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The latest result of PRS Guitars “reverse-engineering”/ reconsidering its own instruments, the SE NF3 is the first PRS to be given Narrowfield DD (Deep Dish) S pickups.
A spin on the company’s most-popular model, the SE Silver Sky, the SE NF3 also has a poly-finished poplar body with bolt-on maple neck and rosewood or maple fretboard. The tuners are PRS’ Schaller-style that have a more-modern look compared to the Silver Sky, and its vibrato is a blend of old and new, with a six-screw base plate that has modern saddles. Scale length is 25″, which varies from the Silver Sky’s Strat-like 25.5″, and it brings PRS’ favored 10″ fretboard radius.
The biggest derivation with the NF3 is in the pickups; the new Narrowfield DD S is made with taller bobbins (that fit more winds) and build tweaks designed to create a more-focused single-coil tone while still being humbucking.
Played through a small tube amp with ECC82 tubes, the NF3’s neck pickup has a more-rounded tone that sheds a bit of the Silver Sky’s brightness, the middle brings a smoother, less-articulate midrange, and the bridge pickup matches the Silver Sky’s shimmer and chime but is also smoother/less-bright overall. With the five-way blade switch in positions two and four, the cluck-off contest between the two was very close, but the NF3 renders slightly more lower-midrange.
Offered in four finish options and with maple or rosewood fretboard, the SE NF3 merits a listen for any player looking to expand their tonal options.
This article originally appeared in VG’s September 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
