“These are classy sounds with no danger of single coil hum... a near-perfect function-gig guitar”: PRS Fiore HH Satin review

What is it?

Despite launching a ton of new products during their 40^th Anniversary year PRS’s signature artists were barely featured in terms of new models.

There were no new guitars for long-time devotees like Carlos Santana or Mark Tremonti or poster boy John Mayer; the only all-new signature guitar was the Chleo for DragonForce’s Herman Li, quite a departure from PRS-style with its Floyd Rose vibrato, Fishman Fluence active pickups and a completely new shape.

Just as the celebrations were concluding, however, PRS did announce a cracking all-mahogany SE DGT Standard for David Grissom and possibly one of the smartest electric guitars we’ve played all year, the new Fiore HH for Mark Lettieri, a five-time Grammy award-winner known for his work with Snarky Puppy and plenty more.

Specs

• Launch price: £2,499 | $2,649 | €3,565
• Made: USA
• Type: Double-cutaway solidbody electric
• Body: Swamp ash
• Neck: Maple (3-piece), Fiore profile, bolt-on Fingerboard/Radius: Rosewood w/ outline bird inlay/12”
• Scale length: 648mm (25.5”)
• Nut/width: Bone/42.3mm
• Frets: 22, medium jumbo
• Hardware: PRS-designed two-post steel block vibrato, PRS-designed vintage-style locking tuners – nickel-plated
• Electrics: 2x Fiore-H humbuckers, 3-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume, tone 1 (neck), tone 2 (bridge) each with series/parallel pull switch
• Weight: 7.04lb (3.2kg)
• Left-handed options: No
• Finishes: Sunflower (as reviewed), Black Hyacinth, Metallic Midnight, Red Apple Metallic – satin nitro body and neck back
• Case: Premium PRS gig bag
• Contact: PRS Guitars

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

hallmarkMark’s first signature guitar, the HSS Fiore, was unveiled four years ago, the second signature bolt-on PRS after John Mayer’s Silver Sky. But unlike that re-tooled, or derivative, version of the Fender Stratocaster, the Fiore aims at the classic super-S formula.

In terms of outline, it’s pretty similar to the Silver Sky, although there’s more of a chamfer inside the upper horn while the hall-mark scoop in the treble cutaway looks slightly larger.

Clearly visible through the light satin-nitro ‘open pore’ finish is the centre-joined two-piece swamp ash body, another difference from the Silver Sky’s alder.

But if this satin style isn’t for you, the new guitar is also offered in three gloss colours for a small uplift in price.

In either finish style, however, there’s no scratchplate: the pickups, like the first model, direct-mount to the body while the controls are rear-mounted. It certainly gives the Fiore an uncluttered modern style.

Again, like the Silver Sky, the Fiore uses the standard Fender scale length. The bolt-on neck is slab-sawn maple with a near-invisible headstock splice and the fingerboard swamps from maple to rosewood.

The hardware follows the original too with vintage-style top-locking tuners and a two-post vibrato that looks like the one used on the SE Silver Sky and the posts are actually bolts that thread into collars inset into the body. The top-plate, pressed saddles and deep-drilled block are all steel here too.

There’s a slight change to the control set up to accommodate the new neck humbucker: along with the three-way lever pickup selector and master volume, both pickup tone controls have pull-switches which change the standard series wiring to parallel for a lighter more single coil-like voice that remains hum-cancelling.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★★

There’s a lovely trim weight to our sample and everything just feels perfectly dialled in. The neck shape isn’t a million miles away from PRS’s Pattern Thin, slightly narrower at the well-cut bone nut and pretty close to the Silver Sky’s early sixties Fender-inspired profile that fills out nicely by the 12^th fret.

It’s superbly shaped with relaxed shoulders and a hint of a V in lower positions and it’s one of those guitars that just about plays itself.

The fretwork, set-up and a very in-tune, stable vibrato, are all first class: it’s a really fit-for-purpose pro-level tool.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★★

The voicing here certainly reflects the build with plenty of ‘Fender’ in what we hear but typically for PRS the humbuckers are balanced and well-behaved with a pretty classic output.

The bridge has poke and good thickness but remains clear and defined while the new neck pickup adds beautiful thickness that’s really creamy with a little tone roll-off.

In parallel mode the humbuckers do a good single coil impersonation: cleaner than the series voice, and little smoother than a coil-split, and for the working musician add hum-cancelling insurance.

A treble-bleed on the volume control, placed close to the bridge, keeps a little clarity as you wind it back too. Overall there’s considerable breadth for funkier and snappier voicings – a superb clean machine – while those series humbucker tones provide kick, thickness and lift when you need.

Verdict

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As well as being a very inspirational player, Mark Lettieri’s guitar choice is equally sophisticated. This new HH model, as well as adding a rosewood fingerboard, gives us that well-voiced humbucker at neck with series/parallel switching for both pickups independently.

These are classy sounds with no danger of single coil hum and the Fiore HH comes across as a near-perfect function-gig guitar, not least if you prefer the longer Fender scale length.

Yes, there’s no shortage of twin humbucking guitars with vibratos in PRS’s expansive range but this is light in weight, unshowy and a guitar that’s hard to put down. A real player’s piece.

MusicRadar verdict: It might nod back to the classic super-S, but the Fiore HH is a very refined player-led guitar. In this new twin humbucking format, with rosewood fingerboard only, there’s a bit more beef on the bone but still with those stellar hum-cancelling parallel options. A real class act.

Also try

PRS Swamp Ash Special - $2,899 | £3,149 | €4,457

If you want more PRS-like style the SAS uses a lightly carved-top swamp ash body but with shorter 25” scale length, the great sounding 58/15 LT humbuckers (which can be coil split) with a Narrowfield mini-humbucker squashed in-between. A lot of guitar!

Charvel Prashant Aswani Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal
– $1,369 | £1,399 | €1,649

Twin humbucking super-S guitars aren’t as common as you might think. This Charvel fits the bill with an impressive spec that includes a graphite reinforced ‘speed’ neck and a Wilkinson two-post vibrato with locking saddles.

Read more: Charvel Prashant Aswani Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal PA28 review

PRS SE CE 24 Standard – $499 | £499 | €533

Pretty much the start-point price-wise of the PRS empire, this mahogany body/maple bolt-on necked CE 24 is deceptively simple with its pair of 85/15 ‘S’ open coil humbuckers, all-steel vibrato and six satin colours.

Hands-on videos

PRS Guitars

Fiore HH | Mark Lettieri Signature Model | PRS Guitars - YouTube

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American Musical Supply

The PRS Fiore HH is perfect for guitarists looking for both versatility and playability 🎸 #prsfiore - YouTube

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