Ken Parker made his first guitar, from wood and cardboard, aged 13. He went on to study various aspects of woodworking and tool making, and, while working in the NY area in the 1970s, gained valuable insights into instrument design from established experts such as lute builder Robert Meadow and archtop luthier Jimmy D’Aquisto. These eclectic influences all combined to the birth, in 1992, of the Parker Fly.

The guitar is so named because it has an “exoskeleton” (like an insect’s) of carbon and glass fiber over it’s wooden neck and body. As Parker has put it, “this structure allows us to sculpt a beautiful lightweight guitar, optimized for it’s ability to respond to the strings’ vibrations”.

The Fly’s stainless steel frets are set directly into it’s keyboard. Despite being packed with sophisticated electronics the Fly weighs only about 5 pounds.