PRS NF3 Review

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

When I arrived at the Experience PRS 2010 event in Stevensville, Maryland and checked my press pack for the list of events, the first thing that jumped out at me was the new guitars that PRS was launching over the weekend. While there were many great concerts and clinics going on, as a player and PRS owner, I was interested to see what Paul had up his sleeves for the new product lines. As I sat down in a secluded testing room set up for us on the PRS grounds, the first guitar I reached for was the NF3, one of the new solidbodies that PRS rolled out during the event.

One of the most important aspects of the NF3 from a tone standpoint is the pickup system. Consisting of three, 57/08 Narrowfield pickups, hence the name NF, the guitar offers a ton of different options for dialing in your tone. I really liked the variety of sounds I was able to bring out of each of the five pickup configurations, while always keeping a thickness to the tone that I probably wouldn’t be able to grab with a Strat or other similar guitar.

Also, the new “Pattern Regular” neck shape was interested from a player’s perspective. As PRS describes it, it “is similar to the traditional PRS regular neck found on early Virginia Avenue guitars.” The neck shape didn’t jump out at me as being totally different from other PRS’, but it was enough of a change that I found myself moving around the neck, getting a feel for the new design.

Being a jazz player, and a lover of clean, electric guitar tone, I was intrigued to find that the guitar is designed to provide a solid, acoustic tone when the volume is on the low end of the dial. I tried it out for myself, not sure if I really believed the hype, but I was pleased to find that yes, if I had the volume way down, the guitar had a subtle, yet clear acoustic quality to it that I really liked. Then, when I cranked the volume I was able to grab some serious electric tone, without losing the character of the guitar. Whether I was strumming chords with an acoustic vibe, or screaming through some blues licks full out, the guitar retained its own personality, while offering up a variety of tonal variations.

For me, one of the most important things I look for in a new guitar is the consistency of tone and volume across the entire neck. I’ve really come to dislike guitars that have “soft” spots, or that lose tone as I climb the neck, or even go from the low strings to the high strings. The NF3 was very consistent with its tone and volume level across the entire neck, which made it an easy guitar for me to play. I never felt like I was fighting with it, or that I had to constantly dial in new tone as I played in different parts of the neck. This made it a really fun guitar for me to play, as I could focus on what I was playing and not have to worry about how I was sounding.

As I’m sure you’re all aware, the true test of an electric guitar is how well it can sustain notes and chords. (Insert your favorite Nigel Tufnel quote here). Whether you play blues, rock, metal, fusion or country, we all know how powerful a long sustained bend or shake can be for the audience, and so we all look for that quality in a new axe. The NF3 definitely has a high-level of sustain to it, allowing for a maximum amount of emotion to be put into every long, held note. Though the notes would ring when I wanted them to, I never felt like they were ringing too long. Sometimes notes can get a little muddy if the sustain is overdone, but I didn’t get that sense with the NF3.

I really enjoyed the time I had with the NF3. Though as a jazz player I’m not sure if I would make this my regular, gigging guitar, for blues and rock players it’s definitely worth checking out. The double cut-away design, pickup configuration, sustain and playability combine to make it a worthwhile addition to the PRS catalogue.

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