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The ‘PRS Telecaster’ is finally here, and it’s called the NF-53
The Alter Bridge man’s new model arrives alongside a similarly spec’d, non-signature guitar, the NF-53.
Credit: PRS
After a great deal of speculation recently over whether it would actually happen, PRS has unveiled its latest signature guitar for Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy, and its a T-style. Yep, a PRS T-style now exists.
The guitar – which also arrives alongside the more affordable NF-53, a standard-run version of Kennedy’s new T-style signature – features a T-style body, different in vibe than any other single-cut model PRS has produced previously, and a host of vintage appointments, too.
Diving into the specs, the Kennedy signature features a solid swamp ash body and maple neck with a 10-inch-radius, 22-fret fingerboard with PRS’s classic bird inlays.
Elsewhere, it features two Narrowfield MK pickups – the bridge angled, and the neck straight on – which are controlled via a volume pot, push/pull tone knob and a five-way selector switch.
“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,” says the company’s head honcho Paul Reed Smith.
Other features include a PRS plate-style steel bridge, vintage-style locking tuners, a bone nut, and Kennedy’s “Geometric Owl” logo from his The Ides of March solo release, which PRS says represents “wisdom and adaptability”.
“This guitar captures the spirit of my favourite older instruments. With that said, since we developed this guitar, most of my vintage instruments rarely see the light of day,” says Myles Kennedy.
“For years, artists have been asking us for a guitar of this style and tone that they can trust has PRS quality and reliability. I am so pleased to have two options now that players of all levels can use,” says Bev Fowler, PRS Director of Artist Relations.
Keen Myles Kennedy fans will note, though, that this guitar is nothing new; the guitarist has played it numerous times live. But he’s often remained casual about its possible release, once telling Total Guitar, “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
However, he’s since revealed to Guitarist magazine that the signature model has actually been in the works for some time.
“We actually started talking about doing a signature model some years ago, I’d say about 2014,” he recalls. “But at that time I just wasn’t really sure what that would be. After some years, I remember PRS called and said, ‘We think it’s time, let’s do this.’
“They presented the idea: what if we took a more T-style approach? Let’s put our heads together and see what we can come up with. I would say that was about two years ago.
The standard NF-53 is similar in specs, but uses two parallel Narrowfield DD pickups instead.
In terms of availability, the Myles Kennedy Signature Model comes in Antique White, Black and Hunters Green, while the NF-53 comes in Black Doghair, Blue Matteo, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst and White Doghair.
Both of the new models are priced at $2,899. For more information, head to PRS.