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SOUNDCHECK* THE GEAR IN REