Carlos Santana PRS Guitar

Paul Reed Smith

He is a Musician/Guitar player/Composer but is most known for his instruments at PRS Guitars.

Paul Reed first made a playable guitar for extra credit at his college at, St Mary’s to challenge his music professor and gain additional credits.

He found that he loved working with his hands and would sign up for as many shop classes as were available. This skill set resulted in getting top marks for his instrument making and setting his sights on pursuing his dreams of making guitars.

In 1985 he opened his company Paul Reed Smith Guitars, and has become the manufacturer of the third-largest guitar company in America.

Paul Reed Smith’s Journey

So how does one go from being a musician to an internationally known guitar maker with a state-of-the-art factory and creating instruments like the Carlos Santana PRS Guitar?

Well, like most success stories…

With a lot of SCAR Tissue, it’s never an easy process.

Between the late-night brainstorming sessions, the slow instrument-finishing process, there was still the testing of all the new ideas.

Getting the new instruments on stage, trying different designs, and letting other players try new concept guitars to get feedback was an essential part of the growth of the creator and the company.

However, over 10 years…

• 3 headstocks.
• Numerous body style shape changes.
• Tremolo designs and
• Trying different woods and construction methods…

You are bound to get it right.

How To Get Your New Guitars “Out There”

As with any entrepreneur, it tasks courage and doing things outside your comfort zone.

Paul Reed would show up to concerts hours before the shows would start to make relationships with the roadies and get access to the backstage areas.

With one of his creations in hand, he would sling his guitars to the performers trying to sell his new concept instruments and vision.

Although these were not your average guitarists, these were players like Al Di Meola and Carlos Santana.

It was a slow and arduous process resulting in 1 sale out of 10 attempts.

A Winning Mindset

Paul Reed’s attitude was always…

• Give him an order, make a deposit, and after the instrument is completed, if you didn’t LOVE the finished product, he would give them their deposit back, even if he could not afford to lose that money.

That is the courage of an entrepreneur.

Orders grew to over 50 units and two prototypes, and with the support of the people in his world and a strong team, he built out his legacy.

Push For Perfection

With testing Research and Development, striving for unsurpassed technology and no compromises to excellence, PRS Guitars continues its steady growth of artists wanting to use his instruments to this present day.

Carlos Santana

Started his rise to fame in the late 1960s – 1970s with his band of the same name.

They were mixing styles and instruments that are not generally heard in the music of the time, like fusion, rock n roll, Latin American jazz and blues, and African percussion rhythms. (using timbales and congas) Santana took his sound to the world.

After a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim in the late 1990s and winning 10 Grammy Awards and 3 Latin Grammy awards, he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1998.

Timeline to the SE Carlos Santana PRS Model

In the late ’70s, Paul Reed Smith met Carlos Santana, and the iconic artist started using one of the original PRS Guitars. But it would take 20 years for the two to team up, design, build and sell the PRS Santana model guitars.
The PRS Santana Models have changed over the years, but as the new models are introduced to the market, many of the guitar’s features stay consistent.

Why Two Decades?

There could be several factors involved.

• High-profile artists like Santana are conscientious when joint venturing their brand to other products or…
• It can take an extended period of time to lock in all the specs the artist wants and make it available and affordable for the local musician.
• Or, Santana did not think he would still play these guitars with no end in sight even after 40 years.

However, in the mid-’90, the PRS Santana Signature Models Are Born, and Santana’s full support is given.

“From the center of my heart, I love that you love to make guitars. You have fulfilled all of my expectations and satisfied all my needs over and over and over again.”

“And from one soul to another, I salute you and am very grateful for your passion and integrity.”

Carlos Santana

Understanding the Categories

PRS Santana Signature Model guitars pretty much fall into three categories…

1. “Main” – These are the models Carlos plays on stage or in the studio.
2. “Limited edition” These are the models that fall into the higher price ranges.  (i.e. the 25th anniversary Santana models or the Santana Brazilian) They are more expensive due to the rare and hard-to-find materials and more handwork.
3. “Less expensive” – These models are in the budget-priced position (i.e. the SE “Standard Edition” Santana). But still, maintain much of the same look and feel without the higher-priced materials and handwork of the Main or Limited models.

