My New PRS NF3 - Love it

[CVS]

I have been playing my new PRS NF3 (Cherry Red - maple neck - bird inlays) for about 3 months. I did something that I never have done in the past when acquiring guitars, I purchased the guitar without ever playing it in advance. All I did was watch a few Youtube videos and I was sold on the pickup concept.

I have to say that that guitar has more than met my expectations! I have been playing it for about 4 months now and it is my go to guitar when I play with my band, because of its versatility. It covers a wide range of sounds/tones pretty well - from county, to blues, even some latin jazz (using bass pickup - clean), all of which our band plays. The guitar does not sound like a Gibson or a Strat (at least to me). To my ears it sits somewhere in between. It is a shame that this model did not sell and that it has been discontinued.

Just wondering what others who have played the NF3 think of it and what kind of music they use it for? Also why didn't this guitar sell (which I surmise was the reason it was discontinued)?

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Whitecat]

I think that when they were first released, they were perceived as a bit expensive for what on the surface looks like an SSS bolt-on. Although the playability factor/build quality far outstrips the nearest competitor, I think that people just didn't *get* it. The pickups, being both proprietary (difficult/impossible to replace) and unique in their sound were something else that left people scratching their heads a little.

Those that TRIED them and really got some time with them started to realise what the point was.

When the price came down to "clearance" level suddenly they were flying off the pegs. Without delving too much into price discussion which is verboten on this forum, I know that I didn't pay "full price" for mine and nor would I have, but PRS likely could not make them for what I ended up paying! It was a great deal and I had to jump on it.

I use mine for overdriven post-rock type stuff - heavy reverb/delay. I love the way the pickups respond to high gain. They have an almost P90 girth with none of the noise. I love them less when they are clean - there are other guitars I'd choose first - but the in-between positions are surprisingly Strat-like, which is surprising considering the single-pickup positions don't sound like a Strat at all.

All in all, a fine guitar, a bit of an odd duck in the PRS lineup thanks to the Narrowfields, but it might end up being a "weird treasure" one day for all we know. Congrats on your new(ish) guitar!

 

[CVS]

Couldn't agree with you more - both with respect to price and tone. When I want really clean deep bass tones from the guitar I use my PRS Hollowbody.

I hope you are correct and that the guitar becomes a collectors item someday.....

 

[László]

Congrats, they are very cool, and highly underrated, guitars.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I absolutely LOVE mine, and it has become my most played guitar. Clean to mean, almost strat to almost LP tones. (Adjusting the mids on the amp gets it very close to either). I love it for what it is though. A killer variety of clean tones and medium gain tones, and it can just scream with my Mini Rec. And, out of 15 guitars including 4 PRS, the Pattern Regular/maple fingerboard neck is my all time favorite.

As to what I play with it: Budda SD18, Mesa TA 15 and TA30, Mesa Mini Rec, playing anything from Hendrix and Trower to Rush, Van Halen, Zeppelin, Dream Theater, etc. and last week I played solos for the choir special at church. So yeah, it can do about anything.

 

[vchizzle]

Pics, pics, pics!!!!! It's a rule! :laugh:

 

[veinbuster]

Congrats, they are very cool, and highly underrated, guitars.

Yes they are.
I can't really pin down what I use the NF for, but it is one of my easiest guitars to grab.
It does have quite a different flavour than most PRS, which may have played a role in how well it sold - people who wanted that from their guitar may not have been aware that they could get it from a PRS.

 

[Whitecat]

Yeah, forgot to mention how good the neck feels... that satin maple is wonderful.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Yeah, forgot to mention how good the neck feels... that satin maple is wonderful.

absolutely!

 

[CVS]

Have a gig this weekend and will be playing songs with the NF3 from Creedence, Allman Brothers, George Thorogood, Bob Seeger, BB King, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Stones etc. (quite a wide variety of sounds / guitars to cover - excuse spelling), so I have to practice when I have spare time this week. I change pickup settings and amp settings quite a bit to try and get as close as I can to the tones of the guitars that I hear on the CD's. The NF3 does a nice job in a number of different settings, especially if a bit of distortion is used.

I will try to post pics next week. I am not technology enabled, so it will take me some time to figure out how to do it.

Glad to hear that I am not alone with respect to usage of this guitar at gigs (and for fun of course).

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin'!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Also note. if you're one of the guys that sometimes likes to play rhythm on the bridge pickup and solo on the neck pickup or there's a song that requires it, the middle pickup adds another great voice for soloing.

 

[guitarman001]

Pics!!!

Totally agree regarding satin necks - the best!

 

[presence]

Love NF3s.

 

[prsrocker1988]

Nice!

 

[helmi]

my best friend and guitar partner for over 20 yrs has a NF3 w/rosewood fretboard. ive seen him go through other prs's, gibsons, heritages, fenders, and i have never seen him bond with a guitar like his NF3. it's actually the ONLY guitar he owns now. he just swapped out the middle pup with a 59/09, put in a push/pull pot, expanding his pup combination options. it's AMAZING how versatile this guitar is.

 

[Whitecat]

he just swapped out the middle pup with a 59/09, put in a push/pull pot, expanding his pup combination options. it's AMAZING how versatile this guitar is.

Do you know what kind of extra work that entailed? Any additional routing needed? (Or did he have the PTC do it?)

 

[helmi]

Do you know what kind of extra work that entailed? Any additional routing needed? (Or did he have the PTC do it?)

a local guitar guy here in cleveland that a ton of people go to did it. he works at a vintage guitar shop and has worked on our guitars for years. he's the best in cleveland. he routed underneath the pickguard, (only from the nut side to the bridge side, the width is the same) then cut the pickguard by hand to fit the 59/09. i saw it before he put the pickguard back on. the route and the pickguard cut looked like it was factory done. just beautiful. the narrowfields and the 59/09 pickups look great together . all for $125. he said it was the best thing he's ever done to any guitar.

 

[Tonehunter]

Love my NF3, I just saw that Alex Lifeson used one on "time stands still"

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/20110800totalguitar.htm

 

[CVS]

I am glad to hear that a well known musician has used the NF3. Had more well known musicians used it, I think it would still be in the lineup today. I still have mine and still have no plans to sell it.