Beyond Santana
Of course, very few guitarists play in a Santana Tribute band, or have the need to recreate Carlos Santana’s tone exactly. Even in my case, I have an album worth of Latin-rock original songs where I do NOT play just like Carlos. So I also evaluated this guitar for its potential to go beyond the Santana tone.
Check out the new video for this guitar and percussion-driven song by the leading Santana Tribute and Latin-rock band. 
Working through some of my own songs, as well as a good bit of improvisation, I was excited about the potential of this guitar. The neck is fast and comfortable, the intonation is as good as that of any guitar I’ve played, and the lead tone is clear and distinct, even with the high-gain amp settings I use.
Latin-Rock Video
Plus, the note delineation during fast runs is excellent — an important point for guitar players who (like me), like to combine a high-gain amp sound with speed. All in all, I really couldn’t be more pleased with the new SE Santana model.
To the folks at PRS: Bravo! You’ve produced a real winner, here.
P.S. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m keeping it! This guitar will now be consistently used on stage and in the studio.
SE Santana Specifications
 BODY |
|
|---|---|
| Top wood | Maple with Flame Maple Veneer (no veneer on opaque finishes) |
| Back wood | Mahogany |
NECK |
|
| No. of frets | 22 |
| Scale length | 24-1/2″ |
| Neck wood | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood |
| Neck shape | Wide Fat |
| Fretboard Inlays | PRS “Old School” Birds |
HARDWARE / ELECTRONICS |
|
| Bridge | PRS-designed Tremolo |
| Tuners | PRS-designed Tuners |
| Truss rod cover | “PRS” |
| Hardware type | Nickel |
| Bridge pickup | PRS-designed SE 245 Humbucker |
| Neck pickup | PRS-designed SE 245 Humbucker |
| Controls | Volume, Tone, 2-way toggle |
| COLORS AVAILABLE | |
| Opaque | Black |
| Transparent | Orange, Santana Yellow |
