PRS NF53 - My Thoughts After 1 Year of Gigging With It

[@TylerFoleyAudio]

The near field pickups sound so good. I have never noticed it until now. Nice video Dylan

[@alanbrucke]

I actually like the way the blue one looks a lot. If they made that, but as an SE, I'd get it in a heartbeat.

[@MrBlank0907]

I can’t wait for the Kieth urban PRS personally

[@monahantp3767]

Sold my Core DGT to fund a NF53 in Black Doghair-- and haven't regretted it for a minute! The DGT was nice, but the NF53 neck, pickups and light-weight make all the difference. It REALLY shines when playing with a band, as the pickups remain full sounding while cutting through the mix-- even with a busy keyboard, and energetic acoustic player. It's super easy to get great full humbucker tones from it as well-- the way the pickups & controls interact is the real surprise-- in 40-years I've never played anything as interactive. As the finishes go, I love the two Doghair, and black. The burst is... just not me. Silver Sky colors? Yes-- I think that would be an excellent move. Also, rosewood would be a smart addition. Frankly, I like that the guitar turns off a lot of people-- keeps the "street-prices" lower ;)

[@buzzfretwear2906]

Interesting! They're both pretty close. I slightly preferred the extra body around the clean tones on the NF53. Surprisingly, I think I preferred the Tele bridge pickup with dirt. Didn't expect that. Great demo Dylan, and great content. Keep up the great work with your channel!

[@jessievasser6293]

Love the comparison videos, it perfectly shows the guitar and its connection to the source.

[@JoeChecketts-bi6xs]

Great video, Dylan. I just picked up this exact same guitar a couple weeks ago and I love it. I appreciate your honesty and openness about this guitar. I also liked the rapid fire comparison you did with your vintage tele. Thanks for posting this video.

[@jakeb9121]

Yes on the colors. I'd like to see more vintage inspired colors.

[@silverskymodshop]

Great Video Dylan!

[@ronley123]

The minute they release a rosewood neck version im buying it. Played one a while back and as a tele guy, it’d never replace my real telecaster but it’s definitely a good variation in a tele arsenal.

[@thepedalguy2932]

With Gain is where the NF53 shines !!!

[@SebastianFalvoMusic]

Great video man! Love the midrange of the PRS and sounds way more Gibson for sure. Tele midrange is just that CLASSIC sound tho.

[@billann8834]

A huge fan of the my own core Silver Sky and 594. I have gone thru so many teles, Tried a NF53 at Sweatwater and it really was amazing. Don't know if I will get one but it was the NF 53 was a fantastic guitar. Playing it and seeing it in person was a game changer. It just nails the PRS playability, and the bridge had a lot of bite and character to it.

[@uwedasler425]

Got the blue one when it came out and sold my Fender CS tele within a week. Yes, nicer finishes would be great. Especially it is irritating that a sandblasted SE model for 500 bucks gets the open grain/pore thing right (matte finish) while the expensive NF53 has the disgusting gloss on it. IMHO they could just drop the pickguard altogether, like the Fiore does. The neck is awesome, the pickups are awesome, and while the price is high - it is still below the Suhr or PJ Eggles models over here while easily beating both of them. Well, and I never obsessed over headstocks, but the PRS is my favorite - easy to tune on a dark stage (3/3 is more foolproof than 6 in a row in darkness) and no tuning issues because of ancient string tree nonsense. Love it.

[@JonWickensMusic]

If PRS bring out an SE NF53, they would probably double their company sales. It NEEDS to happen.

[@Dontbegaymer]

It seems obvious one will come out at some point. They just know only having the flagship at the start is best for sales. PRS already got the people in Indonesia at cort-tek making narrowfield pickups for the recent nf3 se.

[@jfturner67]

Yep, I’m definitely waiting for that to happen.

[@GuitarJawn]

All in good time just like the DGT SE, but I want to see a Jimmy Herring Model first

[@MashaT22]

I thought it would have happened by now. I’m also hoping for a Myles Kennedy SE.

[@BumPetty]

SE in Left handed and I'm sold!

[@rickjones641]

I went to buy one, but came home with an Ibanez AZS T-style thing instead. It cost me about £1k less, and I really do like it. The PRS was amazing too, but I couldn't justify the spend and I preferred the neck pickup sound in the Ibanez (which is a mini-humbucker, so it really was a different proposition).

[@mattandcandle]

They absolutely need to do the rosewood fretboard. You said it and I was like, "yeah, that'd be cool". Then you showed the mockup of it, and I was like "Yes! That is exactly what it's missing."

