How To Play Like Santana [Santana Course Lesson 21] Getting The Tone - What Gear Do I Need?

[@XMetalChefX]

It boggles my mind d that people still don't think of Santana as an individual that influenced multiple genres including metal. The guy helped name MESA BOOGIE for gods sake. He truly is a godfather of music.

[@yga]

Very true! You can't deny his influence at all! A true legend :)

[@davidjd123]

and I guess Miles davis is a joke? g

[@tonyflorez703]

Yes sr.. thankyou very much👌

[@davemacken667]

I agree brother,he has influenced so many,musicians.he was the man,the reason I picked up a guitar and wanted to play and recently bought myself an se santana prs.i love my guitar and I love Carlos forever ❤

[@jesusisking33ad]

Not to mention PRS would not be a name brand if it wasn't for Santana.

[@335blues1]

Santana's original gear was a GIbson SG and Fender Pro Reverb 4x10 amp, dimed !!!!! You don't need 6000 worth of equipment to emulate that sound. !

[@gabe4u22]

Actually in the early 70s he was using the mesa boogie. He did everything he could to get that amp. That's the sound he wanted. Not the fender amp. Just saying.

[@charleshill9649]

Not many places Joe Schmo can dime a larger Fender amp

[@jimdep6542]

@@gabe4u22 He said original gear. That was before he got the Mesa Boogie. He started on Fender amps.

[@jimdep6542]

@@charleshill9649 That's for sure. You'll blow the windows out of a small club with a cranked Fender Twin. They do sound great when they're cranked, but where can a person go to crank one up ?

[@ficknoti]

Man I heard him play thru several rigs and it's always his tone

[@TavoGates]

Im on minute 7 is this guy gonna teach me how to get sanatana tones or justs show me his expensive shit

[@joergfuchs8130]

"The Power tubes are very loud and stressing the neighbors but what can you do" I would say, nothing to become this great tone 😁🤘 I like this Santana Tone, great demonstraition.

[@marcohermans3207]

If you're on a budget and who isn't these days....buy The Harley Benton California Pre-amp pedal. It's a analog Boogie style amp in a box pedal with a built in Cab sim which covers Mark series style tones till Rectifier style tones with help of a dedicated voice knob . It's a shameless clone of a Tech 21 California pedal .The built in cab sim isn't the best but when you connect it to your Audio Interface and run a two notes wall of sound plug-in in your DAW, choose a Push pull 6L6 power amp and crank it, choose a 1x12 style cab ( I use a Fillmore 1x12 VES cab), choose the mics that you like and keep the voice knob at 10-11 Oçlock and you're in that Mark 1 territory. Rich ,thick,and very tube like early Santana tones for €30.... Tone for days....a very versitile 3 band EQ does the rest!!This also works if you put the output of the pedal in the return of the effects loop of your. In front of an amp the pedal doesn't work properly but that's not the purpose of a "amp in box" style pedal anyway.

[@SouthpawBluesman]

I am learning Smooth by Santana and have a PRS custom 24 and use a small solid state Marshall amp with a reverb pedal and I'm getting a pretty good approximation of Carlos' tone. Great video!

[@alexmurphy5289]

Absolutely great video his tone is very mid rich. His tone on Smooth with Rob Thomas is stupid good

[@roypepo]

No reverb?

[@dennisbergau2363]

Great video! Where does one find a King Snake head instead of a combo format?

[@EduardoHernandez-yq1he]

I should do this on the BOSS ME-80

[@streetangel4105]

Have you figured it out?

[@vladzubac5360]

for the tone you can use: VOX AC15/30 (top boost channel- with treble and bass at 75-80%) - tone cut all the way up - and in front a JHS Angry Charlie/JHS Andy timmons (EQ at 12 o clock and AIR/Presence - rolled off to about only 25% or even less). Cheers.!!

[@yga]

Great great great! That is a great piece of advise Vlad :) Some very cool gear there!

[@vladzubac5360]

@@yga I tried it myself (have the set-up at home) to get the exact Andy Timmons tone (with his guitar of course) and it's 99,9% the same - I think it would work with the same set-up (just get it darker or brighter) for: Steve Lukather, Eric Johnson or Santana.

