NF3 is awesome!

[Deleted member 5962]

I got an NF3 a few months ago and have been putting it through it's paces. First off, I LOVE the pattern regular neck and the feel of the satin finish on this one.

These pickups... are INCREDIBLE! I can seemingly do almost anything with this guitar. Turn down the mids and turn up the treble on the amp, and I can make it very stratty sounding, but of course with no hum. The 2 and 4 positions (with mids down) can get very quacky. One super cool thing is putting it in the 4 with my MESA TA 30 in the Marshall mode set with some crunch. In the 4 mode its sparkly and semi-clean. Drop it to 5 and instant solo tone!

Turn the mids up and this could sound like a humbucker guitar with more variations. With my Mesa Mini Rec, it's very easy to dial the clean channel for very strat-like tones and the gain channel for screaming high gain tones. And the volume knob works so well (as it does on all my PRS guitars) that rolling back for a rhythm tone is easy and sounds great.

I am in love with this guitar!!! This and my newer Custom 24 with 59/09s are the two most versatile guitars I've ever played. I am wondering with it being discontinued, how many guys actually took the time to explore what all these pickups can do. I'm thinking it would be one of the MOST popular models of more people did. Yes, mine is plain white, and I know a lot of PRS guys like the beautiful guitars like my other 3 PRSs. But this thing is incredible and would be my first choice as a gig guitar. AWESOME GUITAR!!!

 

[veinbuster]

Glad you like it. I always thought they deserved more love.

 

[TFC]

I feel the same way about mine; the neck and pickups are both exceptional. I've gigged with it several times and always love playing it. I think the fact that it's a bit unusual and doesn't really fit into the "Strat", "Les Paul", "Custom 22" or any other category made it less popular. Had it caught on with a popular big-name player, I think it would have been around longer.

 

[mcbprs]

great guitars - love the neck, often take it and na MEIII to gigs can cover a huge amount of sounds with 3 (or 6) narrow fields

 

[Whitecat]

I'm still sussing out the cleans on mine... yet to fall in love. But, cranked into heavy overdrive I think it's among the best I've ever had.

 

[92Esquire]

I've got a Studio, and love the NF pickups in that guitar. I spent a good deal of time with an NF3 at my local pusher, and that guitar is a strat killer. Were I still gigging heavily in a blues band, there's no doubt I'd have one of the NF3's to be my primary guitar. Versatile pickups, PRS playability, plus a trem that you don't have to deck to get it to stay in tune? Sign me up!

 

[newbuilder]

I love my SAS! Pickups and neck are amazing, I bought it because it has a carved body and no pickguard after I fell in love with an NF3 at a guitar shop.

 

[Prs2studio]

I have a DC3 and love the weight and the feel of the neck. I have been thinking about swapping out the pups. Any suggestions

 

[NomadMike]

I feel the same way about mine; the neck and pickups are both exceptional. I've gigged with it several times and always love playing it. I think the fact that it's a bit unusual and doesn't really fit into the "Strat", "Les Paul", "Custom 22" or any other category made it less popular. Had it caught on with a popular big-name player, I think it would have been around longer.

Aren't the NF pickups also a unique size, I wonder if not being able to drop in a standard size pickup may have scared some off?

 

[HighGain510]

Loved the one I had, I wouldn't mind owning another one down the road! Wish they hadn't discontinued them, I think if more folks tried them they would have sold better, but since they have proprietary-sized pickups I think a lot of folks got scared off sadly. It's a serious shame as the NF pickups sound fantastic in all positions!

 

[TFC]

Aren't the NF pickups also a unique size, I wonder if not being able to drop in a standard size pickup may have scared some off?

I'm sure that's part of the reason. But I also think the majority of (non-forum dwelling) people aren't concerned with swapping pickups. And the pickups in the NF3 are really the essence of what makes it the unique guitar it is. But I agree with everyone that it's a shame that the model was discontinued.

 

[92Esquire]

I can wholeheartedly say that the proprietary pickup size with no options if I didn't care for the pickups made me VERY hesitant to drop money on a guitar. Especially when it had been discontinued, and I knew that if one went bad I probably couldn't get a new one from the factory. That's kind of the problem with proprietary sizes, I guess.

And I think that there ARE a lot of pickup swappers, judging from running the used racks at my local shops. I'd estimate that 25% of the guitars I see have some sort of aftermarket pickup, and I know our local techs spend a good deal of time replacing pickups for customers. I think if PRS had made 2 or 3 varieties of NF's available from their online shop (say a hot, medium, mild, or call them "\m/", "59/09", and "57/08", you'd have an easier time allaying the fears of guys who didn't want to get stuck.

As it was, I had set aside the Studio and was going to get an Anderson with a pickguard, and I was seriously considering their proprietary narrow 'bucker. But I knew I could get it routed to take singles or 'buckers if I didn't like the various flavors of narrow humbucker available from Anderson. What changed my mind was getting to play a Studio at Willcutt's. Once I heard that neck pickup through a PRRI, I knew I had to own one. Now I need more of the NF's. Bring 'em back, PRS! Do an EG run based on the NF3. One like the NF3, one with a Studio config, and one set up H-NF-H. Make a couple pickguards available (including a 'bucker bridge, Narrowfield neck, NO middle) and I'm down for two!

 

[NomadMike]

Guitar owners tend to be a conservative bunch these days especially regarding looks and the ability to easily mod a guitar. I wonder if PRS had made a humbucker size mounting ring that allowed the NF to be dropped into any PRS, if these would have taken off.

 

[slev]

great guitars - love the neck, ....can cover a huge amount of sounds with 3 (or 6) narrow fields

This in spades.