PARKER GUITARS

NITEFLY HANDBOOK
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 with our creation! Guitar players of every style in more than 20 nations are choosing the Fly Guitar, and some have suggested that the Fly is taking its rightful place alongside other ground breaking and enduringly great designs of yesteryear. Thanks to your support, our little duet of inventors has grown to a sturdy group of craftspeople collaborating to make the most useful and highest quality instrument available. Feedback from you guitarists influenced us to design a "bolt-on" sibling to the Fly. Your comments, suggestions and criticism helped to shape the NiteFly. We chose the pickguard format to simplify changes in the pickups. The neck shape is thicker; with "firmer cheeks". The frets are taller and wider. The body, similar in outline and contouring, bears a distant resemblance to other members of the Fly family. Your input will continue to inspire us as we develop new instruments with new capabilities for years to come. Meanwhile, we expect you'll enjoy many years of faithful service from your NiteFly.
Thanks for your support. Play from the heart!

Ken Parker

SPECIFICATIONS
Body Neck Fingerboard Neck Radius Scale length Frets Tuning Machines Bridge Magnetic Pickups
NFV-SA: Ash NFV-M: Mahogany Mahogany ?? Compound Radius (10" to 13") 25 " 22 medium jumbo hardened stainless steel Locking Sperzel Custom Parker cast aluminum bridge featuring Fishman piezo pickups Custom DiMarzio magnetic pickups NFV-SA: One Humbucker and two single-coil NFV-M: Two Humbuckers NFV-SA: Magnetic Pickup Volume, Tone, and 5-way Pickup Selector NFV-M: Magnetic Pickup Volume, Tone, and 3-way Pickup Selector Fishman active preamp/mixer Piezo Volume, 3-way Magnetic/Piezo Selector Switch Sperzel locking

Magnetic Controls

Piezo System Piezo Controls
Specifications subject to change without notice.

FEATURES

1. Sperzel locking tuning machines 2. Hardened stainless steel frets
3. Composite fingerboard 4. One piece solid wood neck encapsulated in glass and carbon fibers
5. Solid hardwood body 6. Easy-Access truss rod adjuster
7. 3/16" stainless steel vibrato bar
8. Custom DiMarzio magnetic pickups 9. Cast aluminum bridge with stainless steel bridge saddles and Fishman piezo pickups

10. Stereo output jack

CONTROLS
Along with the familiar Volume, Tone, and Magnetic Pickup selector found on most electric guitars, there are also controls for Piezo Volume, Magnetic / Piezo Pickup Selector and a Stereo / Mono Switch. Magnetic Volume 5-Way Magnetic Pickup Selector (NiteFly-SA Model) Stereo / Mono Switch
Out: Stereo Output (Magnetic and Piezo pickup signals split to two separate amps) In: Summed Mono Output (Magnetic and Piezo pickup signals sent to a single amp)

Magnetic Tone

Piezo / Magnetic Pickup Selector Piezo Volume
Forward: Magnetic Pickups Only Middle: Combination Back: Piezo Pickups Only

STEREO / MONO SWITCH

The NiteFly features a special Fishman active circuit allowing you to blend the magnetic and piezo pickup signals right on the guitar. The pickguard mounted Stereo / Mono Switch makes it possible to mix (sum) the piezo and magnetic pickup signals and play both sounds through a single amp, or split them to two separate amps or mixers. 1. MONO With the stereo / mono switch in the IN position, the guitar's two signals are mixed. In this mode, simply use a standard guitar cable and a standard guitar amplifier. Thanks to the NiteFly's active circuit, in the mono mode, the "Both" position offers some unique sounds! 2. STEREO With the stereo / mono switch in the OUT position, the guitar's output is stereo. The special cable (stereo "Y") provided with the guitar allows you to send the two signals to two separate amplifiers. The full sonic potential of the piezo pickup can be achieved by a high fideli-

ty, full-range amplification system such as a PA, an acoustic guitar amp, or keyboard amp.
If a mono cable is used and the stereo / mono switch is in the OUT / STEREO position, only the magnetic pickup sound will be heard. If the stereo to "Y" mono cable is used with the Stereo / Mono switch set in the IN / MONO position, both the magnetic and piezo outputs will be heard through one amp and only the piezos through the other.

BATTERY

Because the two kinds of pickups have "irreconcilable impedance differences", their outputs cannot be mixed without the help of an electrically powered (active) circuit. The 9 Volt battery that powers the Fishman piezo preamp has a life of approximately 200 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 NiteFly. NOTE: To replace the battery, release the catch and swing open the doors. The flip-out holder will not close if the battery is installed incorrectly. Please be gentle!!!

