1998 Parker Fly Concert Solidbody Acoustic/Electric - Extremely Rare/New Condition

[jpbaldwin86]

Up for sale is a 1998 Parker Fly Concert guitar in new condition. For pictures, see the following file:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u1lgmepqc...mT1jLl4ta?dl=0

I assume that anyone viewing the ad is familiar with the Parker Fly, so I'll only briefly go over Parker's history.

Parker Guitars were the creation of visionary luthier Ken Parker in the 90's. His original design was the Parker Fly Deluxe, which incorporated carbon fiber, custom designed pickups, and newly created Fishman piezo transducers. The guitars were made of lightweight tonewoods, like poplar and basswood, and covered with a carbon fiber epoxy to give the instrument strength. These elements worked together to create an instrument that was very lightweight, but had amazing acoustic properties, giving the ability to blend together electric and convincing acoustic sounds in the same guitar.

The Parker Fly Concerts were made of solid spruce, and had no magnetic pickups. They were hand-carved one at a time to provide the most light-weight, acoustically resonant tone possible. With bronze strings, these guitars were designed to give an amazingly acoustic sound and feel.

In the early 2000's, Ken Parker sold Parker Guitars to US Music/Korg. The instruments were then mass produced for the next few years, but with a different level of quality and attention to detail.

This is a 1998 Parker Fly Concert model (they were later renamed the Bronze in later years after US Music took over.) The guitar is entirely original, with no modifications. It is in absolutely excellent, new condition. There are no cracks, chips, or damage of any kind, and the stainless steel frets still appear new. The guitar has been lovingly played over the years, but meticulously taken care of. It weighs only around 4.5 lbs, and is incredibly balanced.

This finish, called "Ebony", was only produced for less than two years. Unlike the "Dusty Black" finish used on the Parker electrics, Ebony was a rich black color that was described (accurately) as Grand Piano-like. And indeed, while the finish is opaque, its thin enough that you can still see the ridges in the grain of the spruce when looking at reflections on the surface of the guitar.

The only signs of age on the guitar are a little oxidation on the input jack and some swirling in the finish, which this color was notorious for. I've made sure to minimize this over the years by only wiping it down with a microfiber cloth kept in a plastic bag to minimize dust contamination.

In addition to the great condition, the guitar was also originally set up by Joe Glaser of Glaser Guitars in Nashville. While he's very well known, in the Parker world he's best known for doing the setups and modifications for Adrian Belew's personal Parker Fly's. I've typically strung the guitar with D'Addario phosphor bronze 12's to give the most accurate acoustic sound and feel. However, I've experimented with 10's and 11's at times, and have also had great success.

$3750 includes the original Parker Case (also in excellent condition), shipping with insurance and tracking, and payment via PayPal. All reasonable offers will be considered.

There were very few of these instruments ever made, and it is almost impossible to find an original Ken Parker-era one in this type of closet-classic condition. If you have any questions, or would like more pictures or sound samples, feel free to email me.

[sportycliff]

Beautiful!

Wish finances were better, always wanted another Fly, and this one looks special.
GLWTS!!

[jpbaldwin86]

Thanks! It is a beautiful instrument! I'm a huge fan of Ken Parker's designs...a true visionary.

[jpbaldwin86]

...I thought for those unfamilair with the instrument, I'd clarifiy that this is a solidbody acoustic. It designed to use acoustic strings (it's currently strung with D'Addario phosphor bronze 12's), and gives a remarkably acoustic sound without any feedback issues, and is perfectly egonomically balanced at less than 5lbs.