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Electric Guitar

PRS SE NF 53

Name: PRS SE NF 53
Brand: PRS

PRS · SE NF 53

Price: 49 EUR – 1.340 EUR

Price history

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Availability: 9/10 (Common)

PRS's own take on a vintage Telecaster shape, modeled directly on a 1953 guitar from Paul Reed Smith's personal collection rather than built as a licensed clone - swamp ash body, bolt-on maple neck, 25.5" scale, all departures from PRS's usual bolt-on and scale-length conventions. The defining feature is the Narrowfield DD pickup, a noiseless humbucker voiced to sit close to single-coil twang, which owners repeatedly compare to G&L's MFD pickups rather than to a standard PRS humbucker sound.

Where available? Go to the best price – 50 EUR About this instrument

About the PRS SE NF 53

The NF 53 breaks from PRS's usual design vocabulary on multiple fronts at once: a swamp ash body instead of mahogany or maple, a bolt-on scarfed maple neck instead of a glued-in one, and a 25.5" scale length instead of PRS's signature 24.594" or 25". All three choices trace to the same source - the guitar is modeled on a vintage 1953 guitar from Paul Reed Smith's own collection, making this a PRS reading of classic single-cutaway, bolt-neck design rather than an attempt to reproduce another manufacturer's instrument under license. The Narrowfield DD (Deep Dish) pickups carry that vintage-informed approach into the electronics: they trade the standard Narrowfield's stairstep pole-piece layout for a mixed magnet-and-steel design with deeper bobbins, aimed at reaching twangy top end without losing low end - noiseless pickups built to flirt with single-coil character rather than hide it.

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/99313551-prs-se-nf-53-doghair-occasion

Sound character of the PRS SE NF 53

The Narrowfield DD pickups are voiced for twangy top end that doesn't thin out the low end, delivering a focused, powerful tone capable of both crunchy rock drive and sparkling clean sounds suited to Nashville or Bakersfield-style country, and even jazz according to one review. The swamp ash body contributes to a lively, resonant character with plenty of sustain, giving the guitar genuine tonal range from studio-clean to fat and dirty rather than a one-dimensional twang-only voice.

Bright Resonant Crisp Midrange-forward Vintage-voiced

What owners of the PRS SE NF 53 say

Sentiment is strongly positive and frequently surprised: owners describe the guitar as having "no business being this good" at its price, calling it a flat-out great guitar rather than merely a good budget one. The Narrowfield DD pickups draw repeated comparisons to G&L's MFD pickups - noiseless, single-coil-leaning, praised for clear treble and bold midrange that holds up both clean and driven. Players who've put it side by side with a genuine Telecaster describe it as Tele-ish in outline but thicker-sounding, with a personality distinct enough to stand on its own rather than reading as a cheaper substitute; clean tones are called crisp and chimey with plenty of quack in the middle pickup position. The only concern on record is isolated - one owner's fretboard needed a fret dress after minor shrinkage - rather than a recurring complaint.

Playability & handling of the PRS SE NF 53

The neck carve is described as notably chunky for an SE-tier instrument, yet reviewers still praise an immaculate factory setup rather than treating the thicker profile as a trade-off against playability. The volume knob's position is specifically called out as well-suited to pinky volume swells - a detail players chasing pedal-steel-style swells will recognize as deliberate rather than incidental. Owners consistently describe the guitar as very light, with a belly cut and arm contour that make extended playing comfortable; one owner's unit needed a fret dress after the fretboard shrank slightly, a single-instance climate-related issue rather than a reported pattern.

Recommended accessories & strings for the PRS SE NF 53

Owners comparing the NF 53 directly to a real Telecaster note it reads Tele-ish in shape and attitude but comes across thicker and with its own distinct character rather than as an imitation, which is worth knowing for players expecting a one-to-one Tele substitute. The Narrowfield DD pickups' noiseless, single-coil-adjacent voicing suits players who want twang and quack without the 60-cycle hum that comes with true single coils - a meaningful consideration for anyone planning high-gain pedals or noisy stage environments.

Technical data for the PRS SE NF 53

Type	Bolt-neck solidbody electric guitar, single-cutaway vintage-inspired design
Production	PRS SE series, built in Indonesia
Body	Swamp ash, gloss finish
Neck	Maple, bolt-on, scarf joint construction, satin finish, depth 0.878 in. at 1st fret / 0.977 in. at 12th fret
Scale length	25.5 in.
Fingerboard	Maple, 10 in. radius, 22 frets, bird inlays, black side dots
Pickups	PRS Narrowfield DD "S" (Deep Dish), mixed magnet/steel pole piece design
Controls	Volume and tone controls, 3-way blade pickup switch
Bridge	PRS plate-style bridge with brass saddles
Hardware	PRS vintage-style tuners with wing buttons, PRS proprietary nut
Weight	Approx. 3.3kg (7.33 lb)

Price history for the PRS SE NF 53

Cheapest seen: 49 EUR · Most expensive seen: 1.340 EUR

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The history of the PRS SE NF 53

PRS's Narrowfield pickup platform dates to 2011 and was revived in 2021 on the Studio and Special Semi-Hollow models, built around sensing a shorter section of string to deliver thick single-coil-style tone with humbucker-style noise cancellation. The NF 53, announced June 21, 2023 alongside a Myles Kennedy signature model as an expansion of PRS's Bolt-On Series, paired that pickup platform for the first time with Narrowfield DD voicing and a body/neck design modeled on Paul Reed Smith's own 1953 vintage guitar - PRS's most direct nod yet, within this project's research, to the classic American bolt-neck format that predates the company itself.

About PRS as a manufacturer

Background on the SE line's broader origin and its acknowledged quality step below the hand-finished USA Core line is documented elsewhere in this project's PRS SE research rather than repeated here.

Notable players & recordings featuring the PRS SE NF 53

No verified professional endorsement ties a specific touring artist to this exact SE model - its design instead traces to Paul Reed Smith's own vintage 1953 guitar rather than a current signature artist.