Parker fly guitars

[edwarddavis]

I had a few Parker's,
i absolutely loved them .
Bought a gold fly when they came out was my main guitar. Then a classic and a artist.
Then stupid me sold them all. What was I thinking .
Now they are At very high prices .
what happened to make there value soar
I know their not made anymore but at one time very limited demand. Love to get another but priced crazy high

 

[Eddie-Applegate]

Love ‘em. Wanted one ever since i saw one in the Savage Garden - “I Want You” video

 

[madmarcus1960]

You said it, they are not made anymore. That alone drives up prices.

 

[Tri7/5]

Yep not made anymore and weren’t hugely popular at the time even so limited in scale. Also parts are nearly impossible to find so most true Parker guys have a couple/few of them and buy others just to have spare parts. The parts are very proprietary as well. Just do a bit of a search on people looking to even find 9 or 10 gauge springs for their Parker trem. It’s like trying to buy/find an original ‘59burst for sale

 

[Mtt02263]

I had a Fly Classic and it was a really incredible guitar. Best playing guitar I've ever played, but I preferred the tone of some others at the time and sold it for a big profit. I would have kept it, but the proprietary parts scared me, and the fact that they aren't made anymore.

 

[Mister Natural]

...but great guitars none the less.

peace

 

[the_Chris]

Cool guitars, but the Deluxes I tried (with Dimarzios I think?) sounded a bit sterile to me.

Between that and the thinner necks, they weren’t my thing, but I can (and did) appreciate the way they pushed the envelope of guitar building. The carbon fiber necks and the (lack of) neck heel were something else! They were really cool and different, even to this day.

 

[9fingers]

I have 2 Flys, an all gold Gen 1 Deluxe and a beuatiful natural mahogany Mojo. (and 2 KP era Niteflys). Amazing guitars. They play like nothing else. Sure they don't sound like Strats, Teles or LPs but they have a clarity all their own.

 

[59Jazzmaster]

They are so fly.

 

[sunking101]

Minging design. They look like guitar synths. Good riddance I say.

 

[derekd]

I always liked them but the necks were too skinny for my hands.

Incredibly light and loved the design.

 

[Sociophile]

I have a 1999 Deluxe that I love. The Piezos don’t work anymore, but otherwise it hasn’t had any problems and still plays wonderfully.

 

[chanley]

A guy I worked for in the mid 90's had one. I played it a few times and thought it felt great! Was surprised at how light it was. I haven't really thought about them since.....

 

[Jaan]

I still have one. It’s nice to not have to worry at all about the elements; I can just keep it out on a stand in dry Colorado.

 

[sahhas]

no longer in production, that makes prices rise!!!
i used to have a parker nitefly, it was a great guitar!

 

[markophonic]

Another guitar I wish I'd never sold!

 

[Ferg Deluxe]

Some of the best playing guitars I ever had in my hands were those original Parkers. I can still remember how effortlessly they played. I loved the overall feel, esp the light weight which made them feel like the guitar equivalent of a sports car.

Could never get past the design. It looks better today than it did 20 years ago, but it’s still kinda funky-weird and that’s with multiple decades of getting used to them. That upper horn…oof. If only the design was pulled back just a bit with that upper horn.

 

[98FlySupreme]

I had a few Parker's,
i absolutely loved them .
Bought a gold fly when they came out was my main guitar. Then a classic and a artist.
Then stupid me sold them all. What was I thinking .
Now they are At very high prices .
what happened to make there value soar
I know their not made anymore but at one time very limited demand. Love to get another but priced crazy high

Sometimes it takes a while for people to appreciate quality. I knew these guitars would be hanging in museums one day the first time I saw them in the mid 90s.

 

[Eddie-Applegate]

I think a Parker was the first guitar I ever played (or heard of) that had stainless frets

 

[plan-x]

I played Parkers thru the 2000's up til recently. I decided to leave my fly in the case due to lack of replacement parts. Namely the tremolo spring. It's not a coiled spring but a steel hinge. Clever design. The Parker tremolo is considered one of the best. Stays in tune very well.
Replacing a Parker fly with a different brand ain't easy. You're gonna lose something. Whether it be the light weight, neck profile (compound radius), SS frets, neck never needs truss adjustment, piezo, unique tremolo design that has superior function along with tunning stability. The list goes on. I saw a demonstration of a man standing on the guitar propped between two chairs. Incredible strength with the carbon fiber exoskeleton.