PERFECT DAY

If guitars are actually getting better by the day, us modders will have nothing to improve. Is it the end of the line, wonders Dave Burrluck, when he gets a new guitar on the bench

- Dave Burrluck

'Made in Hurry' is a whimsical put-down we often use to refer to a guitar that's less than perfect. The good old 'guitar-shaped object' is another. But while those farfrom-complimentary terms see occasional mention in our review pages, we have to admit both are getting rarer. I can certainly remember, in the not-too-distant past, having to 'sort out' a guitar or three before I could actually attempt a review.

Recently, well, it's the exception.

Now, we are talking about lower end guitars, but even that's changing. Guitars are not getting cheaper. Have the price rises coincided with a better quality instrument? In some cases, yes, but even that's not straightforward as, increasingly, the prices we're given for new largeproduction guitars can sometimes bear little resemblance to what you might actually pay in-store or online.

One of our stand-out guitars of 2024 in this area was PRS's SE NF3, which I was told (unofficially) was the three 'single coil' guitar the company was planning to make before a certain John Mayer came along.

At review, we were given a price of £979 with the caveat, "It'll be £799 in-store." That proved true at the time of writing, but a year after the guitar launched you can now pick one up at Andertons or Peach for £499! Guitar Techniques alumnus Jason Sidwell bought one after reading our review; he knows his guitars. Our Neville Marten, another guitar long-termer, was equally impressed, as was his bandmate and original Guitarist scribe Eddie Allen.