[@vaportrails7943]

I have a Les Paul and a Mark V 90W. If you want the real, peak Santana sound, stuff like Black Magic Woman, Europa, etc., that’s all there is to it. A Les Paul or SG into a M/B Mark series amp. Very high gain, high volume, mids boosted. The trick is getting right to the edge of feedback without having it squeal out of control. On those songs, the high gain tone bleeds from sustain into feedback, and he’s riding that line constantly, making it sing. That’s the sound. Doing it on 10W is not really going to get you there. The interplay between the loud amp and the pickups is key. Using a PRS will give you modern Santana.

[@normsky5504]

I can get his sound on a Black Star fly 3. I play a cheap Hamer XT series with stock hum-buckers. Dirty channel, gain at 2 o'clock, delay at 2 o'clock, full volume on neck pick-up, tone rolled off. Santana used to employ a wah pedal in a fixed position for Samba pa ti.

[@fordhammie]

It will be difficult to copy the feeling of someone else soul! NONE OF US HAS MR SANTANAS SOUL! lol - dude plays how he feels! Take a look at his eyes/body language and watch them change while playing! I do love Santana's talents so much; does your PT2 of this series discuss the kind of pick Carlos uses? It really is an important tool that has a huuuuge affect on sound, in addition to the rest of the setup! It all really is a combination of things that makes his sound unique! One funny tool is how he may bend knees to get a certain sound; "if you don't do that. you won't get the same effect" - I semi-quote him; he said it in a slightly different way. lol

[@yga]

Heya, Unfortunately it seems to be something we didn't manage to cover in this course although I'm sure a guitarist such as Santana has information for all his gear on the web!

[@jackeugenio2477]

Good advice,.....

[@david-ky7rt]

Great review

[@julioelietlaurent8627]

With a Engnater tweaker of 30 watts amp can I get the Carlos a Santana tone?

[@yga]

Hi Julio! In theory yes... But always remember that most of the tone comes from his fingers. I'm sure if Carlos picked up your amp and started plucking away, it would sound like his tone! :)

[@notimetowaste1254]

Can't nobody Play like carlos Santana.

[@yga]

No one can play like Santana but we just hope to help those who might want to capture some of the essence of what makes his playing so great!

[@Funwithcoolbros]

Awesome

[@yga]

Thanks!

[@gabe4u22]

All you need is the mesa boogie, plugged into volume 1. And none of those stupid pedals to get Santana's sound. Santana literally uses less than 3 pedals. And they're mostly amp switch pedals.

[@alexmurphy5289]

Those are incredibly expensive amps though

[@kennethcarvalho3684]

those speakers really have some cool names...

[@yga]

Hahaha! They do indeed Kenneth! :)

[@srvdisciple3033]

how do you get a santana tone with a orange crush 35ldx?

[@yga]

I’ve never used that amp unfortunately! More of the tone is in what you play and the way you play it though, so dial in the amp to sound as you like it!

[@paulcooper5748]

@@yga How do you get it with a fender mustang 1 amp.

[@jimdep6542]

@@paulcooper5748 Try the Fender Super Sonic model and turn the gain way down. It can get you there.

[@EduardoHernandez-kt1kj]

I'll have to get the Carlos Santana Tone On The BOSS-ME 80 by using the Humbucker Simulator The Preamp Lead Tube Screamer Fx2/EQ and Spring Reverb With The Sustain Pedal onto a New Yamaha Keyboard Guitar Sound Plugged into The TASCAM Studio Guitar Multi-Effect RSCrunch Grab The Santana Hat And im ready to Be Santana.....

[@zoundsic]

Carlos had the PRS custom made for him and didn't have to buy it if he didn't like it, he heard a little feedback on every note and thought it was a one off guitar from God at the time. PRS had their free guitar advert and the rest is history..

[@yga]

Very very cool - That worked out very well for PRS indeed! Thanks for the insight and information, very interesting :)

[@zoundsic]

I enjoyed the video. Carlos also used to use a Wah pedal, he'd stick it in a position he liked the sound of and leave it alone. Not too sure myself what's happening to a signal through a Wah other than I can hear the high's being cut. I've got a bit nearer changing my backed off distortion over to my tubescreamer so thanks for that. I also got a bit nearer by using a short set echo with not much repeat to help thicken the tone a bit but that probably because I've got to use my strat until I build a SG.

