Parker guitars P-38, P-38 STANDARD, P-40, P-44 User Manual
P-SERIES Player’s Guide
®
®
Magnetic Pickup Volume
3-Way Magnetic Pickup Selector
Magnetic Pickup Tone
(with push/pull coil-split switch)
3-Way Piezo / Magnetic Pickup Selector
Piezo Volume
Forward: Magnetic Pickups Only
Middle: Combination
Back: Piezo Pickups Only
Forward: Neck Humbucker
Middle: Both Inside Coils (series / hum-canceling)
Back: Bridge Humbucker
(with tone pot push/pull switch pulled out)
Forward: Neck Humbucker
Middle: Both Inside Coils (series / hum-canceling)
Back: Bridge Humbucker
P-38 • P-38 STANDARD • P-40 • P-44
Dear Fellow Guitar Enthusiast:
Larry Fishman and I formed Parker Guitars in 1991. It continues to
be a rewarding project and a great education for us. We're thrilled
that you have chosen to make your music on our creation!
I designed the P-Series Guitars and Larry and I personally certified
the production process in one of the finest guitar production
facilities in the world. We're sure that you will be inspired by its
versatility, tone, outstanding quality, and playability.
Thanks for your support. Play from the heart!
-Ken Parker
P-SERIES SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
P-38, P-38 Standard & P-40: Ash
P-44: Mahogany with Maple top
Neck Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Neck Radius 12"
Scale length 25 ½"
Frets 22 medium jumbo nickel/silver
Bridge Custom Wilkinson
Fishman®piezo pickups
Magnetic Pickups Parker custom wound alnico pickups
P-38, P-38 Standard & P-40: One Humbucker and
two Single-coils
P-44: Two Humbuckers
Magnetic Controls P-38, P-38 Standard & P-40: Magnetic Pickup
Volume, Tone, and 5-way Pickup Selector
P-44: Magnetic Pickup Volume, Tone with push /
pull coil-split switch, and 3-way Pickup Selector
®
vibrato bridge featuring
On their own, the piezo pickups produce a subtle and intimate acoustic
guitar-like sound, but the true power of the P-38 is the ability to blend
the piezo and magnetic signals together. A special Fishman
®
active
circuit allows you to mix the two types of signals right on the guitar!
You can blend the piezo pickups with clean magnetic sounds to create
bright percussive tones or with your favorite distortion settings for fat,
two-guitar-like, mixes. You can even send the piezo and magnetic
signals to two different amplifiers for an amazingly lush split sound.
However you choose to blend (or split!) the sounds on your Parker PSeries guitar, the results are an exciting new range of hybrid clean and
dirty tones!
Along with the familiar Volume, Tone, and Magnetic Pickup selector
found on the P-38 Standard, the P-38, P-40 & P-44 are piezo equipped
models and feature additional controls for Piezo Volume and a
Magnetic / Piezo Pickup Selector switch.
P-38 & P-40 Controls
Magnetic Pickup Volume
5-Way Magnetic Pickup Selector
Forward: Neck Single Coil
Middle and Neck Single Coils (Hum-canceling)
Middle: Middle Single Coil
Inside Coil of Bridge Humbucker and
Middle Single Coil (Hum-canceling)
Back: Bridge Humbucker
Magnetic Pickup Tone
3-Way Piezo / Magnetic Pickup Selector
Forward: Magnetic Pickups Only
Piezo Volume
Middle: Combination
Back: Piezo Pickups Only
P-44 Controls
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES
• 3mm allen wrench (Bridge Stud Screws/Height Adjustment)
• 1.5mm allen wrench (Bridge Saddle Screws, Individual string height
screws, Vibrato Bar rotation tension screw)
• Steel rod capstan wrench (Truss rod adjustment)
• Stereo Y-cable (15 feet)
• Vibrato bar (5.2 mm.)
• Vibrato spring
CONTROLS
P-SERIES GUITARS (with piezo systems)
The Parker P-38, P-40 and P-44 are equipped with custom voiced
Parker alnico magnetic pickups along with Fishman®piezo transducers
mounted in a Wilkinson
transducers, or acoustic pickups, are integrated into each bridge
saddle and respond directly to the acoustic energy of your Parker
®
licensed vibrato bridge. These piezo
guitar's strings, providing a full-range acoustic sound quality.