DEAD BATTERY BLUES

Not on the NiteFly!! If your battery is weak, dead, or missing, you can still use the magnetic pickups! Just switch to stereo mode, and switch the Magnetic / Both / Piezo selector switch to Magnetic and PLAY the blues!

PIEZO BALANCE TRIM POT

Your guitar is equipped with a Piezo Balance Trim Pot. We set this control at the factory so that the full volume outputs of the piezo and magnetic systems are equal. Since string gauges and pickup height affect the output of the magnetic pickups, you may want to change the relative levels of the two systems by adjusting the piezo output. To do this, remove the three pickguard screws nearest the controls. Carefully lift the pickguard and adjust the small white control located on the Stereo / Mono switch circuit board with a small screwdriver. This "trim pot" adjusts the output of the piezo pickup.

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 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.

ADJUSTING YOUR PARKER GUITAR If you're unfamiliar with adjusting instruments, we suggest that you take your NiteFly to a qualified guitar technician. He or she can help demonstrate these adjustments and you can decide which ones you might prefer to have made professionally.

VIBRATO ADJUSTMENT

Start from HOME
When the bridge is adjusted parallel to the top of the guitar (see illustration 1) and the guitar is in tune, the bridge is in the HOME position.

Illustration 1

NiteFly Guitars are set up at the Parker Guitar Factory with D'Addario.009" -.042" strings. Three coil springs balance the tension of the strings. When you change string gauges or use alternate tunings, you alter the string tension. This changes the attitude of the bridge, and therefore you will need to re-adjust the bridge to the HOME position. To do this, remove the back cover, and with the guitar tuned to pitch, tighten or loosen the two Phillips head "CLAW" screws (illustration) to reset the bridge parallel to the top of the guitar. The NiteFly Vibrato is a high quality, stable system that can be operated in three modes:
1. Balanced - In this mode the bridge can bend up and down ("free floating"). The Stop Screw must be adjusted (lowered) so that it won't prevent the bridge from bending up. The HOME position of the bridge is set by adjusting the Claw Screws (balancing the tension of the coil springs). 2. Bend Down - The NiteFly comes set up from the Parker Guitar factory in Bend Down
mode. In this mode the bridge can only band down and returns HOME to rest lightly against the Stop Screw. The springs must be tensioned slightly more than in the Balanced mode so that the bridge at HOME is held against the Stop Screw. Unlike the Balanced mode, you can rest your hand on the bridge without throwing it out of tune.
3. Fixed - This mode is similar to Bend Down mode. HOME position is also setup by contact with the Stop Screw. Additional spring force is applied against the stop by tightening the Claw Screws. The bridge will still bend down, but with a stiffer feel. In this mode you can bend a string while other strings are sounded and not change their pitch. Like the Band Down mode, resting your hand on the bridge will not throw it out of tune. No matter which mode you prefer to use, it's quickest to tune, set intonation, and adjust the action of your NiteFly in the Fixed mode.

STOP SCREW

Using the larger T-handle Allen wrench supplied with your guitar, the Stop Screw (see illustration 2) can be adjusted to limit or stop the bridge from bending up to any desired place. NOTE: When you raise or lower the Action you should also raise or lower the Stop Screw by the same amount (unless the Stop Screw has already been fully lowered for the Balanced mode).
Phillips head claw screws

Stop screw

Action (bridge/string height)

Illustration 2

ACTION
Action (bridge / string height) is adjusted by two screws from the back of the guitar (illustration). Using the larger T-handle Allen wrench, turn the screws clockwise to lower the bridge, and counterclockwise to raise it. Also, it's good practice to alternate between the two screws, taking no more than turn at a time.

TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT

If you're unfamiliar with adjusting a truss rod, we STRONGLY suggest that you have this adjustment made by a qualified guitar technician. The truss rod adjuster wheel is easily accessible. To adjust the truss rod, use the 1/8" steel rod supplied with your guitar. Rotate the wheel towards the high E string to tighten the truss rod and towards the low E string to loosen it.

INTONATION

To set the intonation (string length), loosen the screws that hold the bridge saddles using the smaller T-handle Allen wrench supplied with the guitar. If a string plays sharp, slide the saddle back to make the string longer. If it plays flat, slide it forward. Do not over-tighten the saddlescrews. The Piezo-electric elements in the bridge are delicate, so be careful. The eraser end of a pencil is a safe tool for sliding the saddles. No hitting!!! (Be nice.)

TUNING MACHINES

>>>>>(need description of use) We proudly use Sperzel tuners - designed and manufactured in the USA - because they combine excellent quality and design, the best string locking system, and minimum weight. Sperzel's patented string clamp eliminates the need for tying and multiple string wraps, greatly improving tuning stability.
Our patented fret and fingerboard consists of hardened stainless steel frets bonded to a glass and carbon fiber fret-board. Not only will these unique frets outlast ordinary soft nickel frets, but due to our totally super-accurate manufacturing processes, they all have the correct "half-round" shape. The frets may only be serviced at the Parker Guitar Factory or by a Parker Authorized Repair Facility. Fret service performed otherwise will void warranty.

LIMITED WARRANTY There is a 1-year limited warranty beginning on the date of first customer purchase on all unmodified and properly cared for Parker Guitars. Any Parker Guitar found to be defective within the 1-year warranty period set forth above will be repaired or replaced at the option of Parker Guitars provided the guitar is promptly delivered (freight and insurance prepaid) directly to Parker Guitars for service. Please contact Parker's Product Support office at (978) 988-0102 for information, return authorization, and a Parker Work Order Number. Please visit the Parker Guitars website at www.parkerguitars.com for more detailed warranty information.
WARRANT REPAIRS OUTSIDE THE U.S.
For warranty repairs outside the U.S. please contact either the dealer from whom you purchased the guitar, or the Authorized Parker Distributor in your country for information and assistance.
NOTHING PLAYS LIKE A PARKER

WWW.PARKERGUITARS.COM

2000 Parker Guitars NiteFly is a registered trademark of Parker Guitars. Parker Guitars are patented by one or more of the following U.S. patents: 5125312, 5305674, 5337644. Other patents pending. 8-2-00

I love music, and I love guitars. The guitar has been the most important musical instrument of my generation, and I believe it will continue to be for a long time to come. My fascination with the guitar and all the wonderful musicians who have embraced it has inspired and shaped my working life. More than 30 years ago, I started to build and repair guitars. Since that time, I've worked with thousands of guitarists, asking them to define their instruments' best features and worst failings. Their input helped inspire the design of the Parker Fly, the models that have followed, and all those yet to come. In each, we combine organic and synthetic materials to create truly virtuosic guitars that perform as no others can. Our designs and processes are so revolutionary and advanced, many of them are protected by patents. Because you can't make exceptional guitars without exceptional guitar makers, we employ only the most skilled artisans to design and build our guitars. Craftsmen whose high proportion of hand work makes each Parker guitar a work of art. The care and precision that go into our instruments require a lot of extra work, but we do it because we know you can feel and hear the difference.

PARKER NITEFLY

KEN PARKER

SOUND DEMO GUIDE

PA R K E R F LY PA R K E R N I T E F LY PA R K E R P - S E R I E S PA R K E R F LY B A S S PA R K E R S E L E C T
444 EAST COURTLAND STREET MUNDELEIN, IL 60060 847-949-0444 W W W. PA R K E R G U I TA R S. C O M
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 notefrom visceral, in-your-face electric tones to the warm, juicy harmonies of acoustic. They're all here, in one guitar. The entire spectrum of jaw-dropping, impassioned sounds, just waiting to be transformed into music. Your music. One moment you're playing blistering electric grind. The nextthick, meaty, strum-heavy acoustic. And the next, the two voices are wailing simultaneously, crunching notes 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 other guitar ever made. It doesn't feel like any other guitar ever made. And there's no other guitarperiodthat can turn sound into seduction like a Parker guitar.
T H E P A R K E R N I T E F L Y One of the baddest guitars ever made, the featherweight Parker NiteFly features a different solid tone wood body in every model, allowing you to achieve the exact nuance your music demands. The spookily perfect neck proportions, glassy-smooth fretboard, and low action make even the most complex chording smooth and effortless. Its sure responsiveness begs you to take your music where it's never gone before. With its Fishman/ DiMarzio custom piezo/magnetic pickup system, you can switch instantly from a thrashing metal sound to soaring acoustic tones or mix them on-board as you play. Bottom line, it is a dream machine that packs more sounds per dollar than any electric guitar known to man.
NITEFLY-SA The ultra-light swamp ash body of the NiteFly-SA has a lively, fast response that's ideal for clean pickin' and cut-it-with-a-knife rhythms. Swamp ash is lighter in weight and more porous, producing a resonance that is fuller and less severe than what can be achieved with regular ash or other heavier woods. Its sound is gutteral and clean, yet swampy and spicy, thanks to that swamp ash mojo. Combined with its solid mahogany neck, the NiteFly-SA produces a ballsy, low end and wonderful, glimmering highs. NITEFLY-M Solid mahogany from tuners to bridge, the NiteFly-M embodies all the qualities that have made mahogany the king of tone woods since the beginning of time. This guitar makes music soar with a sweet, full midrange and singing upper register that's both beefy enough for jazz and raw enough for crushing chords or rock and blues solos. The chunky neck and jumbo frets will make your hands feel right at home. Finished with nothing more than a satiny oil and wax finish, or with high gloss polyurethane, it just begs to be played.

