Parker Fly Prototype - Ken Parker - Luthier Stories S2 E5 

I know many people would love for Ken to make a Parker Deluxe 2.0!! Please make that happen Ken!!

this perfect guitar embodies: "i guess you guys aren't ready for this yet. but your kids are gonna love it"

2:37 Ken: The answer is YES. A Kickstarter is the next step.

I swear Ken Parker is a time traveler from 100 years in the future. That prototype from the early 90's is still miles ahead of anything being built today. Ken is absolutely one of my heroes too - I would so love to have an original Fly in my collection.

"I got over it and we produced the Parker Fly." When even your compromises produce legendary results...

I still play my Parker Fly. I own 71 guitars and the Parker is still my favorite.

Ken is a treasure. Watch his videos. He has been so gracious to make videos of his vast important knowledge of luthiery. Truly a gift to all of us. Thank you Ken and thank you Michael!

Really interesting to learn what my Fly Deluxe evolved from. Still my #1 after almost 30 years.

I think people hate the look, especially the horns.....guitars are fashion to a very large extent. The thinness and weight are amazing. Such a genius invention.

OMG this is so great! I just got done watching a load of NAMM 24 stuff and none of it comes anywhere close to exciting me like this history and/or the prospect of owning another Parker some fine day...!

Yes!

I had a Parker fly deluxe, but unfortunately I had to sell it because I got laid off and I was married and I had a new born child and obviously needed the money to help support him for a little bit. Man do I miss that guitar.

I would love to see Ken have another go...... I absolutely love my Fly.......which I bought after seeing/playing a prototype at the Frankfurt Messe many moons ago. In the meantime, all the best. Thnx for the Vid.

Ken Parker. You are a real special person. Cool calm bad-ass luthier! My Rushmore I say ! Right up with Leo Fender ! Top of the top!

The legend himself

YES, please. Make me one!

Ken's work has influenced my journey in so many positive ways. It's super cool to see the original prototype!

2 PR Parker Flys, 2 Niteflys, a P38 and a Fly Mojo Singlecut - Love my Parkers! Thanks Ken!

I have a Parker, it has a mahogany body, bought in 2003, it is such an amazing guitar. His archtops are basically my dream guitar but sadly price wise beyond me, but to be honest as I am no longer a performer, just a teacher, I would not do one justice beyond playing it everyday for my own pleasure. Nice to hear this story from Ken.

I love that Prototype, Awesome!

Back in the early '90's I was in the Thoroughbred Music store on Hillsborough Ave in Tampa, when I heard this fella playing a Parker fly. This guy was playing incredible Jazz tunes that sounded lush and beautiful like a big L5 or something, then he flipped a switch and started whaling on some heavy hard rock song for a few minutes (sounded great). He threw another switch and started playing a Django Reinhardt style tune, and the acoustic sound was amazing. Once again he flipped another switch and started playing a classical piece, and the sound was amazing for a thin lite weight awesome looking space-age guitar like the Strat of the '50's I was blowen away ! Great job Ken !!!!

I have 3 Parkers and really wish you were still in business!!! One of mine is the refined fly but I'm going to sell it becauseI like the original much better. Had a deluxe stolen years ago and I'm still on the lookout for it. I have about 20 other guitars.Fender, Ibanez ,epiphone etc,but Parker flys are the only ones I'll take onstage with me on the road!

Ken - so glad you are making these videos. The world needs to know. I’m 63, an engineer first, and have been playing guitar since I was 16. 0:54 I bought your Parker Fly Classic SN 276076bmh 1996, with a one-of-a-kind red w/black swirl paint job, made specially for the Winter ‘96 NAMM show. Bought new from Rudy’s Music Stop in NYC in June of ‘97. Awesome guitar, always has been. So sweet acoustically with the Fishman pickups, great sounding electric as well. I’d love to meet you and tell you first hand what a wonderful instrument and engineering marvel you conceived and delivered. I’m so in awe to watch you discuss the evolution of this wonderful design. You sir, are in the same pantheon as Leo Fender and Paul McCarty. I assume you know that!!! So glad to be able to give you this feedback after all these years!!