[@yga]

Glad to hear you found some useful advice from the video - I'm sure your tone will continue to evolve (As does ours), especially as you find new gear! Keep working away at it, and let us know when you hit the jackpot!! :)

[@dogfacedboy6947]

Santana 1, Woodstock: SG Special Abraxas to Caravanserai: 1968 Les Paul. Deluxe? Standard? (big humbuckers, possibly some late 50's parts incl. pickups) Gibson L6S Yamaha SG 2000 When I was just a wee amoeba crawling out of the ooze, I heard Santana and Duane Allman and said I want THAT. I worked pretty hard at it, the stuff above may fill in a gap. He has long used multiple amps, maybe even before Eric Johnson and Steve Morse popularized it in the mid-80's. I believe it's currently a Dumble, a Bludotone, the Mesa Boogie and he's got Fender Twins lurking about. The single biggest point to make about amps is that is he prefers clean, hi-powered speakers. Altec-Lansings (Duane Allman used these too) or JBL's, just surely NOT the blatty Celestion 30's that Jim Marshall got really cheaply because Celestion know they were gonna blow out like... toilet paper at a diarrhea party? AND they knew that a lot of guitarists were so retarded they'd just keep replacing the same crap 30-watt speakers in their Marshall amps. Pushing 130 watts and wondering why their speakers were blowing, over and over and over. But what the heck, my boy Mahavishnu liked Marshall Major amps, the plus-200 watt ones, and HE couldn't figure out why they kept catching on fire and exploding; better meditate about it huh. A whole LOT of what people now call "classic Marshall tone" is just their crap Celestion 30's, barfing their way through a short, cheap and miserable life. AC/DC... That Les Paul above is a bit of a mystery guitar, Santana has never been too good on details. Gibson briefly pulled their head out of their ass, long enough to see cool dudes playing old ones, and they made a few using some old '50's parts. It may have been one of those. But what's old/what's new? When he starts talking about his "P80" pickups, look out. He's been photographed playing a tobacco Les Paul in 1973, and there's a sunburst STRAT that shows up here and there. There oughtta be a law....

[@LockOnNow]

DogFaced Boy As far from what i know he played a „Gibson LP Custom“ on the album Abraxas. And a Gibson LP Cherry Sunburst Standard on Caravanserai as Neal Schon also used a LP Cherry Sunburst too on Caravanserai. If you see Carlos on stage during 1972 he used a Black Gibson SG wich was his main working horse on the Caravanserai tour next to his LP in 1972.

[@guillermog.hernandez3931]

GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@yga]

Thanks Guillermo! So glad you enjoyed it :)

[@jacko717]

You can get in the ballpark but the biggest element is sheer volume, I suspect that most of us are bedroom guitarists, so not something we can really utilise.

[@alexmurphy5289]

With pedals and a small combo, close but yup it’s really tough

[@davidwright184]

I don't know. It doesn't really sound like this, though kzbin.info?search_query=santana+tone Does the SG sound different than the PRS?

[@21bryan1]

Whats the first song that plays?

[@yga]

Hi there! The song at the opening credits is based on "She's Not There" and the first cut to song is based on "Oye Como Va". If you want to learn these tunes, check out the full site where we break these down in detail: www.yourguitaracademy.com/courses/carlos-santana

[@focalfusion]

Use the Toneking Ironman 2 with the Kingsnake.

[@mben-david2064]

Carlos originally played an SG. Never heard of him using Yamaha.

[@ThePhiltrenbath]

Santana played a Yamaha SG for quite a while. Many Santana fans much prefer the Yamaha SG sound. The weight of the SG was one of the reasons for him switching to PRS

[@derhandtrommler]

@@ThePhiltrenbath YAMAHA doesn't make the SG. Gibson does and always has. Epiphone, A Gibson subsidiary, makes a budget version,But Yamaha has nothing to do with the SG.

