Vai playing "The Audience is Listening" on my Parker Fly

This took place at the Vai Academy 2015 in Vail, Colorado. When Steve was about to switch for EVO, I offered him to give my new guitar a try. I know you were fighting to play it and struggling with the tuning, Steve!
/ franciscotomasmusic
#stevevai #vaiacademy #parkerfly
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[@rtc931]

Stevie, such a nice boy.

[@mirak63]

Too bad, you can't ever change the strings now. ^^

[@sacitmanav]

got point

[@LordPrutsikas]

hahah

[@wiseguy9202]

Well you can just recoil them up and put 'em aside until you sell the guitar if you already haven't.

[@leomonster1973]

Lol

[@RoxxHunter]

Fuck man...Bumblefoot played my guitar for a show and I felt the same way. I lieterally played the strings for months til one broke...They were so worn out and wouldn't stay it tune, but I was like "I'm not changing these til they fall off" haha. So Cool to see this video and your comment is awesome!

[@TheSteinbitt]

This vid could also be named "how to turn a fully functional guitar into a museum piece"

[@wesgc]

No matter what he plays he sounds like Steve Vai.

[@shanardsmith147]

Thats how all the greats are

[@powerslave6944]

Except instruments other than the electric guitar I guess.

[@dstfno]

Well, the rest of the rig was still his.

[@tr4nsg0th1ca]

The sound is in your fingers, not the guitar.

[@philholder9626]

Of course, he’s Steve Vai

[@fredgibo4584]

Just goes to show.....the Master can play any guitar.....and make it sound collasal.......WOW Saw Vai in Ottawa with Whitesnake back in the day.........they gave him the stage and over 10 minutes for his solo........not to mention he was beyond amazing with the band on that tour Thank You Mr. Vai.......for blowing our collective minds that night !!!!!!!!

[@markbrown7968]

Can you imagine Vai, playing your personal guitar? I'd be like, "I hope the POS is still in tune".

[@davidletterboyz]

This is the only modern video I've seen where Vai was not playing an Ibanez, let alone a JEM.

[@SvenTviking]

Check out his vids with Zappa.

[@bwgti]

I have never seen him with a live band without an Ibanez. I was watching him doing an interview with Sweetwater. I wonder if he makes more income from the Ibanez deal than he makes off actual music these days. Nothing wrong if true. Making money in the music business. Even for a legend like Steve is hard.

[@WhizMitchell]

Me too.

[@prsplayer210]

I've seen a video of him playing a prs in a studio

[@stitcha123]

There’s a video of him with a les Paul from a couple years back. He’s with morse and gilbert.

[@mathewreichardt3832]

Vai is cooler when he's just a guy in a t-shirt playing guitar

[@rizqibayumantari6769]

Agree,

[@rickyjones7282]

He's the real deal!!!!!!!!!!!! Look at his C.V!!!

[@duniahorrormania]

Haha that parker became out of tune..

[@seanbrennan5192]

“My little Italian virtuoso”-Frank Zappa

[@williamroan5576]

His "stunt guitarist" lol

[@markusantonio4866]

Tarzan on the kit.

[@berezhnoah]

This guitar was officially sanctified by Steve Vai

[@DaveDexterMusic]

Christ, I'd have been nervous watching Vai adjust the straps as my guitar dangles head-first from the buttons. That's how shit gets dropped.

[@paqman78]

DaveDexterMusic yea but a Parker Fly is as light as a feather. no chance it was gonna get unbuckled. And also, Vai would've paid for any damage I'm sure.

[@mandarin7728]

DaveDexterMusic maybe it has strap locks?

Mandarin Yeah, it's a locking strap. But that's not the worrying part. With the body wood being so soft the screws may come off.

[@shayneoneill1506]

If steve vai broke my guitar , I'd probably just get it framed and not fix it. Well except the ol' maton, but nobody, not even the gods, get to borrow her. Sick looking guitar though.

[@UR2Compliant]

@Dave if that guitar had been dropped and broken beyond repair, Vai would have simply replaced it with something better...he is very gracious.

[@weegiebuck]

This truly proves it’s in the fingers not the gear.

[@EetFuk8]

Yes but other than the guitar it's still his own gear, which costs thousands of dollars.

[@shanardsmith147]

Didn't Eddie teach us that?

[@JuanHughJorgan]

Well the "Vai sound" comes from his gear. Plug in any guitar into his rig and it will sound like Vai, like you just witnessed. He just has a long history with Ibanez and loves the feel of them.

[@gmmakesmehurl]

Horse hockey.

