Shop Keyboard Deals, Financing, and More

PRS NF 53 Electric Guitar - Blue Matteo

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Ash Body, Maple Neck, Maple Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Blue Matteo
$2,899.00

Earn $145 back in Bonus Bucks OR pay $121/month with 24 month financing*

Backordered - More On The Way!

We expect more from PRS in just a few weeks. Order today to reserve yours now, risk-free.

Notify me when in stock
Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Certified Fit Cases

No more guesswork! These cases are hand-tested and guaranteed to fit your guitar. See how we do it

Certified Fit Cases

PRS NF 53 Electric Guitar - Blue Matteo
Backordered - More On The Way! Notify me
$2,899.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

A Modern Bolt-on with Nods to the Past

Paul Reed Smith takes the classic single-cut, bolt-on design to exciting new heights with the PRS NF 53. Inspired by a '53 from Paul's vintage guitar collection, the NF 53 is carved from a resonant slab of swamp ash with a svelte cutaway for added comfort. Its maple Pattern 53-shaped neck provides familiar playability, complemented perfectly by this solidbody electric guitar's maple, 10-inch-radius, 22-fret fingerboard, and 25.5-inch scale length. You'll be awestruck by the focused, powerful tone yielded by the NF 53's PRS Narrowfield DD pickups. You also get top-shelf hardware, including a PRS plate-style bridge, barrel-style saddles, and vintage-style tuners. And, of course, the NF 53 includes the company's iconic Birds fingerboard inlays, ensuring that nobody mistakes the NF 53 for anything other than a PRS. A killer modern bolt-on with a few well-placed nods to its vintage counterparts, the Paul Reed Smith NF 53 is another classic in the making.

A solid, no-frills player

At its core, the NF 53 is a no-frills classic rock machine. It boasts a tried-and-tested single-cut swamp ash body, along with a bolt-on maple neck and fingerboard. That said, its graceful cutaway scoop, comfortable neck carve, and built-for-speed fingerboard radius propel this solidbody electric guitar firmly into the twenty-first century. Its plate-style bridge offers precise intonation while also nodding to its roots. Moreover, the NF 53 features vintage-style tuners for maximum reliability.

PRS Narrowfield DD pickups

The PRS NF 53 comes loaded with a set of Narrowfield DD (Deep Dish) pickups. This pair is carefully voiced to simultaneously deliver the best characteristics of a humbucker, a P-90, a traditional single-coil, and a mini humbucker. That said, it's constructed with taller bobbins than PRS's typical Narrowfields. This design makes room for more winds and extra metal pieces in between its magnets, yielding a tone that's more focused and powerful than previous Narrowfields. The NF 53 includes volume and tone knobs, along with a 3-way blade switch, giving you access to a full range of classic tones.

Ensures effortless playability

The guitarists here at Sweetwater have found the NF 53 to be among the most playable guitars in our massive inventory. For starters, its 25.5-inch scale length gives it a feel that hard-rock guitar connoisseurs will find very familiar. Its Pattern 53-shaped neck is substantial enough to fill your hand yet slender enough to stay out of your way. You also get a 22-fret, 10-inch-radius fingerboard that facilitates jazz chording, rock riffage, and blazing-fast leads with equal aplomb.

PRS NF 53 Electric Guitar Features:

  • Single-cut swamp ash body with a svelte cutaway scoop
  • 25.5-inch scale length gives supplies a feel that old-school guitar connoisseurs will find familiar
  • Bolt-in maple neck with a comfortable Pattern 53-shaped carve
  • 22-fret, 10-inch-radius fingerboard offers effortless playability
  • Narrowfield DD pickups yield the best characteristics of a humbucker, a P-90, a traditional single-coil, and a mini humbucker
  • Volume and tone knobs and 3-way blade switch provide access to a full range of classic tones
  • Plate-style bridge offers precise intonation with a nod to classic designs
  • Vintage-style tuners supply maximum reliability
  • PRS Birds fingerboard inlays and slick-looking finish

