#7011 – PRS NF53 – black doghair

£2190.00

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Overview :- When you look at the classic early 50’s ‘Black Guard’ Tele, then it’s very easy to say that the PRS NF53 doesn’t follow the accepted well known format – But you could say the same for the John Mayer Silver Sky or indeed the Fiore – So the NF53 isn’t a clone, but it is certainly influenced by a Tele and features many of the same ingredients – Retains the 25.5″ scale length, bolt on maple neck/fingerboard along with a light weight ash body – But then it retains elements that are part ‘n’ parcel of many PRS Guitars – 10″ fingerboard radius, the regular headstock shape with 3 a side tuners, along with a set of medium/jumbo frets – Whilst a set of ‘noiseless’ pick-ups are not new to PRS (narrowfield) they are not new to certain Fender players either – Danny Gatton favoured a set of Barden pick-ups – And the likes of Tom Anderson have offered similar options for many years now – Whilst a ‘top loaded’ bridge has had its moments on certain Fender Tele’s

Well worth reading a couple of reviews, of the NF53, by Premier Guitar ( click here ) and Vintage Magazine ( click here ) – Then click here to visit the PRS product page, that features a good video clip of the NF53 in action

I’ve now sold new and used PRS Guitars for well over 35 years and some may recall a few years ago when Guitars4You were amongst the UK’s leading stockists – I still retain a good relationship with the team and we speak on a fairly regular basis – Such chats then often let me know about the odd B stock grade guitars – Some are ex-display following various guitar shows – Some are ex product review models, from say Guitarist Magazine – Some just have a subtle finish blemish – But all are offered to me with a more favourable price tag – Hence my acquisition of this new, yet B stock,  PRS NF53 with a black doghair finish – Complete with the deluxe PRS gig bag and relevant tag – Shows a date of birth as Nov 2023 so a fairly early example – Following a detailed tour of the NF53 I found a subtle graze on the truss rod cover, subtle pick marks on the scratchplate and at first I thought that was it – A closer examination will reveal a subtle blemish under the nitro gloss finish -Low E string side and near the strap button area, on the front/belly of the ash body – You can see it but not feel it – So as I mentioned, it appears to be a subtle blemish under the top coat – Otherwise everything appears to be as it should – The NF53 has spent some time on my bench for my usual evaluation, a new set of strings (10-46) and to fine tune the set-up – So a new PRS at a more favourable price

Full spec + product info :-

Feel + tonal character :- The neck profile will be familiar territory to many PRS players – Not fat or slim – Not necessarily a DNA copy of neck profiles found on say a Custom 24, or DGT – But certainly a similar territory – The silky smooth satin finish instantly provides you with that ‘played in’ character – The 25.5″ Fender-esq scale length supplies you with that ‘tight’ Tele-esq feel, which is both part of the feel and tone of a Tele – Yet the 10″ fingerboard radius and medium jumbo frets somehow makes it feel a touch more ‘user friendly’ with a slick easy action – Whilst string bending doesn’t feel so ‘stiff’

Moving on to the tonal character of the NF53 and yes it is Tele influenced – It is fair to say a good Tele sounds like a good Tele but within that statement there are variations – Some more subtle than others – It possesses the attack, bite, balls and twang of a Tele – It can be something of a shin kicker and kicks dirt – Yet equally it can be controlled for a cleaner/warm/smooth voice – The volume and tone pots both possess a good taper, allowing you to dial in/out effective variations, so no shortage of expression available to you – There is no shortage of sound bites available to listen to as to what constitutes a Tele at its best – Led Zep, Kinks, Quo, Danny Gatton, Dr Feelgood, Jazz, blues, country, rock n roll, etc etc – It shows both the guitar’s versatility to function in just about any genre of music – But then it also makes it hard to describe how exactly it sounds, for all styles of music, be it with a clean amp setting, subtle gain or hi-gain – But put it this way, I had good fun playing around with various amp settings and to say it is versatile is an under-statement – Maybe it is me and what I like within most guitars, but I found it works so well with more subtle gain on the amp – This allows me to hear the guitars full character with less gain/saturation – But equally allows me to start with  a full on attack – More bite and aggression – More dirt – Yet roll off the vol pot a touch for a cleaner ‘jazz/blues’ based voice   – No one guitar does it all, but the NF53 does a lot – Maybe the die hard vintage purest will instantly say no to the modern approach of the NF53 – Yet equally, other players will want a Tele that has had some of its ‘rough edges’ ironed out and feels, plays and sounds just a bit more slick

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For additional product info, to arrange a showroom visit + viewing, or indeed any other questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Call: 01335 345777 or email: mark@guitars4you.co.uk. Please note that showrooms visits are strictly by appointment only.

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Guitars4You is not another corporate high street guitar store - My selection of premium grade guitars is about quality not quantity. Every guitar has been selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention to the set-up and playing performance. Every sale, phone call, email and mail order transaction is handled by me. A journey that is now over 40 years old, has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars.