Did PRS Just KILL The Telecaster 

The problem with PRS is that there is always something else I like better in the price range.

They are awesome guitars, but nothing will kill the Tele (or Strat or Les Paul). Those 3 guitars just have too much nostalgia to ever be killed off no matter how much better other versions are now.

I haven’t watched the video yet but I refuse to let the tele die

Just bought the nf53 yesterday. It’s 5:11AM and I literally have not stopped playing it. Absolutely perfect.

I like the idea of using the Narrow Field pickups here. Sounds like he was going for the sound of a blackguard without the noise, which seems like it's working. Whenever the SE version comes out, count me in!

I’ve been waiting for a Myles Kennedy signature for years. Just out of my price range right now 😭 Listen to all the stuff Myles does. Very different sounds with his solo work and AB. His tone in AB, particularly the latest album is stunning and was done with that tele

I think the emergence of this guitar is a testament to the enduring popularity of Telecasters and Telecaster-style guitars.

PRS makes a great guitar.

I haven’t played a Silver Sky nor do I really care one way or the other to play it. I do have a pre cnc Custom 24 which is a phenomenal guitar. I also have an American Standard Strat, also a phenomenal guitar. Fender is still selling a ton of Strats, the Silver Sky probably hasn’t made a dent in Fender’s Stratocaster market share, so I really doubt the PRS Tele-style guitar will have much if any impact on Fender’s market share, so no I seriously doubt they just killed the Tele.

I saw the Anderton’s video for those guitars. For comparison they brought out Danish Pete’s stupidly pre-beat up Telecaster painted in ugly purple for comparison. It’s like his Telecaster sounded so much better they didn’t go far with the comparison at all and didn’t say much about it.

I just love seeing Myles getting some long overdue respect.

Came for the PRS, stayed for Mike singing at the end. Killer stuff.

Dude you play well. You have a great amp, but…..the tone is not a tele tone, not that the tone is bad, it’s just flat out not tele, in a classic sense, be it 50s or 60s, the tele spank is completely missing here. Reminds me of playing county on a les pual, yes it can be done, but plug In a tele, it’s a magnitude’s difference. Pretty sure the tele is safe, that’s no tele, it’s a prs. It’s its own thing. Same with the silver sky, it’s no Strat. It never will be, it will always be a prs, with PRs tone. And a PRs headstock. Lol.

the riff at 5:38... Whats it from?! it popped into my head a couple weeks ago and I went crazy cause I couldn't remember where it was from

I'd love to see them make a thinline version.

I love my SS and really want to love these. The horribly obvious 3 piece bodies just don't look good. Guess that means I'd have to get a non transparent finish and only have to deal with the upper 3rd glue line in the body showing through like on my SS. For this price these should be 2 piece bodies.

I can usually justify PRS's price point but this one is a real head scratcher. Great sounding guitars no doubt but that much for a tele? I seriously wonder if these two will still be on the market in a decade or so.

He goes from a classic round sound in his solo stuff to full on heavy riffs with alter bridge. And he does it with this guitar, can do it all.

These are two outstanding guitars. Expect nothing less from PRS. However, the tele, strat and les paul are classic designs that work well with so many variations in the details. I actually like that many different companies put their own flair into these designs. Especially when they do it at a high quality, high price level. Sounds more 70s Gibson Les Paul and the neck of the NF sounds almost P90 and I'm not hearing a Tele when it's compared as such. These are both their own thing.

I love PRS. I have four of them. But I can't imagine a justification for the price of these. If anything they should be less expensive than CEs.

No $3k guitar can kill a $1,500 guitar specially if its called Telecaster or Stratocaster, it can have all the bells and whistles, doesn’t matter

Considering the silver sky hasn’t killed the Strat in anyway whatsoever, I’d say probably not! I love the look of most PRS models but the silver sky and this look so ugly in my opinion

the silver sky and the NF53 have their own sound. neither of them really have that signature sound of a strat or a tele. it's a good thing IMO.

From my experience PRS doesnt even really compete with Fender, PRS especially the SE variant type of purchase is more of a small side quest in the grand scheme of most players careers. PRS guitars just dont hit right, even their flagship guys are still Fender guys (John Mayer) maybe ive had bad ones but the answer is no.... PRS did not kill the Telecaster

PRS fanboys will wet themselves over this like the Silver Sky, but no Tele fan will choose that over a Tele.

I’m sure they’re good guitars, but the standard telecaster is the desert island guitar for me. Aside from the shape and bolt on construction, they’re not similar enough to compare, and I kind of wish they were. The Silver Sky was so close to being a full blown strat, I would have rather them try to do the same with this. I don’t doubt that a ton of knowledge and testing goes into the pickups, I love the pickups in my PRS guitar, but to me you can’t improve on the sound of an early Tele/esquire/broadcaster bridge pickup, and part of that is the noisiness. I’d rather buy 3 MIM telecasters than 1 of these :/

🤣nothing can kill the Telecaster. To me it’s the best guitar ever built. Leo got it right the first time.

To answer the question on Myle's guitar, he is known for both that high gain American 6l6 sound in AB such as the main riff in Wouldn't You Rather, but his solo records are definitely more of a vintage single coil and acoustic sound with a heavy jazz influence. So his guitar is definitely unique take on trying to succeed in both sounds.

Premiere Guitar did a great demo, but for $3,000 it's too much. I'd rather build a parts guitar with my own specs and save the extra cash. Maybe if they come out with an import?

I believe you have your answer. They are different guitars. Their T-shape is simply a way to attract attention. At the extreme, if they were a true "PRS' take on the Tele", that would be a testimony that the original Tele still is the source of inspiration. There wouldn't be no "killing the Tele" if there were no Tele to look up to. Same with the Silver Sky vs the Strat, same with many LP-inspired PRS models. What attracts attention is not so much the guitar itself and its intrinsic qualities as the very model on which it is based. Good strategy, well marketed. If you're not coming with something real new but something real good, find yourself some famous benchmark to compare to and say you're making sth better. Some doctors like to spend big money on Gibsons and Fenders because they are supposedly the real deal. Other doctors like to spend big money on PRSs because they are supposedly better than the real deal. And guess what: it's perfectly fine. The guitar business is doing well, and even RU-vidrs get a share of the pie in the end Plus: it's not something specific for PRS. It's the whole business, from cheap to dear, from vintage to modern: "I can't believe how great that cheap T-style plays" or "The best LP your 600$ can buy", or "They took the Strat to another level" and the list goes on. It's amazing how those 3 models made in the early 50s have remained so unsurpassed today, despite their flaws. As long as guitar making companies keep comparing their models to those 3 flagships, it means those old, imperfect models are still ruling the world of electric guitar.

I appreciate what PRS are trying to do, there's enough boomer guitar styles out there, guitar companies don't have the balls to evolve or innovate...But if my guitar budget is $3k, this is not it, unfortunately. (Though my opinion on guitars often changes once I get my hands on one) I like the Silver Sky and I hope one day they put out their spin on a Jazzmaster style guitar.

Until and unless it's in the hands of Keith Richards being languid then it ain't gonna replace the solidity of the place the Tele has in the hearts, ears and minds of guitar players around the world. This habit of putting your newly created model against the standard bearer usually makes the product you push fall flat on it's face no matter how awesome it is.

I really like the was the MK sig looks, the only thing that is off putting about it is the pick guard imo. Sounds great & I dig that green color they're doing it in

Myles Kennedy has been playing his prototype for a while now. Seen him playing it live in Detroit

Nothing can kill the Tele. The Tele is so simple, so functional, that it can be modified into anything. I have everything from a single-single coil Esquire tele to a Tele with an H-S set up and a double locking Floyd installed, along with a number of other Teles ... they can do anything!

John Mayer is a great player and I realize he’s got a lot of fans but I’m really surprised how many people don’t know who Richie Kotzen is. He has to be the most underrated guitar player in the last 20 years, and he has a signature Tele with fender that you should really check out. It’s the nicest T style guitar I’ve ever played.

I love Teles and nothing will ever ever rid the tele or replace it. Teles, strats and Les Paul guitars are American history.

