Ken Parker is an absolute genius. Met him in Belgium during a guitar makers conference. Never met a kinder and more open and helpful guitar maker. He kept no secrets, everything was explained.

Of course, everyone has their preferences, tastes, but for me, the Parker Fly looks are fantastic! I LOVE the headstock and horn.

What amazes me about guitarists is that for creative people, they are incredibly closed minded about new designs and are, for the most part, stuck in the past. I love my Fly Deluxe, it is the best playing guitar I’ve ever owned. I also have a Flaxwood guitar, another very innovative design and it’s awesome too.

EXCELLENT review and assessment! Thank you for taking the time to record and post this.

Parker Fly goes down as one of the greatest guitars of all all. Absolute bucket list instrument. Crying shame that Parker didn't get the kudos at the time but great to see there is a real renaissance now.

You can never change someone's opinion on beauty, it's a real first impression thing in most cases. I am actually surprised how many people think it is ugly, and perhaps that had a major role in it's ultimate failure. I personally really like the style and always have. Thanks for all the information on this piece of guitar history, now I know it's more than just a pretty face. (subjectively, of course 😄)

Wonderful demo and information! It's all science!!! You are so loved for this video!

I just purchased my first Parker guitar, a Fly Classic, due in some part because of your videos. I’m loving it and having a great time with it. Thank you.

Awesome- I learned so much. Thank you!

This is a guitar I can never get tired of based by looks, its just so nice!

Always wanted a Fly Mojo. The Seymour Duncan pickups and mahogany body were the real charm here. I've played one only once. I've played many Flys through the years, but that Mojo is the one for me. At least the model is. The odd thing is these can be made for $3000 these days. The hardware and electronics cover about $1000 with the piezo. The graphite back covers quite a bit less these days, plus Parker made this a final step which complicated the layup process. Call it another $500 with a thermal cure, and another $600 with an air cure. A knowledge of building surfboards comes in handy here. Then there's the CNC milling to sculpt the body. I cringe when I see luthiers using these things because they often use cast-off mills with little to no onboard memory. I'll grant you a good Makino for the job will cost north of $500k, but it can run at 400 inches a minute with a .0002 accuracy. The software is better these days for this sort of thing as well. The mill will cost more than anyone can comfortably pay once everything is settled. Bear in mind programmers for these things are pulling in $84-$280 an hour, and this precision instrument has next to no datums to fixture against. All that said, a Fly could be milled in two operations with a handful of cutters. I estimate 5 minutes of cycle time compared to the 20 minutes Parker was forced to endure. 20-15 guitars an hour instead of 3 or 4 an hour could make up for a lot of other expenses. After that it's assembly and finish.

I bought mine (which looks exactly like this video’s thumbnail) back in 2000 when I got a windfall bonus and decided to spend half on the best production guitar I could find. I played about 50-75 guitars over a several month period and after a close contest between the Fly and a lovely green sunburst PRS solid body I picked the Fly. The lightness and the piezo pickup were a nice bonus but I just loved the way the Fly felt when I played it. Your description of “naked yet fully protected” is a great one. Nice video as usual Andre.

Parker Fly’s are NOT ugly. I’ve always wanted one!

As someone pretty foreign to this world, this was absolutely fantastic to go through and learn. I have seen these different varieties in various settings without knowing the subtle differences you explained and it was refreshing to understand it all. Also, the pricing model of the guitars was perhaps not the best business model for long term viability haha

I remember when these came out. Everyone talked about how amazing they were. They were top of the line. If you think all the things you are talking about now are High Tech in 2022, back in the day these build details were STUNNING and kind of overwhelming!!!. The advanced engineering imo was the reason the guitar never got huge around my area, St. Louis, because it was literally TOO advanced in design for most guitar players. That and the price tag really put you in rarefied air if you owned one. Incredible guitar.

Haven’t gassed for a guitar in a good minute. Lusting for a Parker Fly now. Thanks doc.

