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Disneyland bassist w/ Parker prototype 92-93?

R

Rawkmonkeyrich

Jul 29, 2025
11
9
#1
In 1992 or 93 I was at Disneyland in the jungle area and in the evening a band was playing. The bassist sounded really good with a small setup, so I went to talk shop during a break. He was playing a Parker Fly prototype 6 string bass that had a grey primer coat, hadn't even been painted. He let me hold & play it, super light. He had played cruise ships, was regularly gigging.
Can anyone help identify who this was? Player you knew?
I have told this anecdote loads of times, especially when talking about Parker basses, and I really want to know who he was. He was really cool in passing, to talk shop like that, and let me handle the bass.
It is a fond memory because I was 20 and I walked away from my ex wife and her mom to go talk bass with someone, and I would have rather stayed and watched the band than walk through the park or leave with them (hence the "ex" and early stages of what would follow).
Thanks,
Richard
 
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#2
You might have better luck if you asked people who were playing in Anaheim at that time (not just bass players), especially those in the musicians union.

Is Ken Parker still alive? Maybe you could ask him?

It would be cool to eventually see a photo of the instrument.
 
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#3
I'm going to guess that it was Al Caldwell, based on this thread that I remembered from a while back: What happened to Parker Guitars?

Ken Parker is still alive, mostly building jazz guitars these days, according to what I've seen on his YouTube channel...

AL Caldwell Fly.jpg
 
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#4
Leo Smith said:
You might have better luck if you asked people who were playing in Anaheim at that time (not just bass players), especially those in the musicians union.

Is Ken Parker still alive? Maybe you could ask him?

It would be cool to eventually see a photo of the instrument.
Click to expand...
I emailed him since the bassist got it from him. Going to register for the Parker forums if I don't get a response this week.
 
#5
Leo Smith said:
Is Ken Parker still alive? Maybe you could ask him?
Click to expand...

Seriously, ^^^this. Since it was a prototype, Ken has got to know something about it!

And yeah, we all wanna know more once you find out!

fwiw I saw Steve Swallow performing at a small club in Cambridge MA in the early/mid 90s, before Parker introduced their commercial line of basses, and he was playing his prototype/one-off 5-string Parker and HOLY GOOD GOD Y'ALL was that the coolest instrument I'd ever seen!!!
 
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#6
Bob_Ross said:
Seriously, ^^^this. Since it was a prototype, Ken has got to know something about it!

And yeah, we all wanna know more once you find out!

fwiw I saw Steve Swallow performing at a small club in Cambridge MA in the early/mid 90s, before Parker introduced their commercial line of basses, and he was playing his prototype/one-off 5-string Parker and HOLY GOOD GOD Y'ALL was that the coolest instrument I'd ever seen!!!
Click to expand...
This was a gigging guy that got to take it out and try. I don't remember what he had, like a nice little head and a 15", and that thing sounded punchy as hell. I was watching amooth & fusion jazz, and learning & into Living Colour "Time's Up", so seeing somone grooving hard on a carribean/dance/piano jam was rad. He was a good player and the bass sounded great! It was light, felt like nothing, but it was SO punchy.
The ex-wife and hag-in-law wanted to keep walking while I wanted to stay.
 
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#7
Rawkmonkeyrich said:
This was a gigging guy that got to take it out and try. I don't remember what he had, like a nice little head and a 15", and that thing sounded punchy as hell. I was watching amooth & fusion jazz, and learning & into Living Colour "Time's Up", so seeing somone grooving hard on a carribean/dance/piano jam was rad. He was a good player and the bass sounded great! It was light, felt like nothing, but it was SO punchy.
The ex-wife and hag-in-law wanted to keep walking while I wanted to stay.
Click to expand...
So, not the happiest place on earth?
 
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#10
mikezimmerman said:
I'm going to guess that it was Al Caldwell, based on this thread that I remembered from a while back: What happened to Parker Guitars?

Ken Parker is still alive, mostly building jazz guitars these days, according to what I've seen on his YouTube channel...

View attachment 7308528
Click to expand...
I tried messaging Al through the FB tied to anendorsement profile. Yeah, since that article mentions him having one from Anthony Jackson, and if he's been with Vanessa Williams he could have been in LA at that time.
 
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