Shame, I just saw his gofundme a couple of days ago. I've owned and played thousands of guitars, that's pretty much how I earned money through college (I'd flip guitars basically). Parker guitars were really something, but definitely not for everyone - a Parker Fly Deluxe was by far the lightest guitar I ever owned and tried. Should've kept it, as they go for 3-4 grand these days on the used market.

A true shame. Until recently guitarists were notoriously conservative regarding instrument design and I have an immense amount of respect for people like Ken that chose to push those boundaries. Challenging guitarists to play something more progressive than the usual 75-year-old designs was a big deal in the heyday of the grunge movement and emergence of the vintage gear market. Hats off to a true American original.

Shame, I'm a huge fan of the Parker Fly.

They're arguably the biggest step forward in electric guitar since the 50s. Lots of new stuff there for the time, some of which became standard years after: stainless steel frets, piezo+magnetic pickups, carbon fiber reinforcement, adjustable vibrato, possibly the most seamless/flattest neck joint ever... not to mention the whole design is amazing.

This video from this guy dropped just two days ago, and explains a lot about the features and constructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S6Cni3nkws

It's a shame they stopped manufacturing after the company was sold. I had one and regret selling, as prices haven't really come down!

Rest in peace and thanks for everything, Mr Parker!

Similarly, my dad was a luthier for 15 years before passing away to cancer in 2022. In the 5th grade, I wanted to learn guitar, so being the engineer he was, he built one. But needed machines first, and wood, and the garage.

Being an engineer instead of a business-minded operator prevented his work from becoming too well known but the instrument and what he accomplished was special.

I know own the shop, guitars, and everything after his passing - a couple years ago I made a reddit thread asking for help - it blew up and is an interesting read - https://www.reddit.com/r/guitars/comments/1f07f1s/my_dad_lef...

I like to take pictures of products and build websites, unfortunately we just ran out of time.

https://sgg2.webflow.io/

Ken will be missed. A true innovator and so generous with his knowledge and experience. I wasn't following his personal affairs closely so was extremely bummed by the latest events but it was great to hear from himself he found a person he believed in enough to pass the torch to.

I've had one of his electrics briefly and it felt and played great. I didn't bond with the instrument due to specific personal preferences, but it was great to feel for myself this particular guitar was as good an instrument as Parker reputation makes you expect.

I play and build electric guitars. Interesting that I wasn't that familiar with his work. Maybe I'll take some elements from the Fly into my next build...

So sad. One of the few people who really innovated in the guitar space. I was just watching YouTube videos last night of his incredible archtop.

I never owned one of his original Fly series guitars but I played many back in the 90s and owned a DragonFly for a few years (not his design, but incorporated elements).