The name Fly is a reference to boxing’s lightest division, flyweight, but the Parker Fly represents a redesign of every element of the electric solidbody guitar.

Ken Parker began developing his ideas while repairing and customising instruments in a NYC guitar shop. His goal of minimising weight led not only to the minimalist shapes of his horns and headstocks but also to the use of carbon/glass fiber as a strengthening material.

He also believed guitarists should be able to mix acoustic as well as traditional sounds, and to that end he partnered with acoustic pickup designer Larry Fishman. The Korg company (best known for synthesizers) financed the venture, and the Parker Fly debuted in 1992.

This Parker Nitefly from 1996 features three single-coil Dimarzio pickups in a traditional Stratocaster configuration, plus a Fishman piezo pickup in the bridge. The wood body – in this case maple – reflects Parker’s belief that wood is as vital to the tone of an electric guitar as it is in an acoustic, and all Parker Fly models have a wood body.