Man! One of the biggest mistake I've made since I started playing was to waste the opportunity of buying a Parker Nite Fly guitar back at a local music store for dirt cheap. So, here's the story. This was back in 2012. I had been saving money for 3 months from my first job to buy my first real guitar (I had a cheapo Ibanez gio that my parents gave to me on Christmas when I was in high school). I didn't know much about guitars, but I knew that Ibanez was a solid brand, so I grab my savings (about 700 USD) and I go to the store, talk to the owner about how much I have on me and what music I play... So the owner goes to the back of the store and brings back a gorgeous Yellow Nite Fly. It was a little beat up, but it played amazing, however, because I haven't heard of Parker Guitars before, I thought the guy was trying to offload some crappy guitar on me, so I ended up buying and Ibanez RG 7421 and some Seymour Duncan pickups to replace the ibz pickups. Mind you I'm from Mexico and back then it was impossible to get anything other than a Gibson/epiphone, a Fender/Squire, Ibanez or schecter so that makes it every bit worse. 10 years later and I'm still regretting not buying that guitar. Keep it up, man! Awesome content as always.

New sub, great work, happy to support you man.

I bought a Mojo with Seymour Duncan’s a couple years back and although it took me a while I totally fell in love with it. It’s so versatile that last gig I went from taking 5 guitars to only bringing the fly. Including replacing the acoustic.

My 1990s Parker Fly Classic completely ruined me for other guitars. It's just such a perfect guitar and so easy to play with incredible nuance, when I play any other guitar it just feels like I've been driving a ferrari and am climbing into a work truck,

Awesome vid mate. Thanks from Melbourne, Australia

Absolutely brilliant guitars. Such a pleasure to play.

Ever since I first found out about parkers, I fell in love with the engineering behind them. I was lucky enough to get a classic fly years ago. I've been enjoying your other reviews, but have a new found respect seeing as you are one of the only youtubers to actually respect the fly for what it is!

I like this channel just subbed. Thank you.

VERY informative review - extremely well presented. I have been a fan of these since the first time I encountered one. I love vintage gear but the allure of the 1980s/1990s instruments has always held my attention (born in '69). Pointy stage machines were fabulous but the Parker was created from the absolute basics of physical functionality and they did it so well. Parker deserves far more credit than received.

My first big Brand guitar after my mini squier strat was a Parker PDF 100, still have it, and still my favorite guitar. It’s nice to see Parker guitars getting recognition!

Great video, great information, thanks…

Fantastic video, wished they would remake this today.

I got my Parker Hornet PM10 still play it all the time a fun guitar to play for sure

Ken handed me a guitar bag (at the not even open factory) and asked me what I thought was in there, I wasn’t even sure there was one guitar,there was two guitars! (I forgot if they were just body’s or complete) but yes pretty light!!😊

The first time I saw a Parker fly in person was while I was stationed in Korea from 1996-97. A member of the U.S. Army band was playing solo chord melody Christmas songs in the dining facility during dinner. What struck me the most was the richness of the sound coming from such a thin guitar. I could never afford one at the time, but I admired the design. A few years later, I actually got to play one and was blown away by how easy it was to play. On another note, I am a Jersey City native currently living in Texas. I moved away from Jersey City as a teenager, but I recently lived there from 2020-21 on Clarke Ave and Wes Side Ave. As a child, I attended P.S. #2, St. Mary,s Grammar school, Our Lady of Victories, and P.S. #24.

Awesome review.

Man I really appreciate the stuff you do on Parker. So few of us have ever had the chance to even play one. You’re doing for guitar what doug demuro does for cars, and that kicks ass. Also if you want to sell one of your niteflys please let me know.

For me, it is a beautiful futuristic awesome design done way ahead of it time !!!

I also love the shape of the neck it's so damn unique it is definitely a breath of fresh air

I enjoy the look of the Parker guitar. It’s totally unique and completely original. I am also a artist so it’s possible I see beauty in wild modern designs where other just don’t have the visual experience with modern art. The Parker is a piece of modern art in my opinion.

You sold me, now I really want one lol. I've been playing for 30 years, never had the opportunity to try one. Great eye opener!

