Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment

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Category: Who Plays What

Last Updated on Wednesday, 06 March 2013 20:13

Published on Tuesday, 28 August 2007 15:23

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Carlos Santana is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. What type of guitar gear would a legend such as he play? Let's take a look at what gear and equipment has been seen in Carlos Santana's Guitar Rig.

Click the gear images for more info and specs at Musician's Friend

Guitars

Back in the 70's Santana played:
- Gibson L-6S guitar

- Fender Stratocaster

- red Gibson SG Special with P-90 pickups (played it at Woodstock)

- white Gibson SG Special

- Yamaha SG-175B
- Gibson Les Paul (on his "Supernatural" album)

- Yamaha SG2000

More currently Santana plays:

- Santana Model Paul Reed Smith guitars

- Paul Reed Smith SE Santana model (this is Santana's beautiful and affordable signature model guitar):

- Alvarez Yairi CY127CE Classical Guitar

- 1963 Fender Stratocaster (white)

- Fernandes Strat (painted by Michael Rios)

- Yamaha SG2000

- early 50's Gibson Les Paul (previously owned by Michael Bloomfield)

- 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom

- PRS SE One Abraxas

Amplifiers and Cabinets
- Mesa Boogie Mark 1 combo amplifier snake skin (his version was a "hun-Rev-Altec") Mark V pic:

- custom built Dumble boutique amplifier with Tone Tubby Alnico hemp coned speakers

- Marshall amplifiers (for distorted rhythm, including Marshall 1959 superlead stack)

- Fender Twins for clean rhythm

- Boogie cabinet with Altec 417-8A speakers

- Marshall 4x12 cabinet with Celestion G12M "Greenback" speakers

- Fender Cyber-Twin Amp is mostly used at Santana's home

- Brown cabinet

- Bluetone amps

Effects and stuff
- Mu-Tron volume wah wah pedal

- Dunlop 535Q wah (this is what Carlos Santana has more recently been using)

- T-Rex Replica delay pedal

- customized Jim Dunlop amp switcher

- Ibanez Tube Screamer

- Ibanez Modulation Delay

- Heil Talk Box

- Shure KSM-32 microphones are used to pick up the sound, going to the PA

- Belden 1192A cable

- Variety of Pete Cornish gear including P-2, Mini Line Driver, Acoustic D.I., SS-3, and more

Strings and picks

- GHS Carlos Santana Big Core Guitar Strings Custom Light

- Triangle Guitar Picks

Comments  

 

0 # GK Santana ? — Jonas 2013-03-10 13:41

I dont know for sure but didn´t Santana also use a GK = GALLIEN-KRUEGER 250ML at some time? A great little amp. JF

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+1 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Michael 2012-11-25 23:24

He usually switches guitars after every 2 or 3 songs. He favors his original PRS over any other, of course. He does not frequently use his tube screamer. Carlos also loves his SE model. I've talked to him backstage and he said it was more than just affordable, it's phenominal. I can't say much more considering he gave me the original PRS SE Santana pro type.(which is why the sale f the product was moved back by 2 months.

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0 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Danish 2012-10-06 14:26

I believe he also uses Pete Cornish P-2 for leads sometimes. Obviously it's a Gilmour pedal but Santana makes pretty good use of it.

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0 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Abbas 2012-07-08 17:47

sorry guys i meant to Say Bludotone amps in my previous post. I have read the he called them bluetone in the past but recently I read that he called them Bludotone? check out his interview in the latest issue of premier guitar online.
premierguitar.com/.../...

its pretty cool it might adress the overdrive pedal in there not sure?

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+1 # jeff makor — jeff makor 2012-07-08 12:19

I've listened closely to santana's 'welcome' and 'lotus' sound (and Illuminations') and feel sure that along with the gibson LP, boogie, with altec 417-8c speaker, there is a subtle overdrive/distortion pedal employed. He only had this tone for a couple of years and radically changed it for subsequent albums. The guitars changed but the bell-like round clear tone he got around 1973 was nothing like anything else in his career. has anyone any real insight as to what was actually being used, please? ps. I am using a prs santana signature 2011, boogie mark 1 re-issue, New great plains audio 417-8h altec speaker. I get the tones before and after the welcome/lotus era all the time.

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0 # additional gear info — Abbas 2012-06-11 18:38

huge Santana fan I've read all of his interviews.To correct the post here re: his 1970's guitars his main one that was used for his most famous cuts was a 1970 Les Paul Custom which he bought new right before recording Abraxas he bought it because he hated the SG special he used at Woodstock because it wouldn't hold tune apparently.The Guitar he used on the first Album when they were still known as the "Santana Blues Band" was a 1955 approx Gibson Les Paul Special with 2 black P-90 Soapbar pups. In the Late 70's he mostly used a Custom made Yamaha SG-3000 with beautiful inlays he pretty much endorsed it as well as a Gibson L6s I think? as far as amps go he used a Boogie mark 1 snakeskin and was practically the guy that put them on the map as well as PRS.he barely used effects as well (it's all in the playing IMO) His amp combination for the first album was a fender twin reverb for clean and a Marshall 1959 superlead stack for distortion.He liked amps pre 1975 as amp circuitry changed alot in that year.I read in a recent interview that he uses 3 amps and 3 mics mesa/boogie,Bluetone and a dumble steel string singer I think? he basically surrounds the amp in mics for different tonal qualities to get his main sounds. sorry for the long post but i was kinda shocked at how inaccurate some of the info is on here especially when it's regarding The Greatest Lead guitarist in the Universe imo.:) hope this helps

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+1 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — liam 2012-06-06 23:25

he used a specific guitar on his latest album "shape shifter" anyone know what it is? its some kind of acoustic the links here
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFlzOuxd-I

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0 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Parker 2011-09-19 15:07

I read in one of his books about his gear he's tech said he switchs delays lot.

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0 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Miguel 2012-12-27 17:17

What kind (or brand) of switch delays does he use.

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0 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Sami 2011-02-01 12:13

What about Dumble amps, i believe he has 3 in his rig now?

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0 # prscs28 2010-03-12 07:09

My bad, there are now 6 models.

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+1 # prscs28 2010-03-12 07:05

Nav: There are actually 4(5 if you count the two versions of Santana 1, one with 2x micro toggles, the other with 1x) different PRS Santana Models. They are not PRS private stock guitars, though two are signature series(IIRC). The original Santana signature has a mahogany neck(bolt on) and a rosewood fretboard, Santana "Zebra" pickups with two mini-toggle selectors. And yes, the MSRP is $6,000. Not sure of prices\features on the succeeding models; I quit looking when I got my original Santana sig. #28.

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+3 # big muff — cody 2010-02-09 08:58

i do believe he used a big muff back in the day also

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+1 # Nav 2009-11-01 05:03

Santana's PRS guitars are all 'Private Stock' Guitars which cost a minimum of about £6,000 for a base model, and if i remember correctly the models he uses have rosewood necks.

Also He has his own personal Pickups which he designed with Paul Reed Smith

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-1 # herman 2009-08-23 00:53

He also used a white gibson flying v

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+2 # RE: Carlos Santana Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment — Francisco 2009-08-09 11:11

what are the microfones used for, I do not understand.

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0 # Cabinet mics — uberpro 2009-08-09 11:13

Cabinet mics

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0 # the miss — Michael 2012-11-25 23:28

He sings as well

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0 # james 2009-06-12 03:47

wheres the yamaha sg2000s that he was famed for using?

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