PRS NF 53 (left) & Myles Kennedy Signature (right) guitars
The Maryland outfit throw their hat into the T-style ring.
Myles Kennedy Signature
Introducing Myles Kennedy’s first signature model. Known for his work in Alter Bridge, Slash and the Conspirators, and his own solo recordings, Kennedy is an accomplished guitarist who brings blues and jazz style to rock guitar playing. This new signature model mirrors Kennedy’s rock sensibilities with a nod to historic designs. While the aesthetic may have players hearing chicken pickin’ in their heads – and this guitar can certainly reach twang territory – it is made to play like a rock machine.
“This guitar captures the spirit of my favorite older instruments. With that said, since we developed this guitar, most of my vintage instruments rarely see the light of day,” said Kennedy.
The PRS Myles Kennedy signature guitar features a swamp ash body, a 22-fret, 25.5” scale length maple neck with maple fretboard, and two PRS Narrowfield MK pickups. The PRS Narrowfield MK pickups were carefully voiced to capture the courage of humbuckers and the spank of single coils. PRS Narrowfields provided the perfect starting point for this design, with their ability to deliver thick single-coil sounds without the hum. These pickups are paired with a 5-way blade switch and a push/pull tone control that acts as a preset tone roll- off, bringing down the higher frequencies on the treble pickup so you can dig in to the fullest.
“I watched Myles throughout his career alternate between humbucking and single coil sounds without giving anything up on either side. These pickups took us months to dial in, and I think they capture that balance that Myles mastered beautifully,” said Paul Reed Smith.
Other features include a PRS plate-style steel bridge, vintage-style locking tuners, bone nut, and Kennedy’s “Geometric Owl” logo from his “Ides of March” solo release, representing wisdom and adaptability.
“I feel like we managed to touch on the elusive quality that makes you want to play with this guitar. It beckons you to take it off the wall or out of the case and make music.”
– Myles Kennedy
Myles Kennedy Signature Specifications
- Body Construction: Solidbody
- Body Wood: Swamp Ash
- Top Carve: Flat Top
- Number of Frets: 22
- Scale Length: 25.5”
- Neck Wood: Maple
- Neck Construction: Scarfed
- Truss Rod: PRS Double-Acting
- Neck Shape: Myles Kennedy
- Neck Depth at 1⁄2 Fret: 57/64” [22.62 mm]
- Neck Depth at 12 1⁄2 Fret: 31/32” [24.58 mm]
- Width of Fretboard at the Nut: 1 41/64” [41.67mm]
- Width of Fretboard at the Body: 2 15/64” [56.75 mm]
- Fretboard Wood: Maple
- Fretboard Radius: 10”
- Fretboard Inlay: Birds
- Headstock Logo: Signature, Decal
- Neck-Body Assembly Type: Bolt-On
- Bridge: PRS Plate Style, Steel
- Tuners: Vintage Style, Locking
- Hardware Type: Nickel
- Nut: Bone
- Truss Rod Cover: Myles Kennedy “Geometric Owl” Logo
- Treble Pickup: Narrowfield MK
- Bass Pickup: Narrowfield MK
- Controls: Volume and Push/Pull Tone Control with 5-Way Blade Pickup Switch
- P1 (Switch Down): Treble Humbucker
- P2: Treble Humbucker & Bass Coil Split
- P3: Treble & Bass Humbuckers
- P4: Treble & Bass Coil Split
- P5 (Switch Up): Bass Humbucker
The Myles Kennedy Signature Model | PRS Guitars
NF 53
The PRS NF 53 is a powerful guitar that combines classic tones with modern design. Inspired by one of Paul Reed Smith’s vintage guitars from 1953, the PRS NF 53 combines
a swamp ash body and 22-fret, 25.5” scale length bolt-on maple neck with maple fretboard with a special set of PRS Narrowfield pickups. The PRS Narrowfield DD (Deep Dish) pickups are made with taller bobbins to fit more winds and extra metal pieces in between the magnets for a more focused, powerful tone.
“I am so pleased with the feedback from the artists who have played this guitar – everyone is telling us that we have something special here,” said Paul Reed Smith. “If you are a fan of this style and tone, the NF 53 will take you where you want to go. To me to have this kind of beautiful high end without the hum is game changing.”
Paired with a volume and tone control and 3-way blade pickup switch, the NF 53 allows players to easily dial in their sound. The steel plate-style bridge, PRS vintage style tuners, and nickel hardware all work together to provide precise and reliable tuning stability while promoting sustain and powerful tone.