When Parker started out they had a segment on Discovery channels Next Step or Beyond 2000, can't remember which one, they were botht he same kind of show, showcasing future tech. Parker was in his garage showing how he built these future guitars, this was before ANYONE knew about them. Then a couple years later, I started seeing them for sale and quickly realized I'd never own one. NOW, I deff won't own one cause they're worth their weight in gold. Love these things so much. Never even got to play one.

I always loved the fly design. Glad Aristides exist to fill that Parker void. Also that spring system is insane! It will be cool to see companies explore that area of the guitar.

Hello from England. I have the Fly Classic from the nineties I beautiful condition. I love it. It is my favourite guitar.

Dr. Fludd, your content is awesome, i am also in love with my Parker, it is not as yours but it’s a P-40, I’ve upgraded it with 2 Seymour Duncan APH-1 and Schaller Locking Tuners and a push-pull option to be able to play with single coils, I think Parker Guitars are otherworldly good, I mainly play strats and this axe goes far beyond and it can do literally everything I was thinking about a possible video of you showcasing how famous artist used Parkers, I loved Dave Navarro in My Friends and Gustavo Cerati in MTV Unplugged with Soda Stereo to name a few

I've got a purple 95 Fly Deluxe. I basically stole it from Guitar Center about 9 years ago for $1100. It is absolutely my favorite guitar I've ever played. What a fantastic instrument

You’re killin’ it with these videos bro!

Very informative video! I remembered hating the headstock when it came out in the mid 90's, but here i am, an owner of an Indo made PDF100. Totally amazed by the quality of it. And those body carves.... wow... Can imagine the US made fly would be 10 times better will the slim body profiles! Will definitely be looking to get a Parker deluxe in the future!

I've never been able to afford a Fly, but I've had a pair of P-38s, a P-36, and my current Parker, a P-42. I'm definitely a fan of unusual guitar designs, and Parker's guitars certainly fit that category. If I ever win Powerball, a Fly is on my bucket list.

well, now you've done it: you convinced me to get a nitefly. i have an NFV-SA en route.

Still want one as much as the day I first saw them in Highschool in the 90s

I agree with everything! I bought my nitefly in 1998 and it will never leave me. Unfortunately the bridge is the ones that used little steel balls as saddles which have become loose.

The snapped Gibson headstock photo always gives me a chuckle

I used to think they are ugly but these days they've grown on me. Great review and retrospective, Andre!

I always thought the spring tension wheel was pure genius and I haven't seen that copied on any modern guitars, maybe it's still under patent protection. It allows you to get the bridge perfectly centered after changing strings or dropping tuning or whatever you do that may change tension on the strings, that's something I struggle with on any other floating bridge. And it's so easy... lock the bridge, tune the guitar, unlock the bridge then adjust the wheel until its back in tune and the bridge sits perfectly centered.

Great video

Great video! I have a pair of 93/94 Fly Deluxe guitars, and they're perfect for me and what I do. Ken made the best electric guitars ever made, I'm convinced of that.

Your comment about the "space between the lower horn and the neck" is really interesting. I don't have peculiarly large hands, but still, I get into the same issue as you describe with many guitars (335, etc...), and that's the reason why I also love my ESP LTD EC-1000 Amber Sunburst Deluxe (Seymour Duncan JB/59) so darn much : the cutaway of the lower horn is extremely "open" so the palm of my hand doesn't get "trapped", and the neck joint is superbly comfortable, not to mention the extremely comfortable neck shape and the Stainless Steel frets (great affordable cool looking guitar ... abalone inlays and bindings "for days" 😀).

I have Parkerfly deluxe! I bought it 1998. I played a lots of gigs and studio sessions with it until 2006, when I played more PRS and Fender... there was really no reason for this :) I liked it very much. Then I forgot Parker in its own bag in the studio. Then 2021 I brought it up (for a project in the theater) and yes it was still in TUNE (after 15 year)!!

