I played one yesterday. Fit and finish were as good if not better as any core I have owned or played.
The pickups are a revelation. We compared it with an NF-3 and they are very different. The NF-3 pickups are hotter, but the NF-53 pickups are truly something special. The neck, body and bridge are obviously contributing to this as well. The warmth, growl and articulation could make me forget about Les Pauls. No other T-style guitar has done that.
We also compared it with my Vela. We were pretty surprised at how close they were to each other. The NF 53 bridge pickup was a little fuller and more articulate. The neck pickups were pretty close. The in-between sound of the NF-53 wasn’t as articulate and sparkly as the Vela, but we weren’t fine tuning the EQ as much as we should have.
An amazing guitar though. If I were in the market for a T-style guitar, this would be it.