[@Patrick-go8ub]

Every guitarist has his own licks and tendensies, habbits developed over many hours of playing. Just put any mediocre player on 10k gear and they will still sound mediocre. That being said your guitar tone and the feel of the instrument will steer you to play a certain way. But if you ever feel like you need a new piece of gear, specifically because you think it will make you a better player, please think twice.

[@r1too]

The Parker Fly was a type of electric guitar built by Parker Guitars. It was designed by Ken Parker and Larry Fishman, and first produced in 1993. The Fly is unique among electric guitars in the way it uses composite materials. It is notable for its light weight (4.5 lb; 2.0 kg) and resonance. It was also one of the first electric guitars to combine traditional magnetic pickups with piezoelectric pickups, allowing the guitarist to access both acoustic and electric tones. Production ended in 2016 and the company has not released a new model of any kind since.

[@MattLong101]

r1too had a couple in the early 2000s

[@othusa]

I still own a White Parker Fly from 1999, and its been a pure joy to play onstage.

[@brainfoodjunky]

But most important it sounds like my les paul took a dump

[@SvenTviking]

@@brainfoodjunky Needed hotter pickups.

[@ChrisTopheRaz]

@@brainfoodjunky really? Because when I bought my Parker fly deluxe in 1999 I played it side-by-side with a Les Paul custom black beauty on an orange amp and there was absolutely no comparison. The parker fly sounded better and played better. And I’m a huge Gibson Les Paul fan, I own two of them right now. What you are saying is nothing more than personal preference. Not even close to factual or useful information. 🤦‍♂️

[@stringtheoryguitars4952]

I don't care for his music, but Vai is a guitar genius who commands respect. Absolute legend.

[@osoyosa21224]

If u don't care for his music you Suck big time

[@paulwomacks117]

Listen to his slow songs with earphones. Then you will be a fan!! Lol great humble man

[@kennethmanuntag]

i agree... every guitarist has their own style you cannot compare them..yes he is a genious

[@jetcitysinatra7300]

What's he doing did Eddie Van Halen or Yngwie Malmsteen hasn't already done just asking

[@Prossdog]

For The Love Of Seattle those guys were groundbreakers too. Yngwie with his sweeping & classical shredding. Eddie with his tapping & whammy antics. Steve used some of those too (often to another extreme even) but his bread & butter is with his incredible, occasionally bizarre phrasing in ways few if any had done before.

[@kokorozz]

I'm a strat guy but once i played a parker in a local music store. Man, Parker is AWESOME!

[@Dedbigfed]

I'd like to hear them with different pickups. I've never played one that sounded good, and each one I played had the stock pickups. They feel awesome though.

[@charleyter]

The Fly's pickups typically run through an active circuit in the guitar which changes the tone drastically. I have one with active and one with passive, and tonal difference is night and day.

[@lagardedavid]

I have 3 fly's and my artist fly has a defective preamp so i'm on passive mode now and it sound amazing. the highs are fat and clear. not buzzy like my other fly. Not sure if this has to do with the preamp bypass or the spruce body tho

[@TheDjike22]

Yeah I was the same kinda way in that I ad been a Gibson guy my whole life but I had a pinched nerve from guitar but other sports and my doctor suggested a Parker fly. Its American made and one piece of wood plus all kinds of cool things! It took all of 60 seconds before I was hooked! Let's face it Gibson is done an who really wants to drop all that money for a guitar that's headstock falls off and fender is great but buzz buzz buzz plus they are just classics! I'm officially a Parker and PRS GUY who still loves the CLASSIC SOUND of Gibson and fender! PEOPLE ROCK IS DYING AND WE NEED TO BRING A NEW SOUND, THERE NEEDS TI BE A REVOLUTION TO SAVE THIS WORLD AND THERE'S ONLY ONE GENRE OF MUSIC THAT WAS BUILT FOR THAT AND ITS ROCK! Yeah we need that classic sound at the base but it's the new technology and mindset that can bring it all back TO A WORLD THATS CLEAN AND GREAT AGAIN! Parker Guitars emulates that attitude to me! Or we can sit around a camp fire drinking homemade hippy beer, smoke legal weed, smiling at a hot chick in glasses playing Zeplin and the Beatles talking about how it used to be? Either way I can play and either way I'm happy but one attitude keeps my bloodline and one just gets us wasted! Can't believe I turned that into a future political thing? I'm sick a douche bag!!! See how powerful Parker Fly guitars are!

[@BigRed4231]

How can Parker be any better than a Gibson if you have a pinched nerve?

[@TheOtherWinchester]

This is the guitar player equivalent of watching your girlfriend get railed by Johnny Sins 🤣🤣🤣

[@hollywoodactress]

Amazing. Just shows once you can play doesn’t matter what guitar you play as long as you love picking it up to play.

