February 11, 2008
From daily contact with guitarists, listening to their preferences and tastes, came the spark to start a new project that was a long way from conventional electric guitar designs. Let's get to know its secrets and quirks.
Parker is a relatively new company. In fact, in the world of guitar makers, you could say it's one of the youngest. It was founded in the early nineties by Ken Parker, a luthier who, like many others, began in the trade by repairing and building guitars for other musicians. His first workshop was located in Rochester, New York.
From daily contact with guitarists, listening to their preferences and tastes, came the spark to start a new project that was far from conventional electric guitar designs. That's how the Parker Fly was born, the first electric guitar with a true acoustic sound and a weight under two kilos. That, together with a peculiar design for the guitar's body and headstock, makes it an instantly recognizable model. That's the thread that has prevailed in the design of all the models that make up Parker's catalog. Also for the first time in guitar design, Ken Parker patented an epoxy resin coating over very lightweight woods, making the joint between body and neck invisible on the Fly model (named for its light weight). Later came the NiteFly, a model with a body design similar to the Fly, but this time with the neck bolted to the body.
That revolutionary way of building guitars was followed by a line of basses created with the same philosophy of light weight and ease of use. The Fly Bass is available in four- and five-string versions. It was only a matter of time before Parker moved into the acoustic world.
In 2004 he sold the company to US Music Corporation, a company based in Illinois. This move was the definitive leap into "the big leagues." For its coming-out party in the acoustic world, Parker bet on an established name like Fishman for piezo pickups. In the words of John Page, head of the company: "We understand that a guitar is an instrument to be played live, and all our efforts have gone into achieving a broad palette of sounds and nuances that were previously unavailable to the acoustic player." On the Event series, the magnetic pickup is complemented by a Fishman Acoustic Matrix pickup housed under the bridge.
In 2006 it introduced its first acoustic guitar models. With the Intrigue series came the most unusual shapes ever seen on an acoustic guitar. The upper part of the body traces a perfect arc, and the soundhole is elliptical, unlike the classic round one. Behind the design lies an entire study of the theory and physics of sound in the tonewoods used to build them. You could say the Intrigue series has been to the acoustic world what the Parker Fly was in its day to the electric one.
Event Series
At Parker most of the employees are guitarists, some of them acoustic players, so the desire to design acoustic guitars has always been there. The development of the Event Series is the result of a collaboration between our luthiers and our employees. Working together with Larry Fishman, we have developed a pickup system designed exclusively for Parker.
The P6E has a thinner body, but the same Sitka spruce top and rosewood sides. The sides, back and neck are made of mahogany; the fretboard and bridge are ebony with micro-dot inlays. The electronics consist of two pickups, a Fishman at the neck, which eliminates background noise, along with a Fishman Acoustic Matrix inside the bridge with XLR and 1/4" outputs. For the tuners, Parker opted for the gold Grover Sta Tite (97 series). The classic-style buttons and the 14:1 ratio ensure precise tuning.
P7EQS
The P7E has a beautiful quilted sapele top, mahogany back and sides, and a Fishman system designed exclusively for Parker.
P8E
Solid cedar top and flamed maple sides, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and bridge.
P9E
Solid cedar top and Indian rosewood back.
P10E
The P10E has a solid spruce top and a back and sides in bird's-eye maple.
Intrigue Series
The success of the Event™ series led us to develop a series of fully acoustic guitars for the purists. The woods used in construction come from the four corners of the globe and include spruce, cedar, bird's-eye maple and mahogany. With a folk body size, these guitars produce a balanced, well-articulated sound, ideal for professionals.
The Intrigue series has a zero fret for greater tonal stability, even on chords with open strings; the bridge has bass compensation and adds sustain, while the Gold Grover 14:1 tuners hold the tuning.
PA22
Solid cedar top with sapele sides and back, ebony fretboard and bridge.
PA24
Solid cedar top with bird's-eye maple sides and back, ivory-look fretboard and bridge.
PA28
Solid cedar top with rosewood sides and back, ebony fretboard and bridge.
Jazz Series
Parker guitars are known for their creativity and innovation, so it was foreseeable that we would turn our attention to jazz guitars. Using American woods, our craftsmen have carved maple and spruce to create a truly exciting jazz guitar, up to the demands of the best guitarists. Try it and see for yourself whether we've succeeded.
PJ14 N
Features a floating Egnater humbucker with the controls mounted on the pickguard. Five-ply maple neck with gold Grover tuners.
PJ12 SB
Features two Egnater humbuckers with individual volume and tone control, a brass tailpiece and a five-ply maple neck with gold Grover tuners.
Acoustic Basses
Designed from scratch, the Parker acoustic bass represents a step up in finish level and sound quality. Using the same design as the Event™ series, the PAB40 uses a feedback suppression system via slots in the top. It includes a Fishman Matrix Bass system for amplification. The fretboard is ebony and the bridge is balanced for perfect tuning. Our first acoustic bass may be the last one you'll ever want.
