NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

[Kosh Naranek]

I'm very tardy posting this, but it was a while until I got around to taking presentable photos.
My Black Friday 2018 score.
When was the last time you saw one of these?
There was one for sale at a local shop in 2010 but someone else bought it before I could get over there. I went to a Black Friday sale intending to maybe get a pedal and came home with this. The store cut me a nice deal too.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

Another photo

 

[Mincer]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

A local luthier worked at Parker for many years, and he probably built that! There weren't many made. Congrats!

 

[donaldr]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

Wow, that is something special for sure!

 

[jeremy]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

very cool. always loved how innovative parkers were while still feeling and sounding like a bass or guitar. lots of knobs there...

 

[Demanic]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

Never seen one of those before.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

Innovative while still feeling and sounding like a bass is a good way to put it. Parker seems to have pushed the boundaries, but rather than come up with something many musicians can't really connect with, they came up with an idealized version of a bass, in some ways.
The neck is wide and very flat. I noticed this on Parker guitars in the 1990s too. The later import models had deeper neck profiles. The action is low.
The sound is different from my other basses. This one is bright and ringy. It's ideal for funk, fusion and other styles where a bright, clear, hi fi bass tone is called for.
The pickups are Dimarzio Ultra Jazz which are passive. But they go through a Fishman preamp that has active bass and treble controls. The bass is brighter with the tone controls all the way down than my Jackson Concert EX which also has an Ultra Jazz bridge pickup.
It has rich deep low end too.
And it has piezo pickups in the bridge. That's what accounts for all the knobs. There are tone controls and a blend control for the piezo pickup.
I've typically just used the magnetic pickups.

 

[jeremy]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

gotcha, the piezo explains the extra knobs. not surprised its bright, most parkers tend to be but not in a bad way

 

[JOLLY]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

I think the only person that I've seen play one of those is Tom Hamilton.

 

[jeremy]

Re: NBD - rare, cool... maybe a little odd

seen some local guys but dunno if ive ever seen a big name play one. tom has always had nice toys