Ken Parker, the man behind the innovative Parker Fly adored by King Crimson’s Adrian Belew and Joni Mitchell, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for cancer treatment.
Parker has revealed the extent of his 2023 diagnosis via a GoFundMe page, writing that he suffers from a rare form of cancer that has slowly been debilitating him.
“It hasn’t been easy living with this nasty disease, having chemo treatments that zapped my energy and slowly took away my ability to earn a living,” he writes.
“Now, I’m on a breathing machine 24/7, and I’ve started to lose the use of my left arm. I humbly ask for your support to reduce the medical and personal debt that I’ve incurred and to help with my family’s expenses.”
Parker founded his namesake Parker Guitars in the early 1990s, with the Fly being his standout build. Its body is made from lightweight woods and reinforced with a carbon fiber exoskeleton. Belew – a key champion of the Fly – had a signature model that was bestowed with MIDI technology, which allowed him to imitate the sounds of a whole arsenal of axes and other instruments.
The original Fly was intended to be a MIDI guitar, but it was Belew's quest for more versatility that got the concept over the line. The result was a guitar-meets-synth model that boasts a 13-pin out for MIDI/synth capability, DiMarzio and Sustainiac humbuckers, a Fishman piezo, and Parker's flat-spring vibrato system. Belew doesn't feel the instrument can be topped.
“I felt like Ken Parker had taken 20 years to eliminate all the problems you have with electric guitars; the tuning, the neck, the frets wearing out. Everything that normally can go wrong with a Fender or Gibson,” he recently said.
“I swear this guitar never goes out of tune. I play better with the [signature] Parker Fly. I can't explain it better than that.”
The Parker Fly also became the adopted axe of Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner, while D'Addario has dubbed Parker as “the man who changed guitar forever”.
I swear this guitar never goes out of tune. I play better with the Parker Fly
Adrian Belew
“Throughout my life, I’ve done something that I love and am proud of – making guitars that advance the art, science, and craft of building far beyond traditional methods,” Parker reflects. “Most importantly, it has been a true joy and especially gratifying experience to see my guitars in the hands of all of you gifted and aspiring players.”
Parker has now retired from guitar-building, but is passing his wisdom on to his colleague Sam Krimmel.
“Sam has this gift which feels remarkably similar to the gift that I feel that I have that’s allowed me to do my work,” he enthuses. “I’ve never had a deeper and more interesting work relationship on a daily basis than I have with Sam.”
At the time of writing, over $96,000 has been raised through Parker's GoFundMe, stretching just beyond 20% of the desired $450,000 target. A total of 122 contributions have been made so far.
Head to GoFundMe to donate.
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