GEAR REVIEW
PRS SE NF3 ELECTRIC GUITAR IS A WINNER | Eric Dahl
• Poplar wood body
• Double cutaway body shape
• 22 frets
• Maple neck
• 25 ” scale length
• 1 11 / 16 ” nut width
• PRS patented tremolo
• PRS closed back tuners
• Bolt-on neck
• Three Narrowfield DD “ S ” pickups
• Volume / Tone & 5-way blade pickup selector
• Rosewood or Maple fretboard
• Bird inlays in fretboard
• Gloss body finish
PRS has continued to make huge strides in their SE line , and the SE NF3 is no exception . The engine that drives this electric guitar are the three Narrowfield DD “ S ” pickups . PRS designed these pickups so that they have taller bobbins so that more windings can be achieved around the pickups . Cosmetically the PRS SE NF3 that Worship Musician received for review had an Ice Blue Metallic finish . Other choices include Gunmetal Gray , Metallic Orange and Pearl White .
KEY FEATURES
• Satin neck & headstock finish
• Wide Thin neck shape
Out of the box and gig bag the SE NF3 doesn ’ t feel or play like an import guitar . The body is solid Poplar , so it has some weight to it . The body finish is glossy , which accentuates the body contours for the lower and upper cutaways and curves . The neck and headstock are finished in satin which pairs nicely with the bolt-on neck and beveled back neck joint .
The guitar we tested at [ WM ] had a maple fretboard , which is my preference for a poppy and brighter sound . But it is also available with a Rosewood fretboard , and both offer the standard PRS bird inlays . The neck shape is wide thin , but it has more heft to it than many standard “ S ” Style guitars that have the rounded C shape .
The simplicity of the electronics on the SE NF3 make it fun to play and adjust with a 5-way blade pickup selector and a single volume and tone to control all three Narrowfield DD “ S ” pickups . The PRS patented tremolo works great for dives or subtle vibrato and always returns to pitch . The only challenge I found when playing the SE NF3 is that with my picking style I would sometimes hit the middle pickup . For my preference , I would raise the bridge pickup as closer to the strings for lead playing , lower the middle and raise the neck pickup a little .
Plugged into an amplifier the Narrowfield DD “ S ” pickups sound different than any pickups I have played through before . They have the clarity of singles coil pickups ( without the added noise ) and the fullness of humbucker pickups ( but not too fat ). The SE NF3 really shines in the 2 nd and 3 rd positions on the 5-way selector . Running the amp on clean you can achieve near “ T ” style or “ S ” style guitar sounds out of positions 4 and 5 with the bridge pickup engaged . Dialing in some distortion , fuzz and reverb the back and middle pickup positions truly shined with lots of sustain , harmonics and none of the ambient noise . The PRS SE NF3 has its own sound and doesn ’ t mimic the other guitar brands .
It has the body design of an “ S ” style electric guitar , the neck of a boutique builder and essentially custom designed pickups . The Narrowfield DD “ S ” pickups on the NF3 will open up new doors to your sound depending upon the amplifier and pedals you pair it with .
42 July 2024 Subscribe for Free ...