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Additional Media

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape NF 53
  • Body Material Swamp Ash
  • Body Finish Gloss
  • Color Blue Matteo
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Neck Shape Pattern 53
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 10"
  • Fingerboard Material Maple
  • Fingerboard Inlay PRS Birds
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.64"
  • Nut Material Bone
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece PRS Plate Style
  • Tuners Vintage-style Closed-back with PRS Buttons
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup PRS Narrowfield DD Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup PRS Narrowfield DD Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x volume, 1 x tone
  • Switching 3-way blade pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings PRS Signature, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 112815::BM:

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Best $$$ I’ve Spent on a Guitar

I've had my NF53 since December and not a day has passed that I haven't played it. This guitar is amazing and by far the favorite in my arsenal. Unique tones and an incredible feel, like the guitar just wants you to play it from the time you pick it up. Well balanced and the neck allows your hands to flow up and down like butter. Biggest surprise for me is the sustain. It seems to ring a note forever. Beautiful from top to bottom, it's the best $ I've ever spent on a guitar and I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed either.
Music background: Guitarist
Rated 5/5

Goldilocks

Every element of this guitar is thoughtfully designed and well executed. This guitar is the best combination of the best elements of all of my favorite guitars without the down sides of any of them.

The neck pickup is probably the best sounding neck pickup I've played. The bridge pickup can have the twang and brilliance of a single coil if you want it to, but it also has the warmth and girth of a nice humbucker. It has the simplicity of controls of the Tele, along with the classic shape.

It rivals my Strats for comfort playing. I have always found Teles, Les Pauls, and PRS guitars uncomfortable because the edge of the body digs into my forearm where it rests. The body contours of the Strat have always felt right, and the NF53 does this well.

The particular one I bought is a wonderful 6lbs 2oz - very comfortable on the back, and extremely resonant.

The neck shape is unique. My favorite neck has always been my Fender Custom Shop '63 which has some heft to it that comfortably fills the hand. I have small hands, but large necks are no problem. This neck feels deeper, with slightly less shoulder. It is taking time to adjust, but it is still very comfortable.

I hope this guitar gets the attention it deserves. This is definitely one of Paul's best designs to date.
Rated 5/5

Outstanding guitar!!

Paul Reed Smith hit it out of the park with the NF 53. I got one a couple weeks ago, in Blue Matteo and had my first chance to gig with it on Friday night. The one I got is light 6 lbs 13 ozs. The neck is very comfortable for me even with not so big hands. The fit, finish and set up is great. The grain in the ash body is attractive.

For me the real star is the pickups. I gig with a Quilter TB202 head and a Quilter BlockDock 12 cabinet. I made no changes to my eq on my gigging amp, which I had been playing with a Ron Kirn Nashville Tele, and it sounded great. The pickups are dead quiet as they should be. The bridge pickup captures the Tele essence but with more fullness and without the ice pick. No need to back off on the tone. The neck pickup is very usable, nice clear and full sounding, not muddy, muffled or boomy. As expected, based on the individual sounds, together they are amazing and very usable. Still cut through in the mix. I thought I would miss the middle pickup on my Nashville Tele but the middle position on the 3 way is so good, I didn't miss it at all.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the guitar and the tones, one of the best guitar purchases I've made. Might be my new #1, we'll see.
Music background: Started playing professionally in 1969, been playing consistently ever since. Played Classic rock when it was new. Play Guitar and Bass.

You don't even have to play guitar to know that PRS instruments are in a league of their own. With their exquisitely figured tops and premium appointments, each PRS is a playable work of art. But it goes way deeper than the surface. Every time Paul visits Sweetwater, we get a deeper look at his amazing instruments. We've even hosted several PRS Custom Shop events, complete with Paul's personal Wood Library! Whether they're his most affordable SE electric guitars, top-quality acoustics, or amps, it's always amazing to see what PRS comes up with. What's more, we keep a ton of PRS guitars in our amazing Guitar Showroom, so the staff at Sweetwater can get hands on with all of their latest models. We'd love to tell you all about them.

Close Close $2,000 Pick Your PRS Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!