[@captainsalty4118]

Ibanez called his ass right after this.

[@chrispowell763]

Lmao

[@kennethmanuntag]

lol

[@mg-ThisHandleIsSoStupid]

Lol. So Steve, seeing other people now are we?

[@image30p]

What a performance! I love the whole vide of him not being used to the guitar. And the cadenzas at the end. Thanks for sharing!

[@legofreak157]

He was being gentle. Really cool to see him out of his comfort zone. Thanks for posting

[@drbreeden4093]

Epic video! Thanks for sharing! When Steve steps on stage, he owns every guitar... without even touching them!

[@justinrowland5191]

Very cool lesson showing what the mix is about. Awesome seeing him play the song. Eeeezzz

[@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd]

A Parker Fly has been one of my favorite guitars I’ve ever held and played. Love the neck and fretboard. Those SS frets allow for easy bends.

[@GuitarONtatami]

What a memory❤ Thanks for sharing!

[@sergitocd]

Felicitaciones Francisco que Viva la música y Viva Salta!

[@dejaliloquy]

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@jasonwhite7452]

Been playing guitar since 1987 and I’m still not a 1/4 good as this guy! True Living Legend!

[@njarnjas]

That guitar hold good the Vai's torture !

[@fabienlamour3644]

Genius at work...

[@davidtomkins4242]

Awesome, great to see him play such a great guitar! I'm surprised he mentioned how light they are because he has picked up and played my parker (albeit very briefly).

[@davidhinchliffe3354]

Wow....he smashed that!! 💥👏🎸

[@haveguitar]

Wow, must have been a cool thing to experience!

[@BrendanDormanMMA]

This is astounding…..to play this so clean still. I met him on the T in Boston on the way to a G3 with my old man. Nice guy. Freaky fingers

[@WilliamLo]

Still sounds exactly like Mr Vai! :)

[@rodrigoaaron2056]

Justo estaba viendo el video del Jam con Steve 😍😍

[@mcelfishb]

Love this song!

[@alexkelly8131]

that guitar has just doubled in value

[@sicjink]

More like 5x

[@DanielRodriguez-eh1qd]

I’m very surprised available doesn’t have one of these in his collection. Amazing guitars.

[@Gusramosferreira]

Steve Vai is so wonderfull playing the guitar, that he would make a broom sound amazing!

[@drbreeden4093]

garaf And that’s how the electric guitar was created...

[@TomasLopez]

That was awesome!!

[@kempman9811]

Thx for sharing. Awesome!

[@TheNichidancu]

An amateur practices until they get it right, a pro practices until they cant get it wrong... steve is a pro

[@Elthenar]

I am 3 years late but that's a good quote. I am surprised I've never heard it before.

[@counterjabs]

Ferocious!

[@OcculiMortis]

So legend.

[@sonnyrocker]

That is awesome!

[@youpeopl_music3220]

"Ok, I'll use it. Let's give this trem a test!"

[@bwgti]

I didn’t think the guitar was going to make it through the strap adjustment without hitting the ground.. I guess that was the least of that guitars worries that day.

[@chadjenkins4036]

Just........wow!

[@TheRemizinho]

That guitar needs a cigarette ...

[@richardcooper5524]

Hahaha

[@thegee-tahguy4877]

Yeah, it needs a carbon fiber burn at the headstock just like Hendrix' Parker Fly

[@ricardocespedes1955]

STEVE MASTER OF THE ROCK

[@dhorleilima371]

mestre Steve vai ❤

[@peteshelby21]

Such a Humble dude

[@fmills1583]

Steve Vai rocking the David (Once In A Lifetime) Brne look.

[@felipefigueroa2933]

Hermano, tú guitarra está más que bendecida!! ♥️

[@buggybunny5769]

Sounds good

[@onomelody361]

I like this

[@jeremythornton433]

too cool!

[@prawirasatria7399]

Vai playing Parker? My life is complete now...

[@billhinsperger5938]

lucky guy,Steve the greatest player everrrrrr

[@ReactarooSkidoo]

Damn I hope there are strap locks the way he was holding the guitar at the beginning!

[@Speed711]

love the way he held at the start until the drummer got into his timezone 😎 ⚡️>👁

[@alexaraya2018]

Oh yeah all them Ibanez dudes are so happy to see this video

[@fareastmanilavideoproducti4499]

Hey steve ,the parker fly looks good on you!

[@elevenAD]

that was to cool!!!!

[@willissmith190]

Was thinking he'd forgotten the intro how stupid of me😆😂..seen vai live wgtn nz..hes top 5 shredders still..shreds but clean and massive feel

[@VBshredder]

Took the band a few bars to gel, but they definitely did!! Nice work!

