I've shared a few times on this blog of mine videos about guitar making. The truth is that crafting instruments with my hands is one of those things that give me life. And, as someone who always strives to improve, Ken Parker was one of the teachers I definitely looked up to.
For years, I've followed his YouTube channel. I’ve known of Parker Guitars for a really long time — they were huge when I was young — but it was a great surprise to find out that Ken never stopped building. Yes, even after the Parker Fly stopped being produced.
I remember vividly when Sam Ash, the company I worked for, clearanced out the Parkers. The stores were having a hard time selling them, and honestly, it was one of those enigmas nobody could answer. Amazing instruments, ahead of their time maybe. And yet, guitar players seemed to want their Fenders and their Gibsons.
Although Ken stopped producing the electric guitars that made him famous, he focused on perfecting an Archtop that used all his accumulated knowledge. He truly blended tradition with innovation.
Archtops with adjustable necks, no truss rods, inline tuners — all sorts of things you’d never expect from that genre of builder, to use the best fitting word I can think of.
It seems Ken had been ill with cancer for some time. I had no clue, since the videos on his channel kept coming, and I kept soaking up as much information as I could. I must confess, plenty of my tricks and experiments have been inspired by Ken's videos.
The world loses a true master, and I mean that sincerely. Unlike many builders out there who never share their secrets, Ken shared everything he ever learned with the world. Watching The Neck Journey series was eye-opening for me, and the way I build my necks now is 100% because of his teachings.
I'm considering downloading his video catalog, even though it’s a huge collection. But the idea that all of that could disappear would be like losing an Alexandria of luthiery — and maybe that’s not an exaggeration.
May his legacy survive a hundred generations to come.
MenO