What's Ken's Favorite Fly?

[Ken Parker]

Of all the Fly guitars you built, which were your favorites?

I love ALL my children, of course!

My true faves have spruce or cedar bodies, so in spruce (one-piece of sitka spruce from out your way) it would be the “Artist” if you need the magnetics, and the “Concert” if you don’t.

Cedar bodies were so very few, maybe 10?

The awful problem was the human respiratory reaction to the nice cedar closet smell that murders moth larvae in their sleep, ya know?

Many of us suffered terribly in the shop when we made cedar guitars, and of course it would have been madness to ignore it.

Maybe the most heartbreaking event in our company’s story!!

If only…..



My other favorite is the “lowly”, base model, the “Deluxe" using a poplar body.

Most of these were painted solid colors, as the poplar has its own color stripes which nobody thought looked good, it just isn’t the belle of the ball in the wood appearance contest.

We did make a few special ones, maybe 50 or 60? that had transparent green finishes and featured especially lovely looking material. These are cool, and signed by me, kinda trying to dress them up and make them a special edition.

viewtopic.php?t=342

We called them “Tulipwood", as the species is usually known as “tulip poplar", named for its extravagantly beautiful flowers,

https://www.killerbeeshoney.com/blogs/m ... lip-poplar

#WoodTypes

[Jupiter]

Hi Ken!

Irrelevant to what posted but I am grabbing the opportunity to tell you that I absolutely LOVE your work. Unfortunately for me I "discovered" your guitars a few months ago and I got totally addicted to the point I am not even touching my custom made "traditional" guitars anymore. Instead I am on the 2nd Fly (both pre-refined, Classic and Deluxe) and I don't see me ever going back.

I really wish the Parker company would be alive and kicking and under your command.

Thank you so much for showing to the world how the guitars should be made back in 1992-1993 onwards, I am very sad that the majority of the companies out there are still stuck with designs and solutions that should be left behind at least since the 60ies...

Good bless you,

Nick (one of the very few addicted to your instruments here in Greece)

[Ken Parker]

How nice to hear this!

I love the howling canine!

We have some talented local Coyotes families that have arranged a "Battle of the Canines" for our amusement. These doggies have some fine pipes!

Keep the faith, and Thanks for your Enthusiasm!

Ken

[Jupiter]

How nice to hear this!

I love the howling canine!

We have some talented local Coyotes families that have arranged a "Battle of the Canines" for our amusement. These doggies have some fine pipes!

That sticker is an homage to my Iro, the most kind creature I had the luck to meet and live with (and my biggest fan, no matter what I was playing, she would come and sit next to me to "enjoy", even when I was playing BS). She is not with us anymore. To me she is the symbol of love so that sticker is on every instrument I really play, I want her to always be with me when I play, to help me make my instruments howl, like she used to.

Could be the only Parker guitars in the world with stickers on them, lol.

Keep the faith, and Thanks for your Enthusiasm!

Ken

Thanks for the quite a few paradigm shifts* you gave us Ken.

For what is worth, I am sorrry that the majority of "us" (guitar players) either didn't get it on time, or at all.

Nick

*the first time I played with a Parker was 4-5 years ago, that was probably the last Parker you could buy new in Greece, a Nitefly. The neck was a dealbereaker for me (yeah, I have a very picky left hand) so I didn't even plugged it to try it out. But, I spent quite some time looking at it, observing some details etc. Well, a couple of weeks after that, my #1 and #2 got locking tuners and a couple of months after that they got stainless steel frets. Yeah, and I play since 1989, right?

Then back in April I got the chance to play with - what I call - a reall Parker, a Fly. Thank God, there is at least another Greek "Parker addict" and we live in the same area. He has two Mojos, so he brought one of his babis for me to try it out. Well, that was it, and that was the moment I fully realised how narrow minded, we, the majority of the guitar player are...

You were about 70-80 years ahead of your time, Ken, not your fault...

[mmmguitar]

+1 to every glowing endorsement of Ken's innovations by Jupiter: Guitarists are still gradually (and, perhaps, even perpetually) catching on to the quality-of-life improvements afforded by the Fly. The paraphrased adage which always comes to mind is, "Try to only be within ten years or so ahead of your time; because that's the limit of what people are willing to embrace in the present."

I may mince words - But I don't mince sentiments. And I never got the sense of whether Ken is more stoic or sentimental; because that's none of my business. Given the warm feelings expressed herein, however, it may be worth mentioning the obvious: that none of us would have bothered to register an account here if we hadn't felt touched by Ken's art.

[Jupiter]

@mmmguitar Amen brother, amen!

And this statement "Try to only be within ten years or so ahead of your time; because that's the limit of what people are willing to embrace in the present." is SPOT ON!

It reminds me the FAS story, I feel that Cliff was about ten years ahead of the time and look what happened...pro musicians started cathing up since the 3rd generation essentially...bloody heck, I had the Ultra back in 2009 and I directly compared it in real conditions (mesa power amp, 4x12) with vintage amps and that was the time I said "OK, I was expecting this to happen but not that soon...the future came way earlier than I had predicted"...and that came out of the mouth of a hardcore tube-head. The moment I got the AF2 in my hands in 2012 I ditched all my tube amps (custom made or not) and a buttload of effects (vintage, boutique and rare etc.).

[Joking Mode ON] Now, how about a "Give back the Parker company to Ken and let him do his thang" petition[Joking Mode OFF], for the love of God the man is a visionary...

And what pisses me off to the extreme, is the fact that the rest of the companies, instead of taking advantage of Ken's paradigm shifts, adopt them (careful, adopt them, not stealing the design or anything like that) and even improve them they kept doing what "the people" need...

But that's alright, I am lucky and privileged enough to have my Parker guitars and I am gonna keep playing them until they are damaged beyond any kind of repair (knock on wood and fingers crossed).

[InsideInfo]

"Try to only be within ten years or so ahead of your time; because that's the limit of what people are willing to embrace in the present."

Never heard that saying but I like it!

[DennisHu]

Hi Ken,
I’m so happy that lucky enough to own the two guitars you mention. Although the Concert is not a pre-refine area. But I’m really enjoy playing them.

[Big Swifty]

Nick (one of the very few addicted to your instruments here in Greece)

Greece!

I have family in Athens, was there just last year!

I'll shoot you message next time we head back to the "homeland", maybe catch up for a καφεδάκι, kαι θα τα πούμε!

B.S.

[Otter]

> My true faves have spruce or cedar bodies, so in spruce (one-piece of sitka spruce from out your way) it would be the “Artist” if you need the magnetics, and the “Concert” if you don’t.

> Cedar bodies were so very few, maybe 10?

Oh my gosh. Wow.

I have one of these super-rare Parker Fly Artist Cedar guitars. I was told by the seller (years ago) that only 6 were ever made but it sounds like perhaps there were a few more, "maybe 10?" Dang... I feel really fortunate.

I can definitely see why it's one of Ken's favorites too - it's also my personal favorite. I have 9 guitars and rarely pick up the others because this guitar is just that good. It's a masterpiece.