Hello Mike! I enjoy your videos and like seeing your progression! To answer your question, PRS guitars are quite eye-catching for sure. However, they don't quite have the mojo of the guitars they try so hard to emulate.

It won't kill the Tele at a $3k price point. If I was putting that kind of money into a PRS, it wood be a DGT Wood Library or CU 24. Something along those lines.

IMO the NF-53 is 100% a Telecaster killer. The Miles Kennedy Signature is a different beast entirely. Both are absolutely outstanding guitars. I'm so thrilled that PRS has a tele killer in their lineup now.

Hey Mike, have you played a PRS 513 model? Are these guitars as or perhaps more versatile?

Its an high quality T-Style HH guitar but it cant kill the Telecaster, at least not in that configuration, i dont even think its fair to compare them. Apples to Oranges. Amazing guitar though

As if you could kill a Tele. pffft. You can throw a Fender Telecaster out a third story window and not only will it not be "killed" - it will still be in tune. Those PRS are nice but you can keep them and I will keep my Fender Telecasters.

No. Nobody can kill perfection

$3k for a copy of a Westone Clipper complete with a scarf joint and a gigbag 😂

My PRS strats are strats (EG-3, EG SE, Silver Sky SE), but these aren't very tele-like. I'm sure they're great guitars otherwise.

IF PRS offers them in lefty I’ll get one or both. Love the sound they both produce. It’s tele-like and also different and unique.

To “kill” the Telecaster you need to first have an option for every price point, there are $200 Teles out there

My honest opinion is they’re selling a $1k guitar for $2.9k that comes with a gig bag. Which means they will sell out before hitting the stores. 😆

Great channel. Would love both the S ands T style PRSs. Some day?

Seriously Mike ?? So Paul copies another legend , adds a few bells and whistles and you want to promote this as the latest and greatest?? Sad. Just unsubscribed

Just have to drop a huge laugh at the title, which also really made me not want to watch the video. It’s like “Is the sun really rising in the west tomorrow”? I know the answer.

Look it is a nice guitar. But its not a Tele. There is a lot more to a Tele than 2 pickups and a similar body shape. It is a different instrument. Best of luck to PRS but it is not a Telecaster.

At the price point, both guitars will be even more of a niche guitar than the prs fiore. If you want one, wait until the used market becomes established.

Oh man! Mark Hopkins and I made the vid! Great job brother. Can't wait to try one of these myself. Cheers :)

It sounds more like a Les Paul or 335 than a tele. Not gonna get a tele sound with those humbucker pickups

PRS can’t kill the Tele by doubling the price for the same guitar.

PRS goes against everything a Tele is all about. That guitar just looks wrong right off the bat.

I don’t know why PRS keeps trying to do knockoffs of the Fender Strat, the Gibson Les Paul, and now the Fender Tele. I’ll stick with the originals thank you.

You’re the guy from the sweetwater store!

To my ears listening on RU-vid (‘cause yeah, I too want to actually play one), the Myles does sound like…what if there had been a mid-point guitar from the Tele to the Les Paul? I do like the additional bass vs. my Tele. I like the additional tonal options. I also like the additional “snap / twang” over a lot of Les Pauls (including mine) that I’ve always wished to find. But I’m not getting that “woody/mid-cut” style Les Paul aspect that I gravitate towards for those types of instruments & pick-ups. But I’m still gonna hunt one down to play. Naturally. 😉

I just paid to refret my strat. I’ll never buy another guitar without stainless steel frets.

O my god I just couldn't believe my ears when you introduced by saying "he plays with a famous guy with a hat". Myles is one of the finest vocalists of the century or maybe "ever"!!!

I didn't understand (and still don't) why the Silver Sky needed to exist, from a player's perspective. (I can guess why it exists from Mayer's and PRS's perspective.) But I don't feel that way about these guitars. I'm a longtime tele player and these are different enough to be interesting. Esp. the signature model, which has a ton of features that seem wonderful. These are the first PRS guitars I've ever really wanted to buy, and I'll buy one if I stumble on a pot of gold... or if they put out a SE version.

To answer your proposed (vid titled question...): No.