We will look at the PRS Santana SE or “Standard Edition,” launched in 2001. This model will fall into the “Less Expensive” category, still delivering outstanding value and quality.

PRS Santana SE

So while the [SE] are considerably lower in price point, Jack Higginbotham, COO, PRS Guitars, assures us that these built-in Korea electric guitars did not compromise…

• Tone
• Versatility
• Reliability or
• Playability

Jack Higginbotham also mentions that the motivation behind this SE Santana Standard tribute is for aspiring guitarists struggling to stick with the instrument past the first year. Delivering an affordable quality guitar that the player does not have to fight and will be inspired to play.

How does this Korean-made instrument compare to the US models?

PRS SE Santana Features

Body

Features a stripped-down, all-mahogany body (standard) with a Maple top.

Same body shape silhouette as Santana’s revered American-made PRS models, with the double-cutaway body style (Carved lower horn) that Carlos favours.

Lightly contoured, not arched like the USA models, but not flat like the SE Custom.

In addition, to the bodies being made of Mahogany, included are some hollow chambers to promote a full-bodied sound and extended sustain; the chambers are not open, as they would be, for instance, on a Gibson 335 model.

These closed chambers are designed to reduce feedback.

The carved lower horn allows for easier hand positioning in the higher fret ranges.

Finish

• A Flame Maple Veneer. (No veneer on opaque finishes.)

Body Width

• It is (46mm) slightly thinner than the US Models.

Weight

• 3.6Kg (8 Lbs)

Back

• Wood Mahogany.

Neck

Is a scale length of  24.5″ / The 24.5″ scale length is close enough to the Gibson’s scale length of “25” that Carlos is used to from years of playing Gibson SG and Les Paul guitars.

The neck is wide, fat, and made from Mahogany with a rosewood fretboard and “Old School” bird inlays.

Frets

Unlike all USA Models with 24 frets, this guitar comes with 22.

22 frets allow playing a high “E” without bending. Handy for  many other guitarists’ when they are in their favourite keys of “E” and “A.”

Inlays

• Standard “Old School” Bird Inlays

Bridge

It is a PRS-patented moulded tremolo.

Curiously, all of the PRS Santana Signature models include tremolos.

This addition is interesting because Carlos rarely uses a tremolo when playing.

The PRS Tremolo may have been added to make the guitars more versatile for various players.

All the guitars wisely pair the tremolos with a set of locking tuners, except for the SE Models.

Pickups

All models have two Santana “S” humbucking pickups, although they have been “tweaked” over the years to Santana’s preferences,

• Treble Pickup PRS SE 245 Treble
• Bass Pickup PRS SE 245 Bass

Legendary Tone

The SE Santana Standard has a buttery, sweet tone that can go from a Santana signature lead tone to fat, hard rock rhythm sounds.

Controls

The controls are simple:

• A volume control,
• Tone control,
• And a 3-way toggle pickup selector.

Tuners and Updated Headstock

• Included Non Locking tuners

Hardware Type

• Nickel

For More On The SE Santana Standard, Check Out The Video

Final Thoughts

Is it the Real Deal?

No, but for many musicians, it’s a great working guitar; it is…

• Ergonomic,
• Versatile
• & lightweight. 

We know they accomplished this through the “Main and Limited Edition” Models but did they in this Less Expensive model?

Absolutely YES.

Should You Add This Guitar To Your Collection?

I believe this guitar honours Santana’s legacy, skill and style and offers excellent quality and value.

But at the end of the day, the union of these two men was to make their vision of this guitar extraordinary by maintaining standards extremely high through quality control and attention to detail.

Did You Like This Article?

Check out my review of the PRS Al Di Meola

Also…

Please leave your comments in the section below, and if you have a favourite player or guitar you would like me to review, leave me a note below.

As always, stay the course and keep playing.

The first image of Carlos Santana/ Author Stoned59 Courtesy of Wikimedia and Licensed under Creative Commons / Share-Alike 2.0

2nd Image of Carlos Santana Images courtesy of Wikipedia And licensed under Creative Commons /Share-Alike 2.0

3rd Image of Carlos Santana courtesy of Wikipedia and licensed under Creative Commons /Share-Alike 3.0

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