We already knew these guitars since, besides a personal, innovative design shown in its Fly model, we know they make good impressions among guitarists. Just a few days ago, I was (as a spectator) at a gig watching a band I didn't know. It was a group fusing ethnic and acoustic vibes with a powerful wall of guitars. When they set up their gear on stage, they placed two guitar amps. One was a big Marshall, the kind that blows your hair back; on the other side was a small (in size) VOX combo next to the well-known red Line 6 POD “kidney.”
When the musicians came on for soundcheck, a rather young guitarist appeared with a Gibson Les Paul and a somewhat more mature musician (thirty-something) with a Parker Fly. Seeing their look and the guitars hanging on them, I already knew beforehand which player owned which amp.
I tell you this anecdote for two reasons. The first, because I found it funny to be able to work out each one's setup from their look, age, and guitar. The second, because, no disrespect to Mr. Les Paul + super Marshall, after hearing three phrases my eyes and ears were fixed on the owner of the Parker. This guitarist played, and played a lot; I was also surprised at how good his guitar sounded in the different configurations he went through, from rowdy passages to clean phrases with powerful attacks.
About the PM-20
This manufacturer managed in its day to establish a totally personal design. Seeing the instrument from afar, you can already tell which guitar it is: Parker Fly.
The PM-20 is the first new Parker guitar shape since the Fly model was introduced eleven years ago. Born of the innovative design, with a mahogany single-cutaway body and set neck, the PM-20 incorporates Parker Stinger humbucker pickups.
Construction and Finish
I think it's important to highlight the design. Our eyes, accustomed to traditional designs throughout history, are somewhat astonished when we come across Parker. The lines of the guitar are bold and depart to some extent from the basic models that have been the reference for most manufacturers.
Once we've understood this new concept in Parker's design, we stop to analyze the guitar's shapes. None of its curves is random. It shows a clear study of where to place each curve so that it serves more than aesthetics, finding a practical purpose for every curvature. For example, the lower cutaway (horn) is quite open; this means greater freedom for the hand when we travel up the fretboard to the highest notes. The other side of this same section, that is, the part that would rest on the leg if we play seated, is well designed, because when playing in a chair the guitar sits comfortably on the leg. On the back of the body we find another curved line in the design, intended for a good fit of the body against the player's torso.
As for materials, if you've browsed the spec sheet you'll have read mahogany and maple or ebony. Korean manufacture with top-grade materials. For you (user or consumer), this means you get a guitar built with good raw material while its manufacture (by origin) has taken advantage of more economical labor and assembly systems. So you save a bit of money when you buy it.
Many of the latest mid-range guitars to reach our test benches have been conceived with mahogany bodies, see Paul Reed Smith, the Gibson Les Paul Faded series, and so on.
The finish is excellent and every detail is perfectly attended to.
Electronics and Sound
We find two Parker Alnico humbucker pickups. On the Alnico designation, I can add that this type of pickup appeared in the early 1950s (obviously I'm not referring to the Parker ones), with magnets of iron, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. As for the composition of the pickups developed by Parker, I lack the details. What I do know is the sound, since I've been testing every millimeter of the instrument.
Before we get tangled up in the sound, let's go over the rest of the circuit controls. It has a three-position pickup selector to select and combine the pickups, as well as two push-pull pots, that is, pots that besides turning also pull up and push down (two positions in total per pot). Logically, this type of pot offers more functions than a conventional one when it comes to adjusting our sound.
I used the Parker PM20 for several days to get a better feel for it. The truth is that the guitar pleasantly surprised me. Although its look doesn't thrill me, I like it because it seems solid, well built, and consistent. The feel on the fretboard makes you feel you're playing a pretty well-made guitar. It's not excessively soft but it isn't stiff either, so it's very manageable. The most appealing part is its sound. It's a versatile guitar, since it has the “warrior” adrenaline of dual-coil pickups, a good range of thick, beefy tones, and yet it doesn't lose attack or sparkle in clean sounds. Consequently, I find it a flexible instrument that can adapt to many settings and styles of music, at interesting levels of quality.
Bridge and Tuners
Little more to add. As the spec sheet shows, its tuners are Grover and the bridge is fixed, both in chrome. It has a curious string-anchoring system, since the strings pass through the top and bottom of the body before continuing to the bridge, neck, and headstock. This adds a differentiating touch to its revolutionary design.
As for the effect of these parts on intonation and tuning, the PM-20 passes with flying colors. You know that fixed bridges give less trouble than floating ones with a vibrato, but it's still wise to make sure the guitar tunes well, doesn't go haywire, and intonates perfectly all along the fretboard.
Conclusions
It's very good for new brands to make a strong entrance, offering us good gear and keeping the heavyweights from getting complacent. The more variety there is, the easier our search and choice become, and it encourages all companies to put out competitive products at good prices. That's the case with Parker, a company that has gotten off on the right foot, builds good guitars, and presents a reasonable range of prices. We'd have liked the fact that the guitar is made in Korea to show up as a bigger reduction in the retail price, although we accept the build materials as strong and see this PM-20 as a very interesting option among well-made, versatile guitars.