I had an opportunity to get one in the early 1990s and because it was so new I walked away to think it over and of course it was gone once I returned. I still regret missing out on the chance to play the Parker Fly for my primary interest and I have to wonder how much more I would have composed had I been more open to the design. At the time many misconceptions existed about the instrument including a perception by the salesman about it being a toy, nothing could be further from the truth. I played it in the store and I was very impressed by the feel and accuracy of the instrument in playing, especially the fretboard feel. The silly bias at the time was the traditional instrument fender Gibson made guitars were the only acceptable instrument choice according to the sales people and the press as well as the general public perception. I should have known better. The feel unmatched since. The one that got away. Remarkable design. Functionality beyond the scope of everything else in the moment. 😮

NGL I got worried when he put the exact measurements for action I use on my guitars and then said "no one plays with this".

Interesting review. I appreciate the amount of scholarship this too. Thanks, Andre. GG to you, and I will even reward you with a zero cost thumbs up in hopes that in two thousand years the youtube revenue from this will have you break even.

I remember the guy from Orgy playing one of these, I would love to add one to my collection. My favorite part is the lower horn it reminds me of a Warwick bass.

Fantastic video Andre. I always considered piezo on solid body guitars useless, but Fly piezo actualy sound pretty decent. Ken is brilliant designer and guitar maker, I can listen to him for hours.

The first time i saw this guitar was maybe when Joni Mitchell played one.I thought what the hell is that..who what and where and everything about it i had to find out more about it. I personally think Parker came out with a very unique design far ahead of its time and i have no qualms about the look what so ever. When the Fender Stratacaster came out i thought "COOL"..i was born in 1953.The first time i saw one was a county fair a local cover band , the lead guitarist had one..and they were very good .I give Ken Parker a hands down for rethinking the electric guitar.Too bad it went under and out of business. We can only wait for another 50 years before we see something new and revolutionary to come along.As far as your review you have done a superb job on all the talking points..keep up the good work. Bravo Ken Parker !!!!

Hi Andre! I have a couple of Parker guitars. On my Nitefly mojo, I got a nix on the neck. How would you go by repairing it. My cousin was put in the case and the lip hatch hit the neck

Thank you for taking the time to do this review. This guitar deserves every accolade given to Mr Parker I own a '98 fly and the fn thing plays itself. %0 hype. Even a KZfaq video showing Steve Vai instant conversion. Only upgrade would be True Temperament, but I'm sure that he thought about doing it. OG Fly guitars are epic..Wish i could own a Vernon Troyer model 😢

I got a Parker Fly in the mid 1990s and I got it from a friend who was a Parker Fly dealer and he said the one he gave me was a special one out of all the ones he had ever played and it was my main squeeze for like 10 years. I always though if it was good enough for David Hinds from Steel Pulse, it was good enough for me...

Ok...I didn't know about the switch on the back to make it float or not. That is nuts. And...I actually think Parker guitars look awesome. I remember when they first came out and I picked one up. I was blown away by how light it was, and how fast and smooth that neck was. Great video!

Always loved the look and the concept. Really really hate the neck profile… but that’s always a very personal thing.

I saw Parker guitars in Guitar World magazine when I was 16 years old. I used to dream of having one. In the 90's Parker guitars were twice the price of a Les Paul. When you're a teenager it might as well been on the moon.

The bridge is pretty interesting. I like the headstock aswell.

And one of the things that the Parker has and most of other modern brands don't is the taste and sense for aesthetics. The design of the body and headstock is genious also from that perspective. The proportions, strenght and beauty of those lines, In very different styles, retrofuturistic and classical, the Strat and the Les Paul also got that,

Love my Fly, it’s my desert island guitar. Especially as I’ve had it signed on the back by Vai, Satriani, Gilbert, Petrucci, Brian May, Marty Friedman and Gus G. Would love a Ken Parker sig to top them all!

The Fly is an Amazing guitar. I was smitten by them in the 'Noughties' (& still am..). I'm fortunate to own a few. I also own a wide variety of other guitars but nothing comes close. I've yet to try a Strandberg... Dimarzio still make a variety of pickups to fit the Fly. They can be custom ordered direct from Dimarzio

I had a fly classic for 20 years. I literally wore the frets out. I miss it tremendously. Very expensive to replace these days.

