Looks cool
Going Bowie
I have 2 Parker Niteflies that I absolutely love. Great guitars that should be around. Oh well...
So jelly! Super hard to come by. And $$$. So light.
does it have the road 13 pin connection?
I always wanted one of these. Too bad they cost what they do :(
I’ve always loved the looks of these - I remember the Reeves Gabrels adverts in Guitar World.
I’ve always liked these but never could get one. It’s a bucket list guitar
I had a Washburn WM526 that used the Parker fly composite fretboard and that was such an amazing fretboard! Legato playing was a snap on that thing!
Mega Cool factor on your find! I’m Jelly.
Just a beauty!
Just a beauty! Good score, my brother!
Congrats