[@andrewbecker3700]

I'm not into the colors or vintage style bridge. The NF3 was the one that stood out to me. The Gunmetal Grey with rosewood fretboard? I was sold almost instantly. Same pickups with a more modern astetic and choice of fretboard material. I was soo confident it would be a keeper, I had Sweetwater put it in one of the crispy new P.R.S. hardcases. It has not disappointed. It has a very complicated wiring layout that even I'm not comfortable messing with. A treble bleed curcuit and straplocks are all I've changed. Besides switching the middle and neck pickups around in the pickgaurd. Does the Tele thing, the exact same way that NF3 does now. Its not close, its exactly the same. For considerably less outlay.

[@DevonVanNote]

I find that a lot of people claiming others to be a PRS shill just don't want to admit that PRS makes phenomenal guitars or have never played one. I own a Silver Sky and it's a lifer and even met Paul earlier this year and had him sign the back of it for me (which sounds silly since his signature is on the front, but it was "To Devon - Paul Reed Smith" so it's different haha. I haven't been able to play a NF53 yet but love the look and sound of it. The NF53 has a little more high end compared to the Tele to my ears and that can help it cut in a mix / live setting really well.

[@LeeShcolnik]

Nice review. I do believe any guitar you play is gonna sound fantastic. I have 3 SE’s (24-08, SS and SAS), the latter two having maple FB, and while I agree with one responder about their “whiteness look”, to me they are sooo comfortable. Yes, another vote for an SE NF53.

[@MashaT22]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Myles Kennedy Signature vs. the NF3. If you can get your hands on one, would be cool to get your take on how they compare.

[@zackguitar07]

I’ve got the Myles Kennedy and spent a little time with the NF53 in store. Other than the body shape and finishes, they’re radically different because of the Myles pickups and 5 way switch. My best analysis of the MK is position 1 a higher wound bridge single coil, position 2 gets similar to a P90 with the hum/single blend, position 3 with both pickups gets a Les Paul goldtop middle position vibe, position 4 with both single coils gets close to the out of phase Strat thing with much lower output, and position 5 gets close to a Strat or Tele neck pickup. Incredibly versatile. Myles has his guitar built to fill a lot of roles including blues and metal, which the NF53 is meant to be closer to a traditional Tele, so they react to amps and pedals differently. Both feel amazing and clean up well with the volume and tone knobs like Dylan showed. Hope that helps!

[@jaltsch1]

NF53 sounds great! Would love to learn more about that Tele partscaster that thing is sweet.

[@Think_Up]

They need it in Rosewood. My eyes can't do maple fingerboards.

[@samroberts2066]

I so wanted to like the PRS but the real tele just sounds better. The comparisons really highlighted that.

[@leftwrite]

The headstock is a deal breaker for me. And honestly, over this KZbin video, I preferred the sound of your parts caster. The PRS sound a hair brittle, especially when distorted. There are 60+ year old ears listening, so I know these days there are frequencies in certain guitars that really annoy me. My tastes have definitely changed. Great job on the comparison and I appreciate your passion and commitment to detail.

[@papasmamas1]

Love how it looks, but I feel the bridge pickup needs more twang. Even if its kind of a Tele copy, its more than that, it has its unique flavour, the design is super appealing. Easily Ill say one of my dream guitars.

[@mderning]

Still in love a year later - well worth the $, there's nothing quite like it

[@wonnie]

It's a me thing, but I always personally never understood when people want the pickup selector out of the way. I want it somewhere easy to access because I'm often doing leads on the neck pickup using the bridge pickup to make sustained notes or bends "pop". But yes, I want COOL COLORS too!

[@nabilchaouli3489]

The tele sounds much better in my opinion, more depth, twang and that neck pick-up is so smooth

[@AnotherReason1]

It sounds smooth because it’s a lower output pickup. If the amp setting were dialed in to combat the higher output pickup, the NF53 sounds as though it would be a much nicer sound.

[@clapdrix72]

@dylanadamsguitar your Calendly scheduler doesn't let you look past the current month. I wasn't sure if this was by design or not so wanted to point it out cuz I want to schedule a lesson!

[@nicholasaragon4126]

After playing one I really, really liked it. If I didn't already have MIA Tele and S2 PRS Vela I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But unfortunately sonically, quality, and performance-wise it would be a bit redundant in my situation. If PRS' QC were as bad as Gibson's I'd have a problem with the price. It's a step up in quality and player features/ergonomics, so it doesn't bother me.