Such a fan of Ken and his genius! I own a few of his guitars and they are phenomenal

I still own my 98 classic and 99 midi fly and Nitefly M Having sold my 99 deluxe. So they were way ahead at the time... and deserve a come back....

I played this guitar at the Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival last fall. Ken just put it out on a table where anyone walking by could pick it up and play. Coolest guitar. I want one. Ken is a genius and super nice guy.

Love my Parker Nitefly SA.

Interesting. Haven't seen this particular prototype before. I'm with my '95 Fly Deluxe 'till death due us part.

Beautiful design, I love it

My 1993 Deluxe Hardtail is still mint. I intend to keep it that way for as long as life lets me borrow it.

Spectacular guitar! I would definitely buy one of these.

I really miss Ken's old Parker guitars before they were refined. The design that emerged accidentally from engineering calculations turned out to be much more artistic than intentional design for aesthetic purposes. When my friend saw it, they thought of a supercar, and I thought it was a really great comparison. Thanks Ken.

And a nylon string version too, please.

I very regret I didn't jump on a Big 6 when you offered. I was in a bad mood or something that year.

Yes please.

I own a lot of vintage guitars. Pretty valuable stuff. I also have three Parker’s. Whenever I play live, I’m on a Parker. Bought my first one new in the mid to late 90s and have never looked back.

Want! Amazing guitar. Love the shape

Seeing what could have been I feel robbed. Such an elegant and different design. I love the guitar with big pickup from the 50 and 60. But there is plenty of them. Noting compare to that thing.

I cannot tell you how much I wish this model could be resuscitated. Perhaps it could be added as an extra model to the KP Archtop - the Archtopperfly???. Would there be buyers for the Archtop Fly at archtop prices? I'm pretty sure there would .....

This was awesome... is there going to be any more? --- Love to see an hour with him

Love my fly deluxe and nitefly

This guitar would be amazing with something like Lace Alumitone pickups. Alumitones can be made thin enough to fit.

So good to see Ken here, love his work and approach to the new.... thanks for this post Michael.

I’ll pledge the kickstarter!

I thought the original "Fly" guitar was the art of the future ... but it did not catch on. I still like these.

Wow. That was amazing! 🏆

Great vid!! Parkers are so awesome!! 🤘🎸🤘

I want one !!!!

Please make them!

I want one!

I want that prototype!

what a cool thin bodied guitar

Omg! This guy is still alive!? I thought he had died or something…. Soooo many questions. Soooo many!

This is fantastic. I take some inspiration from Ken Parker in my own builds, though it may not be immediately apparent (I like the way he employs negative space most of all). In any event, I have to heartily voice my agreement regarding guitar pickups. Broadly speaking, there hasn't been much evolution since the 1950s. That proto is really amazing. I think I got three or four great ideas just from seeing it in the video.

I’d like to see a discussion about the original pick ups the guitar was supposed to use vs the pick ups the fly ended up using.

You could use modified or custom alumitone Pickups on the Prototype. They should be quite thin and top mounting.

Very interesting Michael, I've never seen this prototype. You're really finding the rich seam of guitar building to us.

I well remember the FLy coming out. I wasn't playing electric then, but it was so radical a departure that you had to love it. The thing about non-standard pickups was fascinating to me, as I went years later to get a Variax, which relied on piezos entirely (at least the earlier versions did).

Most fascinating

Something like a lace alumatone would be an interesting magnetic pickup for this concept (along with a piezo). They can be made super thin and lightweight

Michael, this is fantastic content! If you can get Paul Languedoc to sit down with you, well… let’s just say it would be must-watch tv! Thanks for the vids!

Let me drop a couple of lines here from a guitarist who has been playing seriously for 43 years. (1) The only innovation to the guitar since the 50s was Ken Parker, (2) I was on a business trip to the UK back in 2001 and went to try few guitars at the centre of London and tried this Parker nylon strings and it was an orange colour, and I couldn't forget that guitar after all those years and one of my few regrets that I hesitated purchasing it. In summary, I would love to see those guitars back again in one form or another

There’s a lot of people out there that will be pledging right now for the rebirth of parker guitars, i will trow my savings for that to happen!! And maybe with the technology available nowadays this prototype guitar could be done as it was supposed to be

Do a kickstarter. They will come.

