Advice for pickups on Santana sound

[drissc]

Hi there,
I just got an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus for Christmas. I love the guitar and plays it through a Mesa Boogie Mark I reissue. I play a lot of Fusion/blues/Santana and want to change the pickups.

I am looking for some pickups that would help achieve something similar to a Santana tone. I have the amp ... but of course, I want to develop my own tone...just based on that lovely creamy warm Santana crying tone.
Any suggestions n pickups? My friend said go with the Gibson 490R/498T?
I am looking at SD for perhaps a better fit.

Here is a link to that sound
http://www.prsguitars.com/pickups/santanabass.html


Thank you very much

 

[tone4days]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

i like the '59 in my guitar's neck for that creamy singing tone

welcome to the board - and good luck in your tone quest

cheers,
t4d

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

I get in the ballpark with the Pearly Gates in my LP, the APH/CC combo in my Carvin, and the Jazz/Custom combo in my bro's Yamaha.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

Definately alnico II magnets. For some of his earlier tones the Antiquities or Seths will be spot on. The CC in the bridge and a Pearly Gates or APH-II in the bridge if you tend to like a bit more push from the guitar.

Antys in a LP through my Mesa stuff gets all over Santana tone.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

I have a Yamaha SG 2000 (Santana played these in the 70's and 80's up until PRS) and I just dropped a Alnico II pre in the neck and a CC in the bridge...it can sound more lioke Santana now than ever before! No matter what go with ALNICO II MAGNETS!!!

 

[Jfar]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

I too would go with PAF's with Alnico II's.

SD 59's are great as well,

 

[BachToRock]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

Santana used a DUNCAN CUSTOM in the 80's... I think most of the "middy" tone comes from his amps.
I would also suggest a Custom Custom in the bridge and an APII, Pearly Gates or Seth in the neck... this will capture the essence of his tone through most amps!

 

[Dom L]

Re: Advice for pickups on Santana sound

Santana used a DUNCAN CUSTOM in the 80's... I think most of the "middy" tone comes from his amps.
I would also suggest a Custom Custom in the bridge and an APII, Pearly Gates or Seth in the neck... this will capture the essence of his tone through most amps!

I was gonna chime in and bring this up. He also used a '59 in the neck. This is according to the PRS book.
You can get real close with any good mid-output humbucker with the tone rolled back.
I can get there with my Epi's APH in the bridge through my Boogie or with any humbucker that way, but the best was when I played a Private Stock Santana with a 1 piece Brazilian Neck. It was about two and a half years ago and that thing is still sustaining