PRS SE NF3 Maple - Overview and Best Prices

PRS SE NF3 Maple Review
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  • 4 Prices - New from $679.15 >
  • From PRS's 2024 SE series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Poplar body
  • Maple neck
  • Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • PRS Patented Tremolo bridge
  • Wide Thin Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • PRS Designed tuners
  • Weight between 7.375lbs (3.3kgs) and 8.375lbs (3.8kgs)
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
PRS SE NF3 Maple Specifications
PRS SE NF3 Maple
General
Brand: PRS
Year: 2024
Configuration: HHH
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: SE
Colors: White, Black, Blue, Red
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Poplar
Bridge: PRS Patented Tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: PRS Designed
Fretboard: Maple
Neck Material: Maple
Decoration: Birds
Scale Size: 25"
Shape: Wide Thin
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.91'' (23.1mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 10"
Nut: PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Narrowfield DD "S" (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 5
Knobs: Speed
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Nickel
Show Diagram
PRS SE NF3 Maple pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
PRS SE NF3 Maple's switch options

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 68
Sound 73
Build quality 59
Value for money 72
Overall Score 67
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
PRS SE NF3 Maple
  • PRS Propietary Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $730, which means that the PRS SE NF3 Maple is around 7% cheaper than the competition. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Tremolo bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Pickups noise

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Pickups power

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Often Compared With

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the PRS SE NF3 Maple's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The PRS SE NF3 Maple meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

PRS SE NF3 Maple
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Videos

The SE NF3 Maple | Demo | PRS Guitars
Can These "Humbuckers" Really Sound Like Single Coils? | 2024 PRS SE NF3 Review + Demo
The SE NF3 | Demo | PRS Guitars
NEW PRS NF3 SE - Game Changing Pickups!
Checking Out The BRAND NEW PRS SE NF3 Collection!
PRS SE NF3 Review - Another quality SE, but what is it?
My New Favorite Pickups? PRS SE NF3 Unboxing and Demo!
Paul Reed Smith SE NF3 Deep Dive + Sound Test
Guitar Talk - PRS SE NF3 2024 Review
PRS SE NF3 ……. Maple vs Rosewood board

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the PRS SE NF3 Maple weighs between 7.375lbs (3.3kgs) and 8.375lbs (3.8kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the PRS SE NF3 Maple's 25" scale length compared to other common sizes:

PRS SE NF3 Maple Scale Length Comparison
PRS SE NF3 Maple's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the scale found in most PRS guitars, and it's right between the length of most Stratocasters and Les Pauls.

The scale length will affect the separation of the frets, the string tension, and even the tone of the guitar. The longer the scale, the more separated the frets are, which makes it a bit harder to move fast on the fretboard. Also, the higher tension of the strings will make them feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength. However, a longer scale also allows you to lower the action of the strings and make them closer to the fretboard, which makes them easier to press. Finally, the tone will also sound brighter with a longer scale.

A 25'' scale makes all of this feel right between a Stratocaster (longer scale) and a Les Paul (shorter scale).

Don't forget that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

PRS SE NF3 Maple Neck Profile
PRS SE NF3 Maple's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The PRS SE NF3 Maple's neck thickness is approximately 0.82'' (20.8mm) at the first fret, and 0.91'' (23.1mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official PRS website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The PRS SE NF3 Maple has a 10" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

PRS SE NF3 Maple Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
PRS SE NF3 Maple's fretboard radius compared to others

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.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the PRS SE NF3 Maple has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
10'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
14'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
D Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
14'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

PRS SE NF3 Maple Nut Width
PRS SE NF3 Maple Nut Width

The PRS SE NF3 Maple has a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

The PRS SE NF3 Maple has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

PRS SE NF3 Maple Fret Size Comparison
PRS SE NF3 Maple's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The PRS SE NF3 Maple's frets are Medium Jumbo size. These sit somewhere between a Jumbo and a Medium fret. They're not quite as tall as a full Jumbo, so you'll still feel the fretboard, but you won't feel it as much as with medium frets. This is a good size if you want to make it easy to press the strings but would also like a little bit of ''feedback'' to know when to stop pressing so the notes don't go out of pitch.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 65
Playability 68

Tone

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Poplar wood pattern used for guitar building
Poplar Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck, Fretboard

Poplar Body: It's similar to Alder in terms of tone as it has a fat low-end with strong mids, but it's a lot cheaper and softer. It's a bit heavier so it's mostly used for tops.

Maple Neck and Fretboard: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: PRS. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The PRS SE NF3 Maple's configuration is HHH. If you like warm tones, three Humbuckers will give you all the warmness you want, but also tons of output power. The advantage of having three humbucking pickups instead of a combination of single-coils and humbuckers is that you won't hear volume differences when switching to other pickups. And since they're all humbucker pickups, you don't need to adjust the middle pickup so high that it will get in the way of your pick.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Narrowfield DD "S" Bridge Pickup
Narrowfield DD "S" Middle Pickup
Narrowfield DD "S" Neck Pickup
PRS SE NF3
Compare
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Narrowfield DD "S" Bridge Pickup
Narrowfield DD "S" Middle Pickup
Narrowfield DD "S" Neck Pickup

Versatility

It gives you a good amount of tone options with its 5-way switch. You can use it to choose at least 5 different pickup combinations.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HHH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 90
Sustain 65
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 73

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The PRS SE NF3 Maple is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Bridge

PRS Patented Tremolo: This type of bridge allows you to change the pitch of the notes by pulling the bridge with the attached bar, which gives you better versatility. Also, since the bridge is not fixed to the guitar body, the bridge will move as you bend the strings. So you'll have to increase the distance of your bends to reach the same tension (note) compared to a fixed bridge. This allows you to perform smoother bends but will also make you slower. Finally, remember that this type of bridge requires a bit more maintenance than fixed ones, especially when changing strings.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the PRS SE NF3 Maple has a PRS Propietary nut. PRS uses a synthetic material that is self-lubricating and fairly strong. This is good for playability and tuning stability. The tone is not as bright as with TUSQ nuts, and it's also not as resistant, but it's still a good quality nut.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 51
Features 55
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 59