I've been seeing a lot of buzz around pretty much every brand with previews for new models in 2016, but not Parker. Has anyone heard or seen anything about their new models for NAMM? I'd personally love to see 7 string and/or 24 fret guitars in the PDF series.
Parker Guitars 2016?
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marcwormjim
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Yea. They closed. I made an order in Jan of last year for a MaxxflyDF842 and by august I think, they canceled my order(after assuring me a month prior my order was still going to be completed) and closed shop.
Yep with no US production facility if there is anything new it will just be the cheap import stuff, which has been less than stellar.
never got to play a parker. bummed.
I just wanted to put a little salt in the wound. My DF824 & Fly Deluxe 
DeathCubeK
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i have a parker pm10 from the days when they still made the overseas models in korea. it's a fantastic guitar. my friend has an OG parker fly and obviously that's amazing too. i really wish someone with good ideas would just buy parker guitars and get them out from washburn's horrible thumb.
Bucks
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Why do you think Ken Parker sold up in the first place? They just weren't selling.
Its a hard sell for truly innovative and forward thinking guitars like parkers in this market, where most people don't want innovation, they want the same thing that been built since the 50's.
Steinberger are another brand that's had real difficulties, and those guitars, like parkers, were real progressions on the original guitar design... transtrem, graphite necks etc.
The 1995 deluxe I had in emerald green was still one of the best guitars I have had.
LordHar
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Also, in a Ken Parker interview he said that they were making $10.000 guitars that they sold for $2000. I still have my original Deluxe and will hang on to it as long as I can.
It's easy to beat the usual "traditionalists don't buy new things" drum, and it wouldn't be entirely wrong, but he's right: USMusicCorp killed Parker, and Washburn in all likelihood isn't too far behind.
When quality dips, prices soar and output diminishes it doesn't matter what you're trying to sell, it's gonna fail.
Ken got out because he wants to make two or three archtops a year and has little interest in electric guitar these days.
Steinberger is another great example of a terribly managed brand.
Petar Bogdanov
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It's even harder if you have bad sounding pickups for the first 10 years and the frets fall off.
Well, I happen to like the DiMarzio's in my 90's Parkers but maybe that's just me (they're essentially just Air Norton and Tone Zones, which seem to have a decent reputation in general).
The frets falling off issue was after the sale to US Music, during the transition when there were a bunch of QC issues. Even then, I think it was overblown; it really was very few guitars that made it out with bad glue, Parker was responsive about fixing them, and even gluing them back yourself was a trivial operation compared to doing basically any fret work on a regular guitar.
Overall, I'm sad to see Parker closing down like this, but at the same time, I feel like they've been kind of a shell of a company since KP left, lacking real direction or vision. The move to cheaper import models without carbon fiber or SS frets never sat well with me and, IMO, diluted the brand. I liked a few of the recent Dragonfly models (finally a 7) and the new style basses, but I think they were too little, too late. Maybe this is for the best.
Bucks
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I liked the Dimarzio's in my deluxe too.
I've never heard of frets falling off, or any other serious QC issues on a pre 2003 Parker. Everyone knows the quality went to .... when US music took control, but before that they were built to a very high standard.
I've never heard of frets falling off, or any other serious QC issues on a pre 2003 Parker. Everyone knows the quality went to .... when US music took control, but before that they were built to a very high standard.
I owned 2 brand new Parker 7 and they were both top notch, I can't think of how it's possible to get better. Not a single flaw at all, neck & fretwork were just perfection. In fact, they were probably above PRS and Suhr's I own/owned in terms of quality, because the fretwork was just insane. The ONLY thing I disliked and the only reason why I sold both, was the lack of powerful and massive attack on thicker strings that I like so much and that I find on Mayones and some other brands (Vik). No matter how hard I was picking on the strings they always sounded tamed somehow, resulting in a mellow and rather dead palm mutes, with really weak chuggs. Other than that easily my favorite 7 stringers by far.
marcwormjim
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I had a 90s Deluxe and an '08 Mojo. I felt the '03 Fly revisions were the only things USMC did right:
1. Replaced the outdated, proprietary circuitry with "normal" point-to-point wiring between common, Gibson-style components.
2. Moved the wheel to the back; where jackasses in music stores couldn't turn them just to see what they did.
3. Replaced the HORRIBLE battery access with a normal quick-change door.
I also appreciated their efforts to continually improve the piezo-saddles - Shame they didn't end up with Graphtech and the Hexpander system until it was too late. By that point, they were asking five grand or so for a production-model.
Still, among the best guitars I ever played, and a fine tribute to the Jetsons. RIP.
1. Replaced the outdated, proprietary circuitry with "normal" point-to-point wiring between common, Gibson-style components.
2. Moved the wheel to the back; where jackasses in music stores couldn't turn them just to see what they did.
3. Replaced the HORRIBLE battery access with a normal quick-change door.
I also appreciated their efforts to continually improve the piezo-saddles - Shame they didn't end up with Graphtech and the Hexpander system until it was too late. By that point, they were asking five grand or so for a production-model.
Still, among the best guitars I ever played, and a fine tribute to the Jetsons. RIP.
They had a few issues like ALL guitar makers do, but my 2013 Dragonfly is literally the best guitar I have ever laid my hands on. Comparing it to my 96 fly, they are totally equal in quality level(I prefer the lack of pointy fly horn on the DF thought). These guitars are as nice as ANY guitar ever made.BuckarooBanzai
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I don't know if Steinberger was so much terribly-managed as they were in the wrong place at the wrong time... the early 90's saw both the boutique/vintage gear and grunge explosions happen, neither of which are conducive to a headless composite instrument with a transposing tremolo. While Gibson certainly did screw the pooch I might also argue that they had no chance to begin with. Granted, I wasn't there, but I know what people say about my Steinberger in the year 2016 and I can't imagine it having been much better 25 years ago.
Ned couldn't produce them adequately and almost folded, so he sold the brand before it went under in 1987. Gibson was set to fail, but it's also thier fault for producing less than stellar quality instruments those first few years and then later letting things slide even more.
Nothing was stopping Parker or Steinberger from even trying to adapt to changing markets, and they certainly did try, but it was always too little too late.
Warg Master
Weeping strings...
Damn, I had a parker in my list of "eventually" guitars... guess it will have to be used...
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