Parker guitars PARKER User Manual

PARKER GUITARS |A REVOLUTION IN PRECISION AND SOUND
FLY HANDBOOK
The first thing you notice is how they look. A little weird. Strangely geometric. With parallel horns that reach up like arms, that want to play you right back. And they do. Because the moment you pick up a Parker guitar, you'll feel its sculpted recesses embrace your torso while its featherweight body gives you effortless access to every note. And when we say “every note”, we mean every
note—From visceral, in-your-face electric tones to the warm, juicy harmonies of acoustic. They're all here, in one guitar. The entire spectrum of jaw­dropping, impassioned sounds, just waiting to be transformed into music. Your music. One moment you're playing blistering electric grind. The next—thick, meaty, strum-heavy acoustic. And the next, the two voices are wailing simultaneously, crunchi n g n o t es that were in your head before you even knew how to spell the word riff. What is this beast? It doesn't look like any ot he r g ui tar e ve r m ad e. It doesn't feel like any other guitar ever made. And there's no other guitar—period—that can turn sound into seduction like a Parker guitar.
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Evolution of the Parker Fly
• Features
• Operation
Plugging In
• Cords and Controls
Replacing Battery
• Maintenance
Cleaning and PolishingFret Care
• Adjustments
Balancing Piezo / Magnetic Output
Adjusting Bridge Height (Action)Vibrato BridgeNon-Vibrato Bridge
Adjusting Truss Rod
Setting Intonation
Changing Strings
Changing String Gauge
Using Sperzel Tuners
• Trem Bridge
Dynamic Mechanics (description, physics)
Step-stop
Balance Wheel
Vibrato Bar
Spring
Changing Springs
• Troubleshooting
No Sound
Buzzing
Ground Loops
Distorted Piezos
Weak or Distorted Sound
• — Won’t Stay in Tune
EVOLUTION OF THE FLY
For forty-five years, guitar builders and technicians have re-combined the features of available instruments in countless ways, trying to serve the changing needs of guitarists. The uses and limitations of the new combinations have been fully explored by now. As different as they seem, solid-body and hollow-body guitars both create sound the same way. Both guitars are mechanical devices made of wood and other materials, designed to respond to a string’s vibration. The only real difference is the mode of amplification. One uses pickups, circuitry and speakers; the other uses a wooden membrane to move the air.
The character of both acoustic and electric guitars is
determined by their materials and proportions.
Knowing this, we set out to create the most versatile, responsive, and dependable instrument possible. In the end, what emerged was the unique instrument that you now own. Our search has led us down many new paths in hopes of achieving a harmonious balance between the magic soulfulness of wood, which can suffer from problems such as warping and cracking, and more stable modern materials, which typically sound cold and clinical. Think of our lightweight tonewood and exoskeleton of high-modulus carbon and glass fiber as a new kind of wood. This patented structure allows us to sculpt a beautiful, lightweight guitar, optimized for its ability to respond to the strings’ vibrations. We have developed other innovative features, as well. Our patented stainless steel no-tang frets bonded to a laminated fingerboard, greatly increase fret life. There is also a new lightweight truss rod made of tool-steel, and a flat spring vibrato system designed to work with the Fly’s built-in piezo-elect ric bridge pickups.
Finally, we operate in a facility filled with custom tooling to support the man ufac ture of these new components and instruments. We’re using the latest computer-aided manufacturing equipment combined with an especially high propo rtion of hand work. We’re building these instruments to tolerances, never before held in our industry. Isn’t it great that all of our attempts to make every instrument exactly the same, result in guitars that each have their own personality and character?
FEATURES
Congratulations on purchasing the most advanced, hand-crafted, precision-built guitar ever made. Some of the features are:
• Stereo / Mono Capability
• Smart-Switching Jack Sensor
• Fishman Piezo Electric Transducers
• Composite-Wrapped Tone Woods
• Seasonally Stable Neck
• DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan Pickups with Coil Splitting
• Sperzel Brand Locking Tuners
• Long-Lasting Stainless Steel Frets
• Custom Parker Bridge
• Ultra-Lightweight
PLUGGING AND PLAYING
Cords (stereo / mono)
Fly models, Nylon Fly and Bronze Fly, are active guitars with mono output. Just plug in a standard cord and play. Remember, your Fly is equipped with a battery, so be sure to unplug the cord from the guitar when not in use to prolong battery life. The Fly Standard model (non-piezo) is passive with mono output. No battery is required.
Fly models, Two, and Mojo, have active piezo and magnetic pickups, which are designed to work with either the stereo guitar cord shipped with the guitar or a standard guitar cord (mono). The onboard smart-jack circuit can tell the difference and automatically mixes the signal according to the type of cord that is plugged into the guitar. This allows you to route the pickups two different ways.
With a standard guitar cord in use, a mixed piezo and magnetic mono signal is carried to one amplifier.
With the stereo cord in use, the guitar output is split into stereo with the piezo signal going to one amplifier and the magnetic signal going to another amplifier. The stereo cord that is provided with the guitar allows you to send the signals to two different amplifiers.
To get the most acoustic sound from the piezo pickups, use a hi-fidelity system, such as a PA, acoustic guitar amp, keyboard amp, or home stereo.
Deluxe, Classic, Hardtail, Artist, Supreme, Jazz, Single
Controls
Your guitar has two separate systems for creation of sound: the piezo­electric transducers (acoustic bridge saddles) and the magnetic pickups (conventional guitar pickups). You can use them separately or together.
Here’s how:
Pickup system selection (piezo and/or magnetic)
Switch Positions:
I. Only piezo pickups activated
I
II II. Piezo and magnetic pickups activated III. Only magnetic pickups activated
III
Your magnetic pickup system is only activated if you’ve chosen either II or III above. This system consists of two humbucker pickups with a coil tap. You can use these pickups separately or together in six possible combinations.
Here’s how:
Magnetic pickup selection
With Push-Pull Tone Knob DOWN
A. Neck humbucker pickup B. Bridge and neck humbucker pickups C. Bridge humbucker pickup
With Push-Pull Tone Knob UP
A. Neck single coil pickup (split coil) B. Bridge and neck single coils wired in parallel
C. Bridge single coil pickup (split coil)
Both systems have volume knobs:
The magnetic pickup volume is controlled by knob 3. The magnetic circuit also has a treble-cut tone knob on knob 2. The piezo volume is controlled by knob 1.
Push-pull knob 2 to control magnetic coil splitting.
3
2
1
To get the most acoustic sound from the piezo pickups, use a hi-fidelity system, such as a PA, acoustic guitar amp, keyboard amp, or home stereo.
Battery
The battery is there to provide power to the on-board piezo preamp and the internal mixer. This unique mixer circuit uses sophisticated voltage-doubling synthesis circuitry, that gives you twice the clean headroom, compared to common on-board electronics. This circuit enables the Fly to blend the magnetic pickups with the active piezos, expanding the range of tonal options.
The battery has a useful life of approximately 300 hours. It’s turned on when a cord is plugged into the guitar. To extend battery life, please remember to remove the plug when you’re not playing your guitar.
When the battery is low, a distorted output signal or a high-pitched whistle will serve as an audio reminder to change the battery.
Replacing the Battery
The 9-Volt battery slides into a compartment on the back plate of the guitar. To replace the battery, open the battery box door. Remove the old battery and insert the new battery. Be sure to match the battery’s positive terminal with that of the battery box. Close the battery box door.
Loading...
+ 22 hidden pages