Terrific jazz tones.

Played one when i was maybe in high school. Always thought they were super cool looking and a few favorite players used them, but simply was never reasonable at that age. But it's no wonder they didn't catch on but the ideas did. Aesthetics ignored, it's a super well made guitar with almost zero capacity to be adjusted or modified that was also 3k. It has to be exactly what someone wants and is always going to want

I've had a Blue Parker Fly Deluxe for more than 25 years along with another 28 different guitars and I do reckon that it was one of the best guitars I have ever had ...one of my go to along with a PRS SC245 of 2001. The only problem with that guitar ? The battery slot ....too narrow for today's batteries so that it was a little battle everytime I had to replace it...till I adopted a....ribbon just to pull it out effortlessly :-) I really miss this guitar....I hope one day this might come out again.

First time I ever saw and heard a Fly was about 1994 when I was in Thoroughbred Music. Elliott was there with this amazing guitar player and they were showing off this awesome looking guitar, and making it sound like an acoustic, then a jazzer, then a hard rocker, then a classical. I just stood there with my mouth wide open in amazement ! I was somewhat new to guitars at the time, so I asked my buddy George what that was, because George had played all is life. He shrugged and said Feck if I know ! I thought if only Leo Fender could see this beautiful "NEW" tool, he would flip over it !

Have you had any problems with get the tremolo spring plate? I own a Fly mojo flame, and that's one of my biggest concerns with this guitar (that and that in time, the frets tend to fall from the neck, because they are just glue the the carbon fiber). Thank's.

Thanks!

Which Parkers do you still have in your quiver? I’d quite enjoy a comparison betwixt the Fly Deluxe and the Emi. I have two Deluxes and a Mojo and have been considering offloading one for an Emo.

I've always loved the styling of the nite fly. These are the Lamborghini of guitars.

My .010 spring snapped a couple of years ago and I'm basically up the creek. I mean, I still have the .009 and other springs that came with the guitar so I can still play but finding a replacement has been difficult.

As I said on another video, I wish I had been able to buy a few of these Parker guitars.

The original in emerald green is The One. The synth ready “ Joni Mitchell “ & Adrian Belew models are Ferrari’s.

long long time ago, i saw on beyond 2000 a segment on the fly, very interesting, the twisted neck and carbon fibre, balsa core body, very interesting. the segment, of course, was grand, up to the point where they had a guitarist try it, the example instrument a 6 string, right hand model, tried by a left handed bassist.

I love Parker! One feature that many over look is it's balance. This guitar does not move around on it's strap. You can lift your arms from the usual playing position and walk around without holding it. When you bring your hands back down onto the instrument, it is right where you left it! Show me another guitar that will do that! The down side is that I need some new piezos and a new battery box. Good luck with finding those. It is still my favorite guitar!

Do you have any thoughts on the PDF-80 MaxxFly? Great videos BTW!!!

"crazy low action that no one would play with" honestly i love my action like that, have both my rg's set up at roughly 1mm at the 24th for the high E, it does make bends a bit harder but it feels so good for pretty much everything else, still sounds great distorted and clean, that is a testament to parkers fret work though, thus far tthose 2 rg's are the only guitars ive been able to achieve that on in near 20 yrs of playing, unfortunately ive only seen/played one parker out in the wild, they def seem ahead of the curve love your reviews, everything explained very thoroughly from a players perspective, i dont feel like im having something sold to me or overhyped

This really explains why of the people I know with Parker Fly guitars it's literally the last one they would sell. I've even seen some people sell *all* their guitars *except* that one (divorce sucks but he managed to hang onto the Parker).