[@Jam-m7m]

So is the NF53 pickup close to the design of the Joe Barden pickup. BTW. I really like this NF53 guitar

[@InsolentMusicalPeasant]

I love mine. It very quickly became my number one. It's just so playable, and reliable.

[@druwk]

Agree. The aesthetic is off putting? Love the break down of the controls and sounds. Pretty amazing going from “lead” to clean “rhythm”. Pickups do seem to sit in a great spot? Probably deserves more love than it’s getting? -- Flashes of white, and tortoise pick guards work better, and solid colors, yes! The black on black immediately improved the look of the shape. Don’t mind the headstock…not a huge fan of the birds in general, but really don’t like them with silhouettes on maple. Rosewood, or ebony would work better for me.

[@redbirdjazzz]

I'm not a big fan of their bird inlays on maple boards, so a rosewood fretboard would immediately improve the looks for me. I'd also like to see the pickguard cut off to the treble side of the pickups (Cabronita style). I don't care for the pointiness of the headstock design, but that ship has long sailed.

[@deanallen927]

What's "pushing people away from this guitar" is the $3K price tag. And yes, rosewood would be nice.

[@denniscullen8528]

A PRS SE NF53 would be a BIG SELLER!,and having more colors would seal the deal.

[@TheColton0117]

I'd buy an SE version simply because PRS quality is top notch and it's a fixed bridge. The rest of the SE lineup isn't for me either due to bridge type or neck width. Plus I'm a tele fan so it'd be an insta purchase for me. I've been waiting and will continue to wait whether it happens or not.

[@jakeb9121]

Oh, maybe a cream or white pickguard for some contrast on colors like the black.

[@rickhill6277]

I think they should offer it LEFT HANDED! I'd Love to have your's Left Handed!!!!

[@Neptunestef]

I must ask: what pickups are in your partscaster? Lovely tone in both but I’m looking for a good set of vintage tone/output.

[@dylanadamsguitar]

Fender Pure Vintage ‘52 Reissue pickups (also known as the “Original Vintage” set by Fender). They have the perfect vintage Tele tone if you ask me, have the sparkle/twang but aren’t thin or harsh at all

[@jasonjayalap]

The story here is the single coil voiced minihums. Can they be bought separately? Narrow field deep dish... Making me hungry.

[@arvetemecha]

As always, fantastic playing, and spot on analysis. This is a gorgeous instrument, just not for me because the "gibson" scale length is a requirement for my small hands.

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

I’d like one, but I think the price is kinda high. I know it’s US made core, but because it’s so simple and streamlined like a tele, it should be pretty accessible. $2899 is a lot in my opinion for that guitar when a much more complicated and dressed up CE core model costs the same.

[@deptofdesign]

Yep. Those pups have a little more hair. Noice!

[@johnviolette5511]

What is under the pickguard? Is it routed or just the wood top?

[@dylanadamsguitar]

Just wood top, looks pretty cool with no pickguard but I think it would be better with a rosewood fretboard on this color

[@Acoustic_Music-h6x]

The sound is so close only the player can tell the difference. You would have to be a fender purist not to buy this over a telecaster for it's better playability, fit and finish and noise canceling.

[@ahall3823]

Nice. But I prefer your partscaster.

[@deanallen927]

PRS neck pickup sounds nice and crisp, tele neck pickups almost always sound muddy and lifeless to me. Just a better sounding guitar to my ears. If it was 25" scale and 12" radius it would be perfect.

[@Tsak112]

You should try to get an old School McCarty in your hands! If you want no frills and straight to the point, check it out. Paul even said that guitar was to “get a duane allman live at Fillmore” sound

[@miket3353]

I like Maple fretboards but i hate the ones that look almost white. I like a lot of tint on it. Maybe if they did a maple roasted id probably dig it a lot more but im guessing thats not really a PRS thing.

[@seachild100]

I'll be in line when they drop the SE version. Fabulous guitar but just a bit steep for me.

[@brianfarley9947]

Interesting that you don't like the blue one. That is my favorite looking one. 😂

[@stephenfeldman8104]

I'm part of the 1% who just doesn't care for the bird inlays. Love the moons, though.

[@dezionlion]

Play more!

[@donald-parker]

I like the look and sound, but the price is crazy. That is a big con for me.

[@shepherd8203]

I like the look of a Fender tele maple neck, I have a roasted maple on a tele, but PRS maple is white . I never had the chance to play one so just based on looks not for me. Your look like its getting some oil into it a turn colour a bit, is that true ? I also bought the slide coarse and love it. I think know that no matter what level of player you are it's a winner.

