Parker Fly

Infobox Guitar model|title=Parker Fly


manufacturer=Parker Guitars
period=1993-Present.
bodytype=Solid Double Cut
necktype=Set
scale= 25.5"
woodbody=Various tone woods with a carbon fibre exoskeleton
woodneck= Various tone woods with a carbon fibre exoskeleton
woodfingerboard=Carbon Fibre
tuners=Sperzel® locking
bridge= Fishman piezo vibrato bridge
pickups=2 splitable Humbuckers 1 Single coil 1 Piezo
colors=Various

The Parker Fly is a type of electric guitar built by Parker Guitars. It was designed by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman, and first produced in 1993. It is notable for its light weight (4.5lbs) and resonance. The Fly is unique among electric guitars in its use of composite materials. It was also one the first electric guitar to combine traditional magnetic pickups with piezoelectric pickups, allowing the guitarist to access both acoustic and electric tones.

Inspired by earlier musical instruments like the Lute, Ken Parker began experimenting with hardwood exoskeletons to provide rigidity to the instrument but hardwood was too difficult to work with and did not achieve the satisfactory results. Inspired by a friend who used carbon_fiber to build speed boats, Ken Parker started experimenting with the material [http://www.kenparkerarchtops.com/NewYorkerArticle.pdf/] . Today, Fly's are built with an exoskeleton along the back and around the neck of the guitar. It is made from a carbon fibre/glass/epoxy composite material that is thinner than the paint finish. The same composite also comprises the fretboard material [http://www.parkerguitars.com/code/models/models_fly_deluxe_specs.asp] .

The exoskeleton provides the guitar with strength and rigidity, as well as increasing the guitar's sustain. It also gives the added benefit of allowing a smaller, more efficient body. One of Ken Parker's primary goals in designing the Fly was to build a guitar with less mass than a traditional electric guitar but with the same or even more rigidity [http://www.kenparkerarchtops.com/NewYorkerArticle.pdf/] . The Composite exoskeleton is one of the primary reasons why such a design is possible.

The Fly's revolutionary design has yielded it 11 patents.

Parker Flys have been played by Adrian Belew, David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels, Pete Townshend, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Eddie Van Halen, Joni Mitchell, and The Edge.

Frets

The frets on the Parker Fly are constructed of hardened stainless-steel, they have no tangs, and are instead attached using a high-tech adhesive. Stainless steel frets wear more slowly than traditional frets, and the strings slide over them more smoothly.

Vibrato System

The Parker Fly has a unique vibrato system that allows the player to select from a fixed-bridge mode, a bend-down-only mode, and a free-float mode. The vibrato system uses a unique flat spring, and allows the user to easily adjust the tension. The original Fly design incorporated a wheel on the face of the guitar to adjust the spring tension, while more recent models have moved the tension adjustment to inside the guitar.

Pickups

Most versions of the Parker Fly feature a set of two magnetic Humbucker style pickups and a Fishman developed piezo pickup designed to emulate acoustic guitar sounds. The Piezoelectric pickup is aided by an onboard active pre-amplifier requiring the use of a 9 volt battery. The magnetic pickups are passive, but sit within the active circuit path. Fly guitars feature a stereo output jack, allowing the Piezo and magnetic pickups to be sent to different amplifiers, or blended into a mono signal. Some Fly models have only magnetic pickups, for traditional electric guitar sounds, while some models have only piezo pickups, for use as solid-body acoustic-electric guitars.

The Parker Fly's magnetic pickups are based on the traditional humbucker design, but feature a proprietary mounting system which eliminates the need for pickup rings and mounting brackets. The pickups are instead mounted via 2 extended pole pieces that screw into bushings sunk into the pickup cavities of the guitar. This mounting system produces a cleaner looking interface between the pickups and the instrument. The first Humbuckers used for the fly were produced by Dimarzio based off of their Air Nortan (neck position), and ToneZone (bridge position) designs. These pickups are commonly referred to as "Gen 1 Dimarzios". Responding to complaints about their non traditional hi-fi sound, Dimarzio introduced a new set of humbuckers in the spring of 1999. Commonly referred to as "Gen 2 Dimarzios", these new pickups were custom designed for the Fly's unique voicing. Featuring ceramic magnets, the Gen 2 design had more mid range focus, and higher output than their predecessors, and are still used on many current fly models.

Refined Fly

Shortly before Parker Guitars was acquired by US Music Corp., the Fly was updated. The biggest changes were that the tension wheel, which adjust the spring tension of the bridge, was moved from its original through body position to being behind a cover. The battery compartment was made more accessible and the 3 way tremolo arm switch was moved. The stereo button was removed and replaced with a smart switch. Additionally the ribbon wiring harness was replaced with point-to-point wiring.

Fly Models

*Fly DeluxeThe Fly Deluxe features a solid Poplar body, Basswood neck, and Dimarzio pickups.

*Fly ClassicThe Fly Classic features a Mahogany body, Basswood neck, and Dimarzio pickups.

*Fly MojoThe Mojo’s body and neck are both constructed of solid mahogany, and uses Seymour Duncan pickups. This guitar is an adaptation of the Fly, and not designed by Ken Parker.

*Fly SupremeThe Fly Supreme is constructed of solid big leaf maple body, with a basswood neck, and Dimarzio pickups.

*Spanish/Nylon FlyDesigned to appeal to classical guitar players, this is strung with nylon strings, and has no magnetic pickups.

*Nite FlyConstructed of a variety of different tone woods and featuring various pickup combinations, the Nite Fly uses a bolt-on neck, and lacks the intricate sculpting found on the Fly body. This guitar is an adaptation of the Fly, and was not designed by Ken Parker.

*Adrian Belew EditionThis is a Fly Deluxe with a Sustainiac pickup, Variax components, and a specialized piezo pickup that allows for guitar synthesizer applications.

*MIDI FlyBased on a Nite Fly body and made between 1999-2002, the MIDIFly featured a mahogany body and Parker's TurboTone neck (also constructed of mahogany) with Virtual DSP Corp.'s MidiAxe guitar-to-MIDI converter system. Equipped with custom DiMarzio magnetic pickups plus an active Fishman piezo system. The MIDIFly's Fishman piezo circuit triggers the internal MidiAxe DSP, resulting in a MIDI guitar controller. An included MidiAxe editor program was provided on CD-ROM.

References

* [http://www.parkerguitars.com// Parker Guitars official website]
* [http://www.kenparkerarchtops.com/NewYorkerArticle.pdf/ New Yorker Profile]
* [http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/parker-fly-supreme/Feb-04/984/ Guitar Player Magazine]
* [http://www.adrianbelew.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134:adrian-belew-signature-parker-fly&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=55/ Adrian Belew Edition]
* [http://www.parkerguitars.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7128/ Refined Fly]