TWO CHOICES, MORE VOICES

EFFORTLESS PLAYABILITY

PRECISE TONES

EVEN RESPONSE

NO-FUSS ADJUSTMENTS

LOCKED-DOWN TUNING
The Parker NiteFly is made lightweight tone wood reinforced with space-age composite. Responsive, practically weightless, and perfectly balanced, it has no dead spots or unevenness in tone.
The NiteFly features a true bolt-on neck for a more traditional "Strat" sound with optimum resonance resulting from the finest tone woods and expert engineering.

Our NiteFly's patented neck construction consists of solid mahogany reinforced with a micro-thin veil of carbon/glass composite. Responsive, stable, and lightweight, it produces even tonal response.
The truss rod adjusts easily to accommodate different string gauges and changes in humidity. Made of high strength light weight steel, it's another reason why Parkers are so light and perfectly balanced.
The highest quality pegs available, lightweight Sperzel locking pegs help keep the NiteFly in tune even with the most aggressive, merciless flogging, and make string changes fast and painless.
QUICK-CHANGE ARTISTRY 1 MAG/PIEZO SELECTOR SWITCH 2 MAG SELECTOR SWITCH 3 PIEZO VOLUME MAG VOLUME 4 MAGNETIC TONE 5 MAGNETIC VOLUME

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES

PERFECT PITCH

2> 1> 3> 4>

The smart jack senses stereo or mono cable, splits electric and acoustic sounds to separate amps or combines them through one, and lets you mix electric and acoustic tones while playing.
Parker's combination of DiMarzio magnetic pickups and Fishman piezo pickups make it possible to produce powerful electric guitar tones and intricate, full-bodied acoustic guitar tones from a single guitar.
Our vibrato system adjusts quickly to behave like a fixed bridge, bend down only, or floating bridge (bending both up and down). Change bridge positions instantly without throwing your pitch.

SILKY-SMOOTH FRETTING

Our frets are made of hardened stainless steel (not soft nickel like ordinary guitars) in the correct "half-round" shape. Our patented glass/carbon-fiber fingerboard gets slicker with sweat, not tackier.
THE ANATOMY OF A PARKER NITEFLY
It's a revolution in sounda guitar capable of producing electric tones, acoustic tones, or a combination of the two. Our DiMarzio magnetic pickups produce powerful electric tones while the Fishman piezo pickups drive each string individually for the lush, complex sound of acoustic. We suggest you use the stereo cable that comes with the guitar. Plug the red jack into an acoustic amp and the grey jack into an electric guitar amp. (Using a mono cable, the magnetic and acoustic signals are blended on the guitar.) To the right are settings for some of our favorite tones, but they're just the beginningthe only limit now is your creativity. So go ahead! Take this Parker out for a spin.

JAZZ/BLUES

ACOUSTIC

COUNTRY TWANG

For a classic, warm jazz tone, choose the neck position pickup and roll down the tone. For an even better sound, blend in the piezo. This will increase the definition and clarity of your tone and bring the sound to life. For a traditional blues tone, pull the tone knob out. This will give you that classic single-coil tone favored by so many blues legends.
For a shimmering clean tone, put the magnetic selector switch in the middle position and pull the tone knob to activate the two inside coils of the humbuckers. This setting is terrific for the clean rhythm and lead tones found in rock, funk, reggae, etc. For the best clean tone available, add the piezo, and listen to your tone sparkle.
Use the bridge-position humbucker for over-the-top rock tones. For either clean or high gain settings, this setting is perfect for classic and/or modern rock tones. For lead parts, don't forget to try the neck humbucker, especially for ballads, sweep picking, tapping, and arpeggios.
For straight acoustic tone, use the piezo system only. In this position, the magnetic pickups are inactive. Try fingerpicking a classic strumming rhythm, fingerstyle blues, and lead. Whether you need some acoustic tone for an intro or the whole song, this is the setting for you. Have you ever used vibrato on an acoustic guitar? Try it.
Choose the bridge position humbucker and pull the tone knob out. This will give you the vintage single-coil tone closely associated with country twang. Play some fast chicken' pickin' to feel how smooth the neck plays. Try some banjo rolls and throw in some double-stops. Whether you favor modern country, traditional, or rockabilly style, you'll have a hard time stopping once you get going.
E X P E R I E N C E T H E D I F F E R E N C E F I R ST- H A N D