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PRS NF 53
PRS CE 24
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Playability
70
Sound
72
Build
68
Value
60
Score
70
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Playability
72
Sound
76
Build
72
Value
63
Score
73
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PRS NF 53 vs CE 24 Specs Comparison
PRS NF 53 CE 24
General
Brand: PRS PRS
Year: 2024 2016
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: NF Bolt-On
Colors: White, Black, Blue, Natural Black, Blue, Green, Brown, Red Burst, Dark Cherry Sunburst, McCarty Sunburst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Swamp Ash Mahogany
Bridge: Body PRS Patented Tremolo, Molded
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: PRS Vintage-Style Non-Locking Tuners with Wing Buttons PRS Low Mass Locking
Fretboard: Maple Rosewood
Neck Material: Maple Maple
Decoration: Birds Birds
Scale Size: 25.5" 25"
Shape: Pattern 53 Pattern Thin
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.875'' (22.2mm) - 12th Fret: 0.969'' (24.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.83'' (21.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 10" 10"
Nut: Bone PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 41.7mm (1.641'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Narrowfield DD (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Narrowfield DD (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Speed Speed
Pickup Mods: None Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Nickel
Show Diagrams Comparison
PRS NF 53 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS NF 53's switch options
PRS CE 24 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS CE 24's switch options

Reasons to Get
PRS NF 53 over CE 24

Release Year
2024 vs 2016
From a more recent year
Number of Frets
22 vs 24
Warmer neck pickup
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.875'' (22.2mm) vs 0.83'' (21.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.969'' (24.6mm) vs 0.9'' (22.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.641'' (41.7mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Reasons to Get
PRS CE 24 over NF 53

Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.83'' (21.1mm) vs 0.875'' (22.2mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.9'' (22.9mm) vs 0.969'' (24.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.641'' (41.7mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
63 vs 60
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
PRS NF 53 vs CE 24

Bridge Pickup
Narrowfield DD vs PRS 85/15
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Narrowfield DD vs PRS 85/15
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Ash vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs PRS Propietary
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
PRS NF 53 vs CE 24

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Fretboard Radius
10'' (254mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Decorative Top
Swamp Ash vs Maple
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the PRS CE 24 favors large hands more than the PRS NF 53.

PRS NF 53:
Big Hands
Small Hands
PRS CE 24:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

Both meet 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

PRS NF 53
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

PRS CE 24
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the PRS NF 53

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash

Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.

Woods Used in the PRS CE 24

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Winner: PRS CE 24.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

However, the PRS NF 53 has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: PRS NF 53.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Only the PRS CE 24 comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.

Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: PRS CE 24.

Final Sound Quality Scores

PRS NF 53
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72
PRS CE 24
Pickups 85
Sustain 65
Versatility 79
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 76

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the PRS NF 53 compares to the PRS CE 24.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The PRS NF 53 has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the PRS CE 24 comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.

Winner: Tie.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The PRS NF 53's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the PRS CE 24's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

The PRS CE 24 has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

Winner: PRS CE 24.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
PRS NF 53
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
PRS CE 24
  • Locking Tuners
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • PRS Propietary Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

PRS NF 53
Quality of materials 60
Features 50
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 68
PRS CE 24
Quality of materials 50
Features 70
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 72

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

PRS NF 53 Nut Width
PRS NF 53 Nut Width
PRS CE 24 Nut Width
PRS CE 24 Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the PRS CE 24 has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 41.7mm (1.641''). This is a 1.2mm (0.047'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the PRS CE 24, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

PRS NF 53's Scale Length
PRS NF 53's Scale Length
PRS CE 24's Scale Length
PRS CE 24's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The PRS NF 53 has the longest scale: 25.5". The PRS CE 24 is only 25" long. This is a 0.5'' (12.7mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

PRS NF 53 Neck Profile
PRS NF 53's neck profile
PRS CE 24 Neck Profile
PRS CE 24's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the PRS NF 53 and the PRS CE 24 have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

PRS NF 53 Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the PRS NF 53 and the PRS CE 24 have the same fretboard radius of 10". This is slightly flatter than the typical modern Stratocaster, but not by a lot. This radius will make it comfortable to play chords without muting strings accidentally. However, when compared to Strats, the extra .5 inches radius will make it slightly more comfortable to play solos without sacrificing too much chord playability.

Fret Size

PRS NF 53 and PRS CE 24 Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

Final Playability Scores

PRS NF 53
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 65
Playability 70
PRS CE 24
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 75
Playability 72