Parker
Parker
Also known as: Parker Guitars
UnclaimedParker Guitars was an American electric guitar manufacturer founded in 1993 by luthier Ken Parker, with critical contributions from acoustic pickup designer Larry Fishman. The company built its reputation on the Parker Fly, an electric guitar that paired a lightweight wooden core—typically spruce, poplar, or basswood—with a carbon fiber and fiberglass composite exoskeleton, producing an instrum...
$2,500.00
Parker Guitars was an American electric guitar manufacturer founded in 1993 by luthier Ken Parker, with critical contributions from acoustic pickup designer Larry Fishman. The company built its reputation on the Parker Fly, an electric guitar that paired a lightweight wooden core—typically spruce, poplar, or basswood—with a carbon fiber and fiberglass composite exoskeleton, producing an instrument that weighed roughly 4.5 lbs while offering exceptional rigidity and resonance. The Fly also integrated traditional magnetic pickups alongside a piezoelectric bridge pickup system co-designed with Fishman, enabling players to blend electric and acoustic-style tones from a single guitar. The design accumulated 11 patents and was collected by both the Smithsonian Institution and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The lineup expanded over the years into several variants: the NiteFly offered a more affordable bolt-on neck configuration; the Fly Mojo featured a solid mahogany body with Seymour Duncan pickups; and the MaxxFly, introduced in 2010, revised the original Fly with a more traditionally shaped upper horn, a modified headstock compatible with standard wall hangers, and 22 frets rather than 24. These instruments attracted a following among professional musicians including The Edge, Pete Townshend, Trent Reznor, and David Lynch, drawn to the guitars' combination of low weight, tonal versatility, and unconventional aesthetics.
Ken Parker sold the company to U.S. Music Corporation in 2003, which subsequently passed to Jam Industries. U.S. production operated out of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, until the facility closed in 2016. The brand retains a dedicated community of players and collectors, supported by independent forums and resources focused on the preservation and modification of surviving instruments.
Parker has 83 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars, Acoustic-Electric Guitars, and Electric Basses. Their gear is featured by 58 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Metal, and Pop. Notable users include Gustavo Cerati, Greg Gonzalez, and Adam Dutkiewicz. Most Parker products sit firmly in the high-end, boutique range.
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