PRS Paul Reed Smith Fiore Mark Lettieri Guitar, Maple Fretboard, Black Iris

PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Your favorite PRS Signature Dealers back at it with another beautiful Fiore, Mark Lettieri’s signature guitar, in the now-discontinued Black Iris!

Of course, the expectations were already sky high. PRS proved they can make a bolt-on guitar that will flip the world on its head when they came out with the Silver Sky, which has been successful beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. When Mark Lettieri and Paul Reed Smith got together to come up with the Fiore, as with any of the collaborations Paul does, it became a true labor of love. We happen to know it was a very deliberate process that took quite some time to dial in, and sure enough, they did just that.

As you might imagine, being in a band like Snarky Puppy, then also doing solo work, and then working on so many other artists’ projects requires an immense amount of versatility. And while it’s true that this guitar won’t make you play like Mark, it will capture an impeccable tone and an incredibly high-end feel. The guitar plays so effortlessly, that it could very well be all that’s needed to unlock that next level in your guitar playing. The fretwork, neck, and overall construction are simply divine and, while we’ve come to expect this from PRS, we still remain impressed.

Tonally, the guitar provides a wonderful combination of simplicity along with versatility. The pickups are extremely refined, while still being able to get you some grit, too. This is way more than them just taking a couple of Silver Sky single-coils and a humbucker from one of their other models. Rest assured, every one of the three pickups in this guitar were painstakingly wound specifically for this guitar, and Mark’s preferences and touch. It can be bright and spanky, or dark with loads of low end, or anything in between. It starts off as a seemingly standard hum-single-single configuration, but there’s a bit more under the hood than meets the eye. One of the push/pull tone controls gives what PRS calls their “Gilmour” mod. It provides additional pickup configurations for a T-style-like neck and bridge combo or even all 3 pickups together. The second push/pull tone toggles between series and parallel wiring for the pickups. For more spanky and twangy tones, pull the tone knob up and run it in parallel mode. For fatter and beefier tones, leave it in series. The options are all pretty simple, but incredibly useful and musical.

MANUFACTURER’S DESCRIPTION

“All guitarists have a sound in their head – a sound that evolves and grows as they progress, discovering all of the beautiful idiosyncrasies that define their individual voice. To facilitate this process, players need a vibrant, dynamic guitar that becomes a free space in which their personality can unfold. PRS and I designed Fiore (Italian for ‘flower’) to be this guitar.” – Mark Lettieri

The PRS Fiore model continues PRS Guitars’ journey into the bolt-on, single-coil guitar world. Developed with guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor Mark Lettieri, the PRS Fiore offers a modern aesthetic, effortless playability, and an addictive and sophisticated tonal canvas.

The PRS Fiore pickups were carefully voiced by Lettieri and PRS to allow players a platform to explore and find their voice. The Fiore-S single coil offers exceptional malleability in tone. Capable of capturing all the articulation found in everything from whisper-quiet melodies to full on funk and rock explosivity, this pickup reacts to each player’s unique approach.

The Fiore-H humbucker fulfills Lettieri’s desire for extensive versatility in the treble position: enough power and punch for high-gain lead tones, but with a smooth top end that allows the pickup to be played clean, even with the volume knob wide open. Both the Fiore-S and -H work seamlessly together, producing balance, clarity, and that elusive ‘bloom’ in all five positions.

But the tone exploration doesn’t stop there. The Fiore model features a 5-way blade switch with traditional wiring (bridge / bridge + middle / middle / middle + neck / neck). The Fiore also features a single volume and two push/pull tone controls, which further adds to this guitar’s tone-shaping abilities.

Lettieri brought several personal design choices to this model, including a custom truss rod cover drawn by his very own mom. Other appointments include a Swamp Ash body, 22 fret maple neck with maple fretboard, and 25.5” scale length for classic look and feel.

SPECIFICATIONS

Body

• Model: Fiore
• Color: Black Iris
• Body Wood: Swamp Ash
• Finish: Nitro over Cellulose (CAB)

Neck

• Number of Frets: 22
• Scale Length: 25.5”
• Neck Wood: Maple
• Neck Shape: Fiore
• Fretboard Wood: Maple
• Fretboard Inlay: Birds
• Truss Rod Cover: “Fiore” (flower) Logo

Hardware

• Bridge: 2-Point Steel Tremolo
• Tuners: Vintage-Style
• Hardware Type: Nickel

Electronics

• Treble Pickup: Fiore-H
• Middle Pickup: Fiore-S
• Bass Pickup: Fiore-S
• Controls: One Volume and Two Push/Pull Tone Controls with 5-Way Blade Pickup Switch

Miscellaneous

• Included Accessories: PRS Premium Gig-Bag
• Strings: PRS Signature, 9.5-44
• Instrument Weight: 7.6 lbs
• Serial #: 0359706

OVERALL CONDITION

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for PRS. This Mark Lettieri Fiore is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer’s warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you’ll receive.

Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.