PRS make excellent guitars. Teles are my favorite guitar, but only the crazy Fender loonies will argue there aren't room for improvements still, would love to try one of these out

People need to watch the videos from Myles and PRS about those guitars. They do a lot more than you covered and they answer why they made it. If it wasn’t $3000 I would buy both or at least Myles for as Myles says “swiss army knife” of guitars. I have always like PRS guitars for quality and being a multi purpose style guitar

You're a better talker than a guitarist.

Wow PRS recognized you enough to send you this guitar early for a review. Nice. These are clearly not teles as they are fuller sounding but they seem nice

Aesthetically, I prefer the non miles version, the pick guard on the miles, is ugly to me, also the miles has a wood seam like a seventies Gibson that was painted from factory then stripped by an owner to have the natural wood look, for almost four grand if it’s a natural wood from factory it should not be more than too Visible pieces, heck for that price unless it’s book matched the seam should be hard to spot, as far as the sound, tone of pickups I have no issues

Tried a Silver Sky and bought a Fender Strat instead. I imagine this will be a similar situation. Never played a PRS I'd want to spend my own money on. Always something else in the price range that I prefer the feel of. Can't knock the finish on a PRS though. Beautiful luthiery.

The Telecaster is irreplaceable. The only time a Fender classic body shape was replaced was the Esquire going with the 2 pickups route

They did kill it by making one of the ugliest guitars ever

If I want a non Fender Tele, I'll get a Schecter. Sounds great, pretty to look at and cheaper than Fender or PRS.

This will just make Fender to improve their pro Telecaster even more

This guitar is almost $3k and come with a gig bag. 😑

These sound GREAT..I would buy one

Humm, is this really the right model for a Miles Kennedy signature? Long time fan, but never seen him play a tele. That aside, personally, I am having doubts. Not expecting this to be the hit that the silver sky is. But kudos to Paul's innovative team at PRS for another attempt to create a modern guitar loosely based on a classic. Keeping an open mind until I play one.

Nah. Not gonna kill anything at $2,899.99 a pop.

It's sacrilege. I hate it. I'll stick to my real Tele.

Good playing man!

Don't forget about the Super Eagle II. That came before the Silver Sky.

As a Tele freak..............Cosmic freaks of nature...... I just can't......... love your channel btw

Great video Mike! First time watching one of your videos and instantly I'm subbed! Looking forward to more great content!

Mini-humbuckers are great. Maybe it takes PRS calling them “Narrow Fields” plus some signature hype for more people to actually notice.

hell yeah. had no idea you were on YT haha

Just give me my tele. I have not mastered it yet.

PRS makes really top quality guitars. As for their S and T style guitars they are in competition with all the other Partscasters. The PRS double cutaways are great which are all original in the design. In any case the guitar is about 10 percent, amps 10 percent and your hands are the other 80 percent. Rock on !,,,

Mike dude, listen to The Ides of March by Myles and you'll see the tone he was going for. Both solos in that song really show off his touch- and Blackbird by Alter Bridge, he takes the first half of the solo. I've been waiting for a sig of his for years and this is such a payoff 😁

Amazing. I dig the look of these guitars, and it sounds great 👍 But you gotta let us know, did the muffins burn?

That tone is 😮

Maybe Fender could do a PRS style guitar

Look, I’m a Jazzmaster guy all the way…. But that Tele sounds really good to me.

*Looks at thumbnail* nope.

These look awesome. I love the finishes too. Beautiful. 👏🏻

Stop shaking the neck

These guitars are for the guys who have Silver Skys and are like "Now I want a PRS Tele also". So you basically have a Single cut 594, a Silver Sky and now one of these and you say "See ya Fender and Gibson...I am a PRS guy" Can't wait for Paul to reinvent the Jazzmaster, Explorer and Flying V next......

Alterbridge does everything from quiet and tele chime to metal crunch. Myles is amazing and should be checked out if you haven't beyond slash

PRS willnever kill the tele! The PRS is a great guitar but it will never kill the original and they charge too much! Not forking out $2K for that. For that price, I;d get me a Fender Vintge II 1951 Tele instead.

The first comment, hoping to get pinned