The PRS NF 53 is available in four stunning finishes: White Doghair, Black Doghair, Blue Matteo, and McCarty Tobacco Sunburst. Whether you are a seasoned player or just starting out, the PRS NF 53 is an addictive guitar you won’t want to put down.
NF 53 Specifications
- Body Construction: Solidbody
- Body Wood: Swamp Ash
- Top Carve: Flat Top
- Number of Frets: 22
- Scale Length: 25.5”
- Neck Wood: Maple
- Neck Construction: Scarfed
- Truss Rod: PRS Double-Acting
- Neck Shape: Pattern 53
- Neck Depth at 1⁄2 Fret: 7/8” [22.22 mm]
- Neck Depth at 12 1⁄2 Fret: 31/32” [24.58 mm]
- Width of Fretboard at the Nut: 1 41/64” [41.67 mm]
- Width of Fretboard at the Body: 2 7/32” [56.337 mm]
- Fretboard Wood: Maple
- Fretboard Radius: 10”
- Fretboard Inlay: Birds
- Headstock Logo: Signature
- Neck-Body Assembly Type: Bolt-On
- Bridge: PRS Plate Style, Steel
- Tuners: PRS Vintage Style
- Hardware Type: Nickel
- Nut: Bone
- Truss Rod Cover: NF 53
- Treble Pickup: Narrowfield DD
- Bass Pickup: Narrowfield DD
- Controls: Volume and Tone Controlswith 3-Way Blade Pickup Switch
Street Price: $2,899
The NF 53 | Demo | PRS Guitars
“I am so pleased with the feedback from the artists who have played this guitar – everyone is telling us that we have something special here. If you are a fa...![Jerry Cantrell Rig Rundown [2024]](https://www.premierguitar.com/media-library/youtube.jpg?id=53714787&width=600&height=600&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C0%2C560%2C0)
Peterson StroboStomp Mini Pedal Tuner
| The StroboStomp Mini delivers the unmatched 0.1 cent tuning accuracy of all authentic Peterson Strobe Tuners in a mini pedal tuner format. We designed StroboStomp Mini around the most requested features from our customers: a mini form factor, and top mounted jacks. |
But by gosh, if delay—and its sister effect, reverb—haven’t always been perfect for the music I like to write and play. Which brings us to the Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay. The EchoBack, along with the standard delay controls of level, time, and repeats—as well as a tap tempo—has a toggle to alternate between analog, tape, and digital-delay voices.
I hooked up my Washburn Bella Tono Elegante to my Blues Junior to give the EchoBack a test run. We love a medium delay—my usual preference for delay settings is to have both level and repeats at 1 o’clock, and time at 11 o’clock. With the analog voice switched on, I heard some pillowy warmth in the processed signal, as well as a familiar degradation with each repeat—until their wake gave way to a gentle, distant, crinkly ticking. Staying on analog and adjusting delay time down to 8 o’clock and repeats to about 11:30, some cozy slapback enveloped my rendition of Johnny Marr’s part to “Back to the Old House,” conjuring up thoughts of Elvis trapped in a small chamber, but in a good way. It sounded indubitably authentic. The one drawback of analog delay for me, generally, is that its roundness can feel a bit under water at times.
Switching over to tape, that pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top. With the settings at the medium-length mode listed above, I could see the empty, glass hall the pedal sent my sound bouncing down. I heard several pronounced pings of repeats before the signal fully faded out. On slapback settings (time at 8 o’clock, repeats at 11:30), rather than Elvis, I heard something more along the lines of a honky-tonk mic in a glass bottle. Still relatively crystalline, which actually was not my favorite. I like a bit more crinkle—so maybe analog is my bag....“That pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear, pristine replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top.”
Next up, digital. Here we have the brightest voice, and as expected, the most faithful repeats. They ping just a few times before shifting to a smooth, single undulating wave. When putting its slapback hat on, I found that the effect was a bit less alluring than I’d observed for the analog and tape voices. This is where the digital delay felt a little too sterile, with the cleanly preserved signal feeling a bit unnatural.
All in all, I dig the EchoBack for its replications of analog and tape voices, and ultimately, lean towards tape. While it’s nice having the digital delay there as an option, it feels a bit too clean when meddling with time of any given length. Nonetheless, this is surely a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into the land of live effects, or for those who are already there.