They were on sale for $100 in 1994 and I would not touch it because I wanted a Les Paul. In 2012 I bought a 1994 fly for $5000! Best guitars ever- this and the Vigier

I have a '98 blue(7:20 Holy crap, that's the same color blue!) Fly that's got a Roland GK3 built into it(apparently a custom thing according to the original owner) and it's...they are the best guitar, no qualifiers needed. I'd wanted one since I heard of them in the early 90's because of my back. It's always fun to hand it to other guitarists and watch the reaction to the weight. The GK connector/cable is acting up, so I'm just using the magnetic pickups at the moment. The bridge sounds ok(to be fair, I usually don't like the midrange peak of most pickups) the neck sounds good, and the middle position sounds incredible. No acoustic output on 1/4", you have to use the synth. Broke the vibrato spring back in December, stuck a chunk of wood in it's place, and I was able to dial in intonation within minutes. It was an 9 spring, but I use 10s, so I'll have to get one when I have an extra $150 laying around. The original owner's customization included not having a hard stop for the vibrato, so that's why the wood. I also have a P-38 that I got 20 years ago, and then proceeded to play it into the ground. At the moment it is literally a neck without tuners or an nut and the body, no bridge, and no electronics. I'd really like to get it back into shape, but I have a million other things to spend money on first. I did buy a PM20, and it suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked. Pawned it, then didn't bother to go back and get it. Heavy as hell, an attempt to make a "different" Les Paul. No. Great video. I'm digging your viewpoint on guitars.

I had a very beautiful Parker Nitefly with satin natural mahagony finish. I liked everything about that guitar, but that upper horn drove me crazy, especially when I played in sittng. I ended up selling it :-/ Thank you for your honest thoughts about these guitars, they are really nice and undeservingly forgotten.

What's the video you used with the climber and the broken rope?

Can you recommend any guitars currently made that are comparable to the Fly and or Nite Fly.

I have a 97 Parker Fly Deluxe in black that I purchased used around the early 2000's. It was/is my dream guitar. Just minutes ago I woke it up from it's decade old hibernation in the closet and it's still in perfect tune. The strings are Elixirs that are well over a decade old and still clean and shiny. I'd just like to say I agree with everything Andre said, but he forgot a few things. First, the custom made DiMarzios are coil-tapped between the 2 humbuckers (at least the Fly Deluxe model). I didn't care for the sound so I disabled it by unsoldering a wire, which turned it into a standard HH configuration (totally reversible). Also, the pickups are active so you need a good 9v in it. Which then leads me to my only complaint....the battery compartment. It is so f@cking tight and hard to get a battery in or out. You did show us but glossed over how beautifully sculpted the back of the body is. Even more so than the front. Besides that the only thing that bothers me is all the proprietary parts. If the circuit boards inside take a dumps then good luck finding that part. I'll admit this guitar isn't for everyone and I wouldn't use it as my main ax. The neck is thin for my tastes but silky smooth. Honestly I'm not worthy of playing such a beautiful piece of musical art, so it sits in its case 99.99% of the time. The guitar world lost a diamond in the rough when Ken sold the company and it eventually evaporated.

The Guitar player from The Testeagles let me play his Parker back in 2000. It was one of the best guitars I've ever played, and I don't care if people say it's ugly in my opinion it's beautiful

Ken Parker was so far ahead of his time. I've wanted a Fly from the first time I ever saw one (yes I'm old) - definitely one of the first things I'd buy if I ever won the lottery. I love that he is still building though, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge and design with his archtop guitars.

People think it's ugly because of it's relatively brash lines. People thought the same thing about Gibson's Vs, Explorers, and Firebirds in the 60's. Even the Stratocaster was a radical departure visually from other instruments at the time. Those models are now considered classics. I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the future Parkers become revered collectors classics where originals go for $$$$$. I've seen a pretty wide array of players using them too, not just rock players. Joni Mitchell plays one. We got a used one at the shop I worked at. One of my more metal co-workers downtuned it and put it thru an Orange Rockverb 100. He sludged n chugged at pretty high volume and the Parker was right in it's element being played that way as well. They are indeed very versatile. Cheers Andre!

Phil Keaggy did an instrumental album, “On The Fly” (1997?) that largely (exclusively?) featured the Parker Fly guitar.

Hey I was reading an article about Parker guitars today, and read they made a nylon version. Ever heard or seen it? I really want to see what that might look like, and how it would play. Especially from a guy who was classically trained and spent yrs playing classical guitars

Best guitars in the world and they are going up and up every single day.