Parker Guitars NiteFly SA

This was an older NiteFly SA guitar made in the USA by Ken Parker.
DiMarzio pickups: a humbucker in bridge and 2 single coils. A piezo in the vibrato.
1 volume + 1 tone, piezo circuit: 1 volume.
5 way pickup selector switch positions and a a mono/stereo button.
The piezoelectric circuit is active and therefore requires a 9 volt battery.
The guitar body wood is swamp ash and the neck is wood? with carbon fiber or all carbon fiber, I can't quite remember.
The bridge is a Parker trem and comes with stainless steel frets, a graphite nut and Sperzel tuners.
It is easy to set the bridge height and to adjust the neck for great playability.


UTILIZATION

Upper fret access is very good on this guitar. The neck carve is very nice, kind of a D mixed with C shape that is very comfortable.
It is a very ergonomically designed guitar - very light and easy to play in all positions. One drawback was the upper horn can dig into your chest when you are sitting down and playing it, otherwise it's great.
It has stainless stell frets, that are fantastic, and the fast neck make playing leads very easy.
There are a wide variety of sounds available due to the 5 way switch and humbucker and two single pickups.
The bridge is solid, but I bought it used without the trem bar, so I was never able to use it to see how well it worked. In the five years I owned the guitar I didn't need to reset it up - it was very stable.




SOUNDS

I used this guitar with custom built Peters amplifiers, which are kind of a cross between a Peavey 5150 and high gain Marshall/VHT with a little Boogie thrown in. It was also used with these amps:an Egnater IE4 pre, Marshall TSL, Mesa DC-5 and Peavey 5150II. The amp was paired with an Avatar 4x12 that had Celestion G12h -30's and a Splawn 4x12 with Governor/ManOWar speaker combo,a VHT FB cab and a stock Marshall 1960B.

I usually go for a nice thick Jerry Cantrell AIC tone, to use with my modern rock/metal band.

The guitar had a very open sound to it and all frequencies were represented fairly when it was played UNPLUGGED. When amplified with distortion and not the sound was very thin and uninspiring. The neck single coil had some good tones in it but for what I needed this guitar to do it was disappointing!

I couldn't use the amplified sound so I just kept it to practice on.

My favorite sounds with this guitar were the unplugged and neck pickup sounds. Least favorite tones were all the other sounds. Overall, it did not suit my style of music very well!


OVERALL OPINION

I absolutely loved the stainless steel frets - this was the first gutiar I bought with these and they spoiled me. Now I only have and buy guitars with ss frets! I beat the hell out of this guitar and the frets still looked perfect when I sold it.
I also liked it's light weight.
I didn't like how this guitar sounded amplified at all. Very thin and no punch. I am not sure if it was because of the pickups, wood or both. It sounded ok unplugged but never worked for me amplified.
Knowing what I know no, I would not have bought this. Maybe would have gotten a NiteFly M or saved my money. But it was a fun experiment and I abused it and the frets never wore so I didn't lose much money when I resold it.
Value for the used price was ok 6/10 as well.

I have owned many guitars and had a number of years where I would buy, try and flip, which enabled me to have many guitars around to try out.
This guitar had a very limited sound I could work with but was a great player.

- Guitars made in the USA in the workshops of Ken Parker.
- DiMarzio pickups: a humbucker in bridge and 2 single coils. A piezo in the vibrato.
Magnetic circuit: 1 volume + 1 tone, piezo circuit: 1 volume.
Switch 3 positions: all magnetic, piezo and mix of both.
The piezoelectric circuit is active and therefore requires a 9 volt battery (which lasts about a year if not leave the jack plugged in all the time).
- Key composite materials (carbon fiber?) Involved in its originality and makes it both comfortable and powerful: you speeding! The tension of the handle is easily adjustable via a knob accessible bottom of the handle.
- Parker Vibrato carbon, ultra light, ultra-precise, ultra-efficient. The settings of the bridge height and amplitude of vibrato are easily accessible. For the amplitude of the vibrato, the screw adjustment reduces gradually the race front and back then it blocks the rear, it shortened the race before and finally it crashes when the screw is bottomed.
- Mechanical self-locking Sperzel: no more excuse of mechanical or vibrato when tuning crappy!
- Jack stereo outputs with a small button for switching from mono (microphones and piezo sets) to stereo (separate microphones and piezo).

In general, the finishes are impeccable.

UTILIZATION

- The handle is a boulevard, all users acknowledge Parker. Access to acute can not be easier, the frets are super accurate and are made to last.
- Ergonomics is optimal (too?). As far as sitting up, she is very well balanced and most importantly, it is light! He must love her look devastating (head reduced to a bare minimum to keep 6 strings, horn protruding) ... but when you love ...
- The capabilities of settings that guitar are very large: the adjustment of the handle can customize it without every two months at the maker of the corner, setting the vibrato can experience all your desires, then change them to the next concert ... The configuration of the microphones can also innovate and customize your game without cramming the manual for a month. In addition, with the stereo output, well used, you have two guitars in the hands (imagine you do an arpeggio with a grain side of the microphones and the other attack and warmth of piezo ... attention, in front, it can be very very bad!)
- Vibrato is ... solid! You can skip over the nerves, he returned to his place and taunts you with an agreement that did not flinch. For inveterate tremolo, this guitar is for you: it has the same performance as a floyd rose without all p ****** disadvantages.

To conclude: there 's enough to have fun with tons of possibilities among which is necessarily your game and your sound!

SOUNDS

Then the sound: you guessed it, it's very versatile!
This guitar sounds "modern" (meaning that it has not been done in the spirit "vintage"), she approaches a Start HSS.
Therefore focus on funk, hardcore, metal, jazz ... I think it fits very well with all that is merger (free jazz, metal melting ...).
The humbucker can let go of distortion without complex and always keeping a good definition. The two singles are just beautiful, clear and warm, delicious. Intermediate positions are very "strata", ideal for funk or arpeggios transcendent when coupled with the piezo. This alone will never give the illusion of a Takamine or Ovation (though studio or in a good "all-tube "...) but coupled with the pickups, it gives them the attack and the little extra that you will pass in front of everyone in the mix without volume changes. The separate volume knobs provide a fine blend of both (my favorite being serious substantive and micro piezo to 3 / 4 !!!). Use of the stereo that gives more depth, it is staggering!

Basically, a guitar to sound "modern" ultra-versatile, warm and precise.
I put that 8 because I am a vintage revival at the moment ...

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar with me for 7 years and I still do not seem to have explored all its playability and sound. I wanted a strato but I wane this guitar that I had seen a few times. In 7 years I believe two other guitarists who have filled but who want one.

Its great advantage: be specific and versatile both! Its look, the scope of its setting make it specific, and its handle config microphones make it very versatile.
Special mention for the stereo output and especially for the tremolo which is really exceptional.

The difference is really sharp with his little sisters Korean (Question finish, especially, and accessories) as its big sisters Fly ... I'll let you look at the price on the label. The quality / price Nitefly this is not necessarily exceptional, but good for U.S. ...

Conclusion: we must love, but when you love ... it's for a very long time!