Paul Reed Smith PRS SE NF 3

Описание: On the bench today is the Paul Reed Smith PRS SE NF 3 guitar.

This is the second of what I would call an affordable PRS guitar that I have covered on the Guitar Collector Guy channel. The first was a $499 super guitar, SE CE 24 Standard Satin. I am still amazed by that guitar. Link to the video in this video’s description.

   • PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin – On the Bench...  

I have watched the PRS SE NF 3 guitar being reviewed in many YouTube videos and have thought about purchasing one many times. My intent was to purchase a used one, but here is what I always found.

The guitar used, according to Reverb, goes for $442 - $645 depending on condition. I have NEVER seen one go for $442. I would have jumped on that offering in a heartbeat.

Today, November of 2024 the lowest used price I can find is $525 plus $50 shipping. Here is the wild part – a new guitar can be had for $577 and up, with free shipping. At the time I purchased mine new I purchased the lowest price of $679 including shipping that I could find.

In the videos and articles everyone raves about the 2024 release of the PRS Narrowfield (NF) pickups. The first version of the PRS NF pickup was released to the market in 2008. PRS describes Narrowfield pickups as:

The PRS Narrowfield pickup is a smaller version of a humbucker pickup that combines the tone of a single coil with the characteristics of a humbucker. The Narrowfield pickup is designed to capture vibrations from a more concentrated section of the guitar strings, resulting in a focused, powerful tone.




Here are some of the specifications for the guitar: PRS SE NF 3

Year 2024 - Present
Made In Indonesia

The solid body is made of poplar with a finish style of metallic.

The bolt on neck is made of maple with a fretboard of either maple or rosewood. The maple and rosewood fretboards are a glued-on slab of wood attached to the neck. PRS describes the neck shape as wide-thin.

You can see a scarf joint at the back of the neck near the headstock. A scarf joint is an angled joint between the neck and the headstock. A scarf joint reduces manufacturing time and costs to produce a neck but is also supposed to be stronger.

The neck depth at the nut is 13/16 inches and the neck depth at the 12th fret is 57/64 inches.

Fretboard Radius is 10 inches
Scale Length 25 inches
Nut Width 1.6875
Number of Frets 22
PRS tuners

Pickup Configuration is HHH
Model Family of pickup is the PRS NF 3 Narrowfield
Bridge/Tailpiece Type Tremolo Bridge – PRS Patented Tremolo.

I purchased my guitar because it was orange with a black pickguard. It is one of my favorite combos and I am now on the hunt for a Gretsch Guitars G5622T in orange as well.

From the box the string height, intonation, nut, and truss rod were all adjusted to factory spec. The guitar was ready to be played.

This NF 3 is compact and well made. The finish is excellent. The pickups look like nothing else out there. Really different. I really like the ergonomic look, shape, and feel of the body of this guitar. It is well designed.

The sating finish on the neck seems to be very light/thin.

The frets are smooth on the edges of the fretboard and there is no fret rocking. The PRS tuners work great, are easy to use, and keep the guitar in tune.

The tremolo is probably the best part of the guitar. Hands down this is an incredible production component and far exceeds anything I have seen Fender release.

The electronics are Alpha full-size pots and the 5-way pickup selector switch is well made. The volume does not seem to be functional until you turn it to about 5 and then it starts to work.

I think that PRS really missed the boat with the basic electronics they installed in this guitar. At this price point it is common to expect coil splitting and series circuit options. The pickups can most definitely handle both if not all of the options with the available wiring seen on the back of the pickups. Even the $499 SE CE 24 Standard has coil splitting.

The next morning, I went out and plugged into two of my larger recording amps. The first amp is a Fender Princeton Reverb and the other is a large Fender 59 Bassman (4x10) amp.

I was surprised and relieved. As I played, I found myself actually liking the tones coming from the pickups in all five positions. I like the pickups.

I agree with other reviewers when they say the guitar does not sound like a Strat or a humbucker based guitar. But something in the middle.

The tone knob is responsive and there are great lows, mids, and highs on each pickup. When I plug into a distortion pedal the guitar excels. I would also agree with this guitar being referred to as a work horse. I think that is an apt description.

I could see someone gigging and playing professionally with this single guitar and meeting a lot of different requirements.