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So tell me about Parkers


mparsons

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I found this '97 Parker Nitefly used. I bought it for $399. The neck is carbon-glass-epoxy resin and it plays and feels like a dream. The body is maple and the whole thing is surprisingly light. But, I couldn't get excited about the stock pups, so I swapped them for Bryan Gunsher Phatty SC's and a Pure90 in the bridge. Now, I'm getting some great tones out of her!


I do think that the Parkers with carbon-glass-epoxy resin necks and bodies sound very different than guitars made only of wood. The design really seems to change the way the guitar resonates emphasizing different frequencies. I often use an EQ pedal to pull up the mids on my Nitefly. It has become my favorite player.


 

 

While the fretboard is a composite, NiteFly bodies are wood, the A alder, M mahogany, SA swamp ash...

 

I do have a guitar with a composite body a 1980s Tokai MAT, and it sounds, well, like a guitar. There have been bodies made of metal, acrylic, etc. I'm convinced about body wood making a huge difference on acoustic guitar tone, but I'm skeptical about the same being true on elecrtics.

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While the fretboard is a composite, NiteFly bodies are wood, the A alder, M mahogany, SA swamp ash...


I do have a guitar with a composite body a 1980s Tokai MAT, and it sounds, well, like a guitar. There have been bodies made of metal, acrylic, etc. I'm convinced about body wood making a huge difference on acoustic guitar tone, but I'm skeptical about the same being true on elecrtics.

 

Well, if you have a lot of guitars and you like to experiment, try this and you will learn something about wood, resonance, and tone. Swap some of the necks on your bolt on Strat guitars. Switch a maple for a rosewood. You wouldn't think that such a subtle difference would make much of a difference in sound, but it DOES! I convinced a few forum members to try this and they all experienced the fact that a neck swap changes the sound on a guitar.

 

The Parker guitars with composite material (also the thin bodies) sound different than wood....notice I said different. It may be subtle to some people. Perhaps, I'm cursed with dog hearing. :lol: They are great guitars, and on their high end models, the custom wound pups probably help improve the sound quite a bit. :thu:

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Well, if you have a lot of guitars and you like to experiment, try this and you will learn something about wood, resonance, and tone. Swap some of the necks on your bolt on Strat guitars. Switch a maple for a rosewood. You wouldn't think that such a subtle difference would make much of a difference in sound, but it DOES! I convinced a few forum members to try this and they all experienced the fact that a neck swap changes the sound on a guitar.


The Parker guitars with composite material (also the thin bodies) sound different than wood....notice I said different. It may be subtle to some people. Perhaps, I'm cursed with dog hearing.
:lol:
They are great guitars, and on their high end models, the custom wound pups probably help improve the sound quite a bit.
:thu:



I do have a lot of guitars, I do like to experiment, I have swapped necks (which says nothing one way or the other about the importance of BODY wood), and you still seem to be under the impression that NiteFly bodies are something other than wood.

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I've said all this before in other threads, so forgive the repetition. I used to own a Fly Classic. In many ways a wonderful guitar--for starters, it's great to see someone trying actually to advance guitar design, as opposed to making variations on one of a half-dozen decades-old designs. The turning stability was extraordinary, the neck is great (bending is made much easier by the composite fretboard & stainless frets), I loved the light weight, and the vibrato system is light-years ahead of anything else I've ever tried. Why did I sell it? The electronics had problems. It picked up the radio terribly--sometimes to the point where I could understand what they were saying on the AM radio talk show the guitar was channeling. You need to have a live battery in the guitar or there's no output, and if you leave the guitar plugged in, the batter drains. After a while, that behavior just got to be too annoying. Keep in mind I'm just a bedroom player; if your needs are more serious, the little annoyances of the Fly design might seem like much less serious issues, compared to its many virtues.

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The other guitarist in the little band I'm jamming with has a Parker Fly. He let me try it...I didn't want to give it back, but he's a big guy.

That damn guitar nearly played itself, and weighed next to nothing compared to the chunk of wood that is my Jackson.

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I'm at a dilemma.

 

Which Parker should I get? I'm torn between the swamp ash and the mahogany. I know I really like ash tonewood, but I'm mainly getting this guitar for its versatility and to have something different from my current guitar.

 

Should I get what I know I like or should I get something different?

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I'm at a dilemma.


Which Parker should I get? I'm torn between the swamp ash and the mahogany. I know I really like ash tonewood, but I'm mainly getting this guitar for its versatility and to have something different from my current guitar.


Should I get what I know I like or should I get something different?

 

 

Just about any Parker is going to be quite different from your Edwards. What do you want and what can you afford? You mentioned that you want a Fly, but were looking at a P44. The P-Series Parkers are not Flys. Even the Niteflys are bolt-necks and don't have the Fly's non-existent neck joint. I'm not saying that they're not terrific guitars, but they're not Flys (did I just use a triple negative?). What do you really want?

 

D

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I played a P-42 at a music store and it really impressed me, tone and playing-wise. I want a Parker, and I'm pretty sure I'd be happy with any of them. Bolt on doesn't bother me that much. Is there a significant difference between the Nitefly and the Fly, aside from the bolt on?

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Here's a link to the Parker website http://www.parkerguitars.com/code/sitemap.asp There are simply too many variations between the different models to address here.

If you love the P-42, fine, but compared to a Fly Classic you won't get:

the carbon-fiber reinforced set neck
composite fingerboard
stainless steel frets
DiMarzio pups
the Parker tremolo
the feather weight (5.0 lbs vs. 7 lbs. for a P-42)
GraphTech nut
locking Sperzels
piezo bridge w/ stereo output.

There's a reason for the +$2K price of a Fly.

D

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I do have a lot of guitars, I do like to experiment, I have swapped necks (which says nothing one way or the other about the importance of BODY wood), and you still seem to be under the impression that NiteFly bodies are something other than wood.

 

 

Perhaps, you are having trouble with reading comprehension. ;) :poke: I clearly stated in my very first post in this thread that my Nitefly has a maple body. Necks (not just bodies) have an impact on the resonance and tone of a guitar. If you don't believe me, ask Jim Soloway. Jim builds custom guitars and is a well respected member of HC. He will confirm that even all wood necks sound different from one another. This is a fact.

 

My assertions are simple. The carbon-glass-epoxy resin neck of the Nitefly impacts the way it sounds. And, The carbon-glass-epoxy resin neck and body of the Fly impacts the way it sounds.

 

I :love: Parker guitars! I :love: my Nitefly! I prefer the Nitefly design because of the all wood body. I think the all wood body helps me get a more classic tone out of my Parker.

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