[@dylanadamsguitar]

It’s hard to say, I think it’s mostly the lighting that’s making the maple look darker in this video, but maybe the nitro is yellowing a little? Thanks so much for purchasing the course, I’m so glad you’re liking it so far! 🤘🏻

[@HEZ63]

Does not please my eyes, much less my ears. But the main reason, why I never bought this guitar are the pickups. First they do not sound like Tele-pickups for me, they rather remind me of Firebird mini-humbuckers, second I cannot replace them, onyl against other PRS Narrow Fields. Big disadvantage for me, as I usually replace the pickups and mod the wiring on every guitar. My humbucker guitars have PAF's, my Thinline-Tele has alnico III's, both I llike, but not the- for me - too thin and lifeless sounding neither fish nor meat tones of the narrow fields. The real Tele sounds in the video are more my taste, but the NF53 is not my world.

[@ApaAbatar]

It sounds close enough to a Tele.

[@ilmisxx2]

For what it is it's a little too expensive imo. Would I play it if I got one gifted to me? Hell yeah! Every day most likely. Would I buy one given other options I can get for that money? Almost certainly no

[@trentc7329]

Great guitar but It looks like an old VA issue wooden leg. Paul needs to let the pain shop make it over.

[@caspay21]

I think this should have been a ‘straight to SE’ model and it would have done crazy numbers. I do think it’s nearly impossible to make a single cut PRS look good with the headstock that’s a double cut design in itself

[@chirbin0nidhogg623]

I know I would have bought an SE

[@Tsak112]

The Singlecut Models should get the Santana Headstock. Much more traditional and completes the look

[@TheApsodist]

Nah singlecut prs245 or sc250 look goodd

[@NewPraetorianBlues]

@@Tsak112cultured take. Santana headstocks are better than the OG.

[@deepsea-diver]

Yes, rosewood fretboard! Also not a fan of the headstock..I agree, more traditional would be ideal. Dots,

[@seanbrooks2583]

i love PRS. i have a core mccarty, american silver sky, and se hollowbody. The nf53 just looks ugly. i was really excited for a PRS tele but this just.. missed the mark for me.

[@timholtguitar6999]

I need another PRS like I need a hole in my head…but dang if this thing doesn’t intrigue me.

[@archcunningham5579]

I think Pau Farro fretboard would be awesome for this guitar.

[@michaelyolch79]

Nearly $3,000...and comes with...a gig bag. Unacceptable given what this guitar costs to manufacture. I've run across Paul 4 times behind the scenes over the years; and every single time he was treating someone condescendingly, downright unkind, or just being painfully arrogant himself. It's a well-known fact in the industry that he's not a very nice person; and that's a shame.

[@davidbaker5988]

Tele sounds better to me , those prs pickups lack the complexity and purity of true single coils

[@davidbaker5988]

And current boutique single coils are often overwound and to heavily potted so they loose that airy quality, I wonder about special ordering lightly wound unpotted pups and using a noise gate in the line

[@what1864]

thing looks like a telecasters gay cousin ...

[@johnviolette5511]

The difference is the control knobs... The PRS has the gibson style speed knobs. And the Fender has the amp style knobs... That's where the tone difference is. 🤣

[@southboundguitar]

I love free guitars, too. Must be nice.

[@evansinger4714]

this

[@collierrocks]

The headstock looks so wrong with the T style body.

[@StupidGuitar]

It’s interesting what hangs us up. I think the tele headstock is one of the ugliest headstocks ever made

[@harryguitar8506]

Iv always felt the prs guitars just lack their own personality they are fantastic playing ibstruments but lack the classic look abd feel and the personality of an old style gibson or fender warts and all

[@atticushexcel9567]

Honestly, it is really ugly. The sunburst and black look great.

[@markhamblin8194]

I like ugly guitars, I've always avoided PRS cause I'd be afraid to scratch them. This looks like a guitar that you can beat up and bang around. However with the price of this guitar being what it is I still would be afraid to scratch it. PRS is not for me😂

[@forestyogin2218]

But they did pay you . . . with the $4000 guitar ! And the review is positive, so conflict of interest there. Sorry man, truth is truth.

[@drewcaster]

Still such an ugly dead tree

[@costabotes9107]

It may play ok and sound great, but this is the first PRS guitar that looks like an ugly pound puppy. Just a subjective view, but looks too reminiscent of a bastard love child of a Telecaster and a Gibson L6 to me. Dylan isn’t the best guy to be reviewing guitars. He’d sound good playing a tin can with strings.