PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

[BluesGuyJ]

So I think I am going to sell my McCarty... I am a little torn, I think the tone I am looking for really is found in a 24.75 or 24.5 inch scale... Just that thick, sustaining, beefy tone that has such an acoustic support underneath it that I really only hear from these scales...

Who here has played a PRS Santana, how is the scale? What are the differences between the Santana I, II and III? What types of pickups are in these? Ceramics? Did they have a thick sustaining tone....?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

I've always loved how they look, but spending a quarter of that is a lot for me.

Chart with specs:
http://www.ultimatesantana.com/PRS-Paul-Reed-Smith-Guitars-Specs.html

 

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

I dont know, I may have a custom guitar built by Chris Stambaugh, I just hate paying for a guitar before you get to play it though.

 

[Al.C]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

I have two Santana PRSs. THe one in my pic on the left is a Santana I, it has a 24.5 " scale length. It differs from the other models in that it has two mini toggles to select pickups, the fret slots are not cut all the way through to the edge of the fretboard, the fretboard is brazilian rosewood. All other Santana models now have a single 3-way pick-up selector. THe Santana II was a little cheaper because it dropped some of the detailed body work, it has no inlays on the body. The Santana III had the body inlay and is similar to the I except for the pickup selector and the fret slots are cut all the way through the fretboard. THe Santana MD added some pickup switching options.
MY second Santana is a limited edition Brazilian Santana, it has a solid brazilian rosewood neck with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard.It also has some gold hardware.
All Santanas have a big FAT neck, large frets (the I's were smaller and I had mine refretted). The stock pickkups have changed between the models. I have changed mine out on both guitars to Duncans. The guitars have a big fat tone with lots of sustain (there is a reason Santana plays/endorses them).

 

[tone4days]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

Al has nailed it

and if you look thru the archives of clips he's posted, you'll be KILLED by how happenin the tone (and his chops) are

i have only played one santana and it was a brazilian limited edition ... wonderful guitar in every way (and gorgeous orange color over flame maple top) ... excellent beefy neck carve ... i loved the thick fat sweet singing sustain of the neck pickup through the gain channel of the amp .. so warm and creamy even with 9s ...

i have a PRS sc245 right now that i am CRAZY about for not only the sweet gain sustain tones, but also the cleans and mid gain crunch - VERY versatile

highly recommend if you can get your paws on one to try

 

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

the SC245 is another I am extremely interested in as well, I think it was smart for PRS to offer the 24.5 scale outside of the pricey Santana line. I just wonder how my huge hands would work on that scale.

 

[beandip]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

What about the SE models, how would they stack up in terms of tone? Playability is a non issue.

 

[Lu_B]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

What about the SE models, how would they stack up in terms of tone? Playability is a non issue.

I had a Santana SE, the one without the trem. Well built guitar, but I just didn't gel with it didn't like the pickups at all I found they were a bit trebbly for my liking.

Sold it in the end as I just didn't play it.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

FWIW Beandip, I have played a metric buttload of PRS models, everything from your run of the mill CE24 or SC245 to the weird Brazilian Rosewood necked stuff, McCarty Soapbars, Tremontis, and all of the SE line except the SE One.

The straight dope from me: the tone was widely variable between guitars. I played a (n apparently custom) SC250 with a mahogany body and virtually no finish, just a stain, but it was not glossed in nitro or poly, very weird, and it was a total boat anchor that weighed slightly less than a family car and sounded like a cardboard box.

I have also played SE's that opened the pearly gates of tone, and basically all the others fell in between, but on the whole, the tone of each guitar, model to model, and even the same model against an identical model, was wildly variable.

Empirically, the variance in tone of PRS guitars in my experience is greater than with Squier guitars.

Note that I am not describing playability, but rather tone, including sustain and resonance.

-Hunter

 

[BluesGuyJ]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

the SE really doesn't come close to why I am interested in the Santana model, because the SE uses a 25 inch scale and I already have that with my McCarty and going for a Santana SE model might just be a downgrade. As for the PRS guitars having the widest variety in tone, that could be any company too though. We here people talk all the time about how an Epi model they found totally slayed any Gibson model they owned. There are always going to be poor representations in each high end branch and there will always be models from the lower end that are the acception to the general quality, ya know? Just comes to show you how important it is to really go out and try as many guitars as you can.

 

[sheleeza]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

I have changed mine out on both guitars to Duncans

Al.C
Which Duncans did you replaces them with?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

MY second Santana is a limited edition Brazilian Santana, it has a solid brazilian rosewood neck with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard.It also has some gold hardware.

:eek2:

That is an unbelieveable guitar. Well, both are, but that yellow one epitomizes what I like about the Santanas. Wow.

 

[Al.C]

Re: PRS Santana models.... thoughts and expereinces?

I have changed mine out on both guitars to Duncans

Al.C
Which Duncans did you replaces them with?

I a have antiquities in the neck which I put alnico 3 magnets in. The bridges are c5's. One has a degaused 5, the other a regular alnico 5