[@guitarhero9592]

@@derhandtrommlerCarlos played the Yamaha SG2000 for several years then switched to PRS🤘

[@nabilhamza71]

close enough but why y didn t use that wampler compressor ? his recent tone is so compressed

[@yga]

Thanks Nabil! Great point indeed... I think we were aiming a little more for his original tone, which is a little less compressed. We'll give it a try with compressor next time though!

[@nabilhamza71]

yes that's what i thought thanks

[@jjpaez4597]

Can you share the settings on the tube screamer please

[@yga]

Hi JJ! Yes of course - If you pop the tone and volume to 12 o'clock (middle) and the overdrive to about 1 (or just on) you get a really cool sound :)

[@jjpaez4597]

Thank You!!!

[@bleromafia]

Can i also use the boss blues driver i dont think there will be much difference

[@yga]

Yes absolutely! The blues driver emulates a tube screamer in many ways, so give it a go :)

[@ramonballesteros7414]

and after using the best amps and pedals we still didn't hear that santana sound

[@CxchoSantiago]

How to sound like Santana : Be Santana. Lol no but i all seriousness great video bud 👍

[@yga]

Hahaha! Thanks Johnny... And of course, you are right! Doesn't stop up from having fun with a tonne of gear though ;)

[@strattuner]

PEREZ,to sound like Santana,you have to pick up a Gibson,not one of the new junk ones,one from yesteryear,sorry but millons of records with a SG OR LES is the only way to get that sound,no thanks

[@robertwhitcomb6105]

@@strattuner True, but he's used the PRS boogie recipe since the mid eighties. Your point is taken. My favorite albums precede the eighties

[@strattuner]

Robert, those in music doesn't understand that the first impression,is the impression,people hear Santana for the first time were mesmerized,and I know I was,but he was jamming and boldly blasting out the notes and chords and slides on a les paul,and his sound is grounded real good with a Gibson guitar,and that's the sound most want,i've played for over 50 years,the sound is the instrument,the player only learns on that instrument and he adjusts to the sound and the tone and learns from there, CARLOS had better rethink

[@MrNonaste]

Isn't there any way to get the Santana tone on the cheap? I sure as hell can't afford this kind of equipment.

[@yga]

Hi Ray! Yes, I would definitely suggest getting a modelling amp like the Fender Mustang, or a Line 6 amp of some kind (The Helix is supposed to be good). They are not going to break the bank and come packed with many many tones. It's digital, but the tech is getting better and better these days, so you'll be able to get close for sure! :)

[@MrNonaste]

@@yga Thank you.

[@rayross997]

Great name there Ray! I have a Mustang III amp and really love it. These amps have many effects and can model several famous amps. Check out the Intheblues channel, he has vids on them. All the best with your playing & tone. :-)

[@MrNonaste]

@@rayross997 Thanks!

[@anthonysclafani3963]

Get a Mesa Flux drive or flux 5- they're Boogie preamps. Mooer also has one

[@alejandrojuangarciaromero5011]

Sorry, I didn't hear the Santana's sound

[@edeeland9794]

So nice 10 watts that's like 3inches, 100 watt amp is made for use. The cops have to earn their pay so man get it full on hard and enjoy. Your playing Santana .

[@harvortiz4756]

I just crank it up LOUD AF! and keep the neighbors awake. thats until i can afford a Mesa Boogie King Snake. (8

[@jimdep6542]

which is why I don't like having neighbors very close. When I'm home, I want to enjoy peace and quiet.

[@Flatfeed611]

Tube Screamer first and Dumble style OD after or is it the other way?

[@yga]

Hi Isaac, thanks for watching. We had the Tube Screamer first running into the Dumble style OD (Wampler Ecstasy). Hope this helps! :)

[@acecarolino101]

too much BLAH. Did not hear the tone.

[@missaeljimenezhernandez3721]

I'm starting to listen to Santana and was wondering if 2:28 is a song

[@yga]

Hi Missael! It's a track based on Oye Como Va (I think that's the spelling). You can see a full video lesson for it here: www.yourguitaracademy.com/courses/carlos-santana/lessons/oye-como-what :)

[@ItsMe-qq4lg]

I have Jackson it sounds horrible playing Santana bends are crap but it sounds great for hevy metal drop d but I really want to play smooth

[@yga]

Hi Daniel! Yes a Jackson isn't necessarily the ideal guitar for Santana tones, but it can still be done! May be worth thinking more about the amp you are using with the Jackson, to see if you can adjust those settings to get it sounding smoother?