P-SERIES STANDARD MODELS
Magnetic Pickup Volume
5-Way Magnetic Pickup Selector
Magnetic Pickup Tone
Forward: Neck Single Coil
Middle and Neck Single Coils (Hum-canceling)
Middle: Middle single-coil
Inside Coil of Bridge Humbucker and
Middle Single Coil (Hum-canceling)
Back: Bridge Humbucker
(without piezo systems)
The P-38 Standard features Custom Parker Alnico pickups along with
volume, tone and a 5-way pickup selector switch.
P-Series Standard Controls
Piezo Frequency Response
Piezo pickups have a far greater treble response than magnetic
pickups. Some amps have no trouble with the additional high
frequency output, but others may distort. If this happens, either lower
the piezo volume at the guitar or amp, or try lowering the treble
control of the amp.
Ground Loops
Sometimes when using two amps, there may be a loud hum when the
guitar is plugged into the second amp. This hum is caused by a
ground loop. This ground loop isn't the fault of the guitar (or the
amps for that matter), but rather the result of essential electrical safety
code requirements. Ground loops can occur whenever two pieces of
electronic equipment are connected.
NOTE: Do not disconnect or otherwise attempt to defeat ground connections on your
electrical equipment !!
There is ONLY ONE safe way to rid yourself of ground loops: Use a
Direct Box with a ground lift to isolate the two amps. Plug the
magnetic end of the stereo "Y" cable into one amp and the piezo end
into the Direct Box. Plug the Direct Box's output into a balanced input
on the second amp.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
AND CONTROLS
Stereo / Mono Operation
"Smart Switching" Output Jack
A special active circuit featuring a Fishman®"Smart Switching" output
jack, automatically senses whether a stereo or mono jack is inserted.
This circuit makes it possible to mix (sum) the piezo and magnetic
pickup signals, by automatically sensing the output cable, and play
both sounds through a single amp, or split them to two separate amps
or mixers.
1. Mono Guitar Cable
When a standard mono guitar cable is inserted, the guitar's two
signals (magnetic and piezo) are automatically mixed (summed).
Both sounds can be played through a single guitar amplifier or
mixer.
2. Stereo Cable
When a stereo guitar cable is inserted, the guitar's two signals
(magnetic and piezo) are automatically split into stereo. The
special stereo Y-cable provided with the guitar allows you to send
the two signals to two separate amplifiers. The buffered piezo
pickup signal (Ring) will sound its best through a PA, an acoustic
guitar amp, a keyboard amp, or some other high-fidelity unit.
Send the unbuffered magnetic pickup signal (Tip) to a traditional
electric guitar amplifier. Switching between the two signals (or
blending) is done with the 3-way Piezo/Magnetic pickup selector.
Battery
The 9-volt battery that powers the Fishman®piezo pre-amplifier has a
life of approximately 150 hours. The circuit switches on when a cable
is plugged into the guitar, so to conserve batteries, unplug the cable
when you're not playing your piezo equipped Parker guitar.
NOTE: To replace the battery, unscrew the small battery cover on the back of the guitar.
ADJUSTING YOUR GUITAR
If you're unfamiliar with adjusting instruments, we suggest that you
take your guitar to a qualified guitar technician. He or she can help
demonstrate these adjustments and you can decide which ones you
are comfortable making yourself and which ones you might prefer to
have made professionally.
Action
Action (bridge / string height) is adjusted by the two bridge post
screws located at the front edge of the bridge (illustration). Using the
larger 3mm allen wrench, turn the screws clockwise to lower the
bridge, and counterclockwise to raise it. Also, it's a good practice to
alternate between the two screws, taking no more than ¼ turn at a
time.
Individual string height is adjusted by the two small Allen screws on
each of the six bridge saddles. First loosen the saddle screw and then,
using the smaller 1.5mm allen wrench, turn the screws clockwise to
lower the saddle, and counterclockwise to raise it.
NOTE: P-Series guitars are shipped from the factory adjusted to a very low action of
.070" on the treble side and .080" on the bass, at the 14th fret (string open, not
fretted). If you lower your action even further, be aware that some buzzing may occur.
Intonation
To set the intonation (string length), loosen the screws that hold the
bridge saddles using the smaller 1.5mm allen wrench supplied with
the guitar.
· If a string plays sharp: Insert the same 1.5 mm allen wrench into
the back of the saddle. Turn the screw clockwise to move the saddle
back to make the string length longer.
· If a string plays flat: Turn the screw counter-clockwise to move the
saddle forward to make the string length shorter.
Once the strings are intonated re-tighten the saddle screws. Do not
over-tighten the saddle-screws. The piezo-electric elements in the
bridge are delicate, so be careful.
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