Guitar World Verdict
Aside from all the detailed craft, it’s first and foremost a superb musical instrument that would sit just as well in a small Latin jazz combo as it clearly does on a much bigger rock-aimed concert stage. Above all, it’s far from someone else’s design – it’s a Powers Electric and our advice is to check one out as soon as you can.
Pros
- +
Hugely detailed and considered design using mainly proprietary hardware.
- +
Wonderfully vibrant response.
- +
Superb playability.
- +
Improved Bigsby-style vibrato.
- +
Gorgeous and expansive sounds.
Cons
- –
Hard to fault in any regard.
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Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
: What is it?
You might think that Taylor Guitars’ master guitar designer, Andy Powers, would struggle to find the time to kick off a solo record. But Powers Electric is exactly that.
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| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Build quality | Impeccable build as you would expect from an Andy Powers guitar. | ★★★★★ |
| Playability | Great neck, perfect balance. | ★★★★★ |
| Sounds | All the clarity of a classic single-coil guitar but with the resonance of a hollowbody, it is hard to pigeonhole. | ★★★★★ |
| Overall | Impossible to fault. A high-end original with a timeless vibe. | ★★★★★ |
($2,899/£3,099)
“The NF 53 is the simplest guitar PRS makes in its USA lines: three sounds and the truth that an electric guitar is the sum of its parts. And when those are high-quality, refined and evolved to such a high level as this, the result is astonishing.”
Read our review
(£3,940)
“It’s not just the immaculate craft on show; it’s a real-world player’s guitar and would be a crime to keep cosseted in a case or gigbag.”
Read our review
(£3,999)
“Somehow this sensible, compact take on the ol’ ’Bird not only removes the physical bulk but seems to enhance the voice, too, and while strapped on or seated nothing gets in the way… A vintage classic that never was.
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Gear Reviews Editor, Guitarist
Dave Burrluck is one of the world’s most experienced guitar journalists, who started writing back in the ’80s for International Musician and Recording World, co-founded The Guitar Magazine and has been the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine for the past two decades. Along the way, Dave has been the sole author of The PRS Guitar Book and The Player’s Guide to Guitar Maintenance as well as contributing to numerous other books on the electric guitar. Dave is an active gigging and recording musician and still finds time to make, repair and mod guitars, not least for Guitarist’s The Mod Squad.
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