OtherBlues2 songs
Santana Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
1970–1999Standard2 effectsHigh Gain
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smoothsingingwarmthickdynamic
Featured Tone
Black Magic Woman (1970)
Gibson SG Special (Abraxas-era) → Fender Twin Reverb (multiple Twins; modified; run loud)
Warm, sustaining lead tone with a rounded high end and a singing midrange. Not heavily distorted, but pushed hard enough to compress and sustain. The signature is the smooth, vocal sustain paired with expressive vibrato and dynamic phrasing.
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Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Gain
7.0
Bass
4.0
Mid
6.5
Treble
5.5
Presence
4.0
Amplifiers
- Mesa Boogie (Santana’s long-used Boogie amp) + Dumble Overdrive Special + Dumble Steel String Singer (recorded simultaneously, per Santana)
- Fender Twin Reverb (multiple Twins; modified; run loud)
Guitars
- PRS Santana signature-style guitar (late-1990s era; exact serial/year not documented in sources consulted)
- Gibson SG Special (Abraxas-era)
Pickups
- humbucker
- P90
Effects & Pedals
reverb
Studio/amp reverb (subtle; inferred) (1 song), Fender Twin Reverb spring reverb (likely; inferred) (1 song)
Playing Style
vibratolegatofeedback
Santana Song Tones
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