[@ItsMe-qq4lg]

Your Guitar Academy I have a portable line 6

[@yga]

Ok cool! Well you may want to think about your next upgrade being a tube amp as you will get a warm sound from the tubes that you can't really get from a digital modelling amp. It'll be a lot louder though!!

[@robertveith3400]

When he first started he used a fender Stratocaster

[@yga]

Wow! I did not know that... I guess it didn’t last long eh?

[@mben-david2064]

nope. He used an SG, Champ. Watch the Woodstock movie. Never heard of Carlos on any Fender guitar. He sure never recorded with one,.

[@evanpurification5482]

Paf style

[@strattuner]

CARLOS STARTED ON A LES PAUL and had better get back to that sound,the instrument he is playing now doesn't blast it out,at all

[@JFairweather]

Get a PRS Santana SE. Astonishing quality for a very low price. The humbuckers are just right (low output - neck not too bassy, bridge not to trebly). I love mine. Playing through a Boogie Mk5:35.

[@strattuner]

@@JFairweather no thank you,i don't like the prs,not at all and like i said CARLOS sounds different with his new axe,i'm not impressed,rich williams of kansas is now using the prs too,not happy about that,all he used prior was gibson too,its a different sound and it sucks

[@jimdep6542]

Santana started on Gibson SG and then the Les Paul in 1971......and I agree that I'd like to see him ditch the PRS and get back to that sound.

[@strattuner]

@@jimdep6542 yes,there's nothing wrong with a PRS,SERIOUSLY,BUT these guys all started with that sound,i've been back stage,front stage and all around the damn stage,and the sound is not the same,it's just not the same

[@jimdep6542]

@@strattuner PRS's in general have nice necks and they are comfortable to play. I don't like that nasal sound. Santana sounded much better with Gibsons....and the Yamaha wasn't bad either, but his tone was incredible through a Les Paul....especailly the one with the Bill Lawrence pickups, which came stock on the L6-S

[@oxnegative]

Many gear for a few tone.

[@yga]

Hi Hugo! Yeah it can be really hard to emulate a tone like this... and quite often it can be overdone with gear. Sorry you didn't enjoy it! The main thing is to watch the Santana player study, to learn how to actually play like him, not just try the sound!

[@oxnegative]

@@yga Thanks man.

[@summertea545]

Dude.....get to the point.

[@xoxb2]

Agreed. Sort of. Err.

[@homeworldmusic]

Funny, your video has so much guitar nerd detail about how you tried to sound like Carlos, and your demo sounds nothing like Carlos. Might be because you need to showcase it in a properly mastered mix? Dunno. Curious. Great information, but nothing about the end result makes me think that it is the right direction to go if I want to copy his tone. Not being negative, just sayin' that this ain't Carlos.

[@yga]

Hi there! Thank you for your honest feedback, we really appreciate it! Yes, we found Santana tough because he seems to have two widely different tones in his career, and we opted for the harsher of the two, which was his 60's / 70's tone (pre PRS). I'm interested to hear about what you would have done / or how you achieve Santana's tone with your own setup? Thanks again, Dan.

[@MrNonaste]

His demo sounds like Santana to me.

[@sgtlonly6145]

No one can get the santana tone it’s in his fingers and genes

[@yga]

Very true Pavo! Still, it's nice to try and get close with the tone... And a lot of fun! :)

[@valueofnothing2487]

It is a word to differentiate between the different types of distortion. The Santana Tone is a mellower mid-range with lots of sustain. We use the term because Santana is popular thus lots of people can understand what the sound is. I have heard many people try to get the Santana tone with great success like the one in this video. It doesn't mean they need to play Santana's melodies or songs or that they play as good as Santana.

[@anthonysclafani3963]

Disagree. Feel and playing is in the hands, gear is what actually makes the tone.

[@phenixreturns]

YOU need talent first :) lol

[@yga]

Very very true! Plus a lot of years spent practicing :)

[@vvblues]

Nice try but not quite.

[@yga]

Hi Oscar, thanks for the comment. Do you have any ideas as to how we could get closer?