I got it completely stock with the set up it had. It had 10s on it with the white pick guard on it. Lower end model. But I always had issues with tuning and the feel felt un natural to me. But that’s just my opinion. No that I have a PRS I like the feel and strength of it.

Have one of the first 200 Fly guitars made in 1993, the frets are still perfect in 2024. The prototype is cool however there is no practice use for it without some electronics. I do not think we will ever see another Parker Fly due to the cost of making them. They are very labor intense to make, you need skilled craftsmen and there are not enough in the world today.

Ken I own the one that Reeves Gabrels road tested on the Bowie tour in 95. It's the one where the trem springs busted through the top. What do you think it's worth?

A huge part of an electric guitar’s sound is the pickups and electronics though, and if you’re using proprietary pickups that can’t be changed out for something else…that’s a big turnoff.

As much as I love my nitefly, I don't want it to be the size of a sheet of paper, lol.

The funny thing ken is if you did do a kickstarter they would sell.

Would love one like your prototype.

i have a parker guitar for me it is the best of the guitars i would buy some other one but there is no place to listen to it for sale

Such a pity Parker guitars had to stop...

So Ken if God forbid you got any extra old ones lying around they can be damaged they can be whatever that you're willing to get rid of you have no idea what I would do to get my hands on one. So if you're feeling generous I know this is pathetic of me even asking this but my God I would kill to get my hands on one. As a fan of 20 years I just figured it's worth a shot to ask even though I know you won't even see this comment. If you start a Kickstarter to get Parker's back on the f****** Market I will donate whatever I can Parker's were my dad's favorite guitar to and he passed recently, he wanted also. Get these bad boys back on the market. There is nothing I wouldn't do not only to get Parker's back up and running in the market how to get my hands on my own personal Parker. I'd give every last red Cent I could spare when I could spare it to your Kickstarter. I'm f****** die-hard Parker for life.

Steve DeMarchi from ALIAS & THE CRANBERRIES uses them all the time. Those Parker's sound amazing. I remember interviewing talking to Steve about playing Parkers and he loved the weight, tone and piezo pickup system. He said playing with THE CRANBERRIES and DOLORES O'RIORDAN's solo album tours Parkers worked flawlessly .... lots of videos of him playing them on the ALIAS BAND FAN CLUB you tube channel - www.youtube.com/@aliasbandfanclub3357/videos

Seems like the Ritter princess Isabella was inspired by this or a similar concept of the top of an arch top

Oh 5000 is super good price！！！！！ make it happen ~!~!~!~!~!~!please

Question how to find replacement spring in the old style tremolo system? My metal style spring broke in half!

Hard to understand why Parker Guitars went under. They made excellent instruments.

I’m wondering how he would have handled the pickup conundrum? Pure piezo, eh? A pickup like an arch top that floats?

take my $5000! Ken You rulz !

Words can't describe what I wouldn't give to get my hands on a f****** Parker fly. When I had the chance to get one I didn't and I don't f****** know why. To be honest I didn't really start appreciating them until a bit later in life and of course at first glance their design is a little off-putting when you're used to the standard type of looks two guitars but I have really damaged shoulders so I need a light guitar but that Piezo system was f****** great and some of those finishes were amazing and how light it was f*** man kill kill for a Parker

is it possible to bring back this particular model in to production?

Is the only guitar you need?

make the man some skinny pickups!

Can we have this with piezoelectrics and a stereo output please?

where can I get one?

Stream died? why did parker go out of business?

START A KICKSTARTER THING!!!

Well, why don’t you?

That's it? where is another 20 minute?

How do i ask Ken parker smth

But no really, Kickstarter when?

I’d pay $5k for one, no question.

Id be up to sending ken money to make guitars again, as long as he promised not to sell the company again and ruin everything.

Anyone can make Pickups, I wonder why he didn't make his own that would be compatible with that guitar? Bean counters I guess?

Sorry. I hated these guitars. Good craftsmanships. But was very hard to keep it tuned.