Parker on the bench

The original Parkers were very thin guitars. This thing is the same thickness as a Les Paul. As I stated in my first post - this is Parker shaped...
 
How does it compare to other Les Paul-thickness guitars? I am sure it sounds nothing like a US Parker.
 
Keep in mind, I've never had a real Parker Fly on the bench to judge the tone. On video they sound thin to me. This one sounds okay through the Marshall, but the pickups have a clean tone. Cranked to 10 on the preamp it doesn't roar, but it exhibits a polite crunch. I'm going to say it sounds like a Les Paul Recording without all the variations in tone controls. It does have a coil split when the tone knob is pulled up - that single coil hum comes out. The piezo pickup sounds like a lipstick pickup without the hum. Very bright with a lot of chime. I think Robert will dig it for live work at his theater gigs. You might like it, Dave.
 
My Parker sounds pretty full. It is HSS so I use it for every style across the board including metal. I would put the tone in the standard superstrat catagory. The piezo is "good" but it doesn't have the fullness and top end bloom that the newer Fishman pickups have. They are much more realistic.
 
ICTGoober said:
Keep in mind, I've never had a real Parker Fly on the bench to judge the tone. On video they sound thin to me. This one sounds okay through the Marshall, but the pickups have a clean tone. Cranked to 10 on the preamp it doesn't roar, but it exhibits a polite crunch. I'm going to say it sounds like a Les Paul Recording without all the variations in tone controls. It does have a coil split when the tone knob is pulled up - that single coil hum comes out. The piezo pickup sounds like a lipstick pickup without the hum. Very bright with a lot of chime. I think Robert will dig it for live work at his theater gigs. You might like it, Dave.
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I guess they tried to throw at least some of the technology into it without the very-expensive-to-produce stuff like the thin body and trem system. I'll have to see if I get a chance to try one out around here sometime.
 
I've got a nitefly and it's about as good a guitar as possible... All the "great parker stuff" but the body is maple so it's up there in the LP weight range and can sustain forever in correct configuration. So a similar look but rather different than your example.

Lots of mods to make it a one stop performance guitar.. JB, cruiser and cool rail with spin a split and parallel to self covers literally everything.

And I get the idea that piezos aren't optimal, but it's more than good enough to cover acoustic in a band mix.. the key is a second signal path that optimizes acoustic timbers.

They're getting up there in cost on Reverb, but remain one of the best platforms out there!

Thanks for a good thread.
 
Yeah, the costs are pretty insane these days, and if you have $4k to spend, there is a lot of competition out there.
 
Mincer said:
Interesting hybrid there. I'd think most Tele fans (and most Parker fans) would hate it.
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That was actually the first Parker I ever played, and it was really nice. I remember not pulling the trigger on the guitar because the guy that owned the shop was a major asshole.
 
Securb said:
That was actually the first Parker I ever played, and it was really nice. I remember not pulling the trigger on the guitar because the guy that owned the shop was a major *******.
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Reason enough not to buy anything, even if you really want it.
 
The guy had a decent-sized shop on the NH/VT border in Keene, NH. It is a college town. The front window had every Silverface you could imagine, every model, from a Champ, Deluxe, Twin to a Super Six. Being a Silvrface fan, I was digging it. The store was stocked nicely, but there was also a row of guitars out of reach high above and behind the counter. I was very interested in the Siloverface Champ, and when I asked about it, the guy told me the amps in the window were his private collection and were not for sale.After 10 minutes or so of browsing, an Ovation Breadwinner caught my eye, and guess what? The guitars behind the counter were part of his private collection and were not for sale. He then had to quiz me and school me on the guitar I was looking at and was driving home the point of how rare it was and how I would never find one in that condition. And the fact that he would never sell it to me. Keep in mind that I had a mint, even rarer, 12 string version at home and was looking at the 6 as a companion piece. I kept my money in my pocket and left the Parker there. All the times I visited my daughter in school over the next 4 years, I never walked into his store again.
 
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Securb said:
The guy had a decent-sized shop on the NH/VT border in Keene, NH. It is a college town. The front window had every Silverface you could imagine, every model, from a Champ, Deluxe, Twin to a Super Six. Being a Silvrface fan, I was digging it. The store was stocked nicely, but there was also a row of guitars out of reach high above and behind the counter. I was very interested in the Siloverface Champ, and when I asked about it, the guy told me the amps in the window were his private collection and were not for sale.After 10 minutes or so of browsing, an Ovation Breadwinner caught my eye, and guess what? The guitars behind the counter were part of his private collection and were not for sale. He then had to quiz me and school me on the guitar I was looking at and was driving home the point of how rare it was and how I would never find one in that condition. And the fact that he would never sell it to me. Keep in mind that I had a mint, even rarer, 12 string version at home and was looking at the 6 as a companion piece. I kept my money in my pocket and left the Parker there. All the times I visited my daughter in school over the next 4 years, I never walked into his store again.
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Hmmm, what could possibly be the reason? :sigh:
 
I had a couple original USA Fly models and loved them. Only sold them because I was in college and had bills to pay.

The original Fly models were really neat. Ultra-light, super comfortable, and sounded great! Only thing that bothered me was how many knobs they had and some of the finishes didn't hold up well (I had one completely refinished under warranty when giant patches of paint started lifting from the body).

The only one I REALLY regret selling was a silver and black speckled "stealth" model, which are very hard to find now. The next closest was an original blue hardtail that was probably the most resonant guitar I've ever played in my life!

Surprisingly, the one I ended up keeping the longest and customizing to my liking was an original red and black Nitefly with the Ash body. The neck was a bit thicker and rounder than the standard Fly, which wasn't my favorite aspect about the guitar, but it was a seriously great player and cost a lot less at the time, so I didn't feel as guilty holding onto it.

The P-series imports were merely "ok" in comparison. They were very different than the USA models and not made nearly as well. Most Squiers today are better guitars, LOL! I had 2 purchased new that developed neck issues, which seemed to be common with those early models. Some of the later versions received better remarks from players, but the P-series were so far removed from the original "Parker" designs, they weren't really Parkers at all, except in name.
 
I have to do some research to learn again what the different Fly models were. I knew that at one time.
 
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