[@Sahara-ms6xb]

Damn, Steve! Wish I could “fumble” like that!

[@aanthony48]

Very nice! I hope Vai changed his mind about the guitar after playing it.

[@MM-cr4uq]

Lucky guy !

[@TMoody]

How cool is that!!! When you hand the master your guitar you better damn well make sure it's in tune.

[@tedrenard472]

What's the point of tuning if you're going to leave the pick jammed in the strings above the nut?

[@RangaluHsu]

Crazy!!!!

[@davidbrucemusicvideo]

Dude, love the color! And it matched his T-shirt! What year and model was it, and where’d you order it to get that color??

[@ismaeldiaz7978]

Guitar god!

[@realhighendglassforsale5226]

wow....this is a genuine first for me, I don't think I have seen him play on anything but an ibanez. Crossroads is the last time I remember him NOT on an IvanHead....

[@realhighendglassforsale5226]

lies.... there are a couple DLR videos that sneak in some other guitars.

[@darthhull85]

Yeah before Ibanez he was using a Charvel a lot but it’s rare seeing him with another brand

[@Semo1969]

he smoked that guitar

[@stratcat3216]

oh yes!!!!

[@riffism]

I see Dave Weiner back there holdin' it down.

[@carminespartano7586]

He could play a fuckin Hello Kitty guitar and still sound incredible ❤️ Love Steve

[@Somewhere-in]

What are those cool chord shapes he's playing around 2.50?

[@gilbertrios9422]

CrossRoads the struggle is real

[@albertobrazoperez2509]

Hola Francisco Tomás, enhorabuena por tus avances. cada día tienes mejor sonido. Te he escuchado tocar esa PArker que toca el gran VAi. Si no me equivoco es una Artist actual, dicen que es una guitarra muy versátil. LA recomendarías? En tus amnos suena genial. Saludos desde España

[@FreemanVDO]

What a hilarious and musical video! Thanks for uploading. BTW, what Fly model is that?

[@luistano9479]

Hola fran, que te dijo vai cuando le pediste que toque con esa guitarra?

[@WeareSouledOut]

first notes after he plugs it in, damn 0:52

[@cobowe]

Does this Parker have Di marzio or SD pickups?

[@onzkicg]

Nice HD video.. what camera did you used?

[@shanardsmith147]

I wanna try one...

[@JCSYKER]

what pedal is used in min 3:03??

[@extremfacts]

2:35 Someday he will swallow his pick...

[@JedNadin]

mno789 someday? It’s all he eats. I know that was a two year late reply... sorry.

[@JamesSmith-kv8js]

Kudos for owning a Fly, Francinso! You are a man of culture! It's interesting to see how such a well-playing guitar puts Vai out of his comfort zone.

[@patrickcollins6830]

Pretty funny, though to be fair, the Fly control layout is virtually impossible to just pick up for the first time and be able to know how the switches and knobs work, let alone actually use them in real time to dial up a tone. He was gracious throughout, and being a smart guy, relied on his pedals to get where he needed to be. "Hey! This is light!"

[@ukguitarnoodle]

who's building that shed ?

[@andretonelli]

Francisco, I’d seen this video before but never put 2 and 2 together. Then I remembered discussing my piezo mod with you a while back when Parker sent me my Flys. Did you ever do the mod? Did I send you a pdf on how to do it?Congrats on your channel and your newer videos! Best, Andre.

[@slaQ83]

Did you get any feedback if he liked the guitar?

[@ricardocespedes1955]

STEVE VAY FOREVER

[@copperchode1977]

The guitar thought " so that's how it's supposed to feel"

[@torino380w8]

what is the name of the song

[@ronlamar1790]

Hey there might be DNA on those strings !

[@RodrigoCFD]

7:54 It seems that he didn't like it much...

[@grahamharper8114]

Rodrigo It doesn't sound as good as his Ibanez, sorry kid.

[@toobmaniac]

Doesn't sound as good is pushing it a bit..The Vai models are very bright , The Parker Fly is more traditional sounding in it's stock form.. The Parker is warmer and thicker sounding

[@twocsies]

Looks like he was hamming it up for the stage show.

[@mirak63]

It must not be that bad, he didn't smashed it on the ground at the end of the song.

[@noseloquedigo92514]

well, that kind of things happen when you stick to a guitar. we all known jem is a very rare guitar. it just fits steve. and, he have been playing her (yes, her, not that) for many years, so, you have that muscle memory.

[@lizarrrdbeth]

We need a new Crossroads movie!!

[@gnr311182pj]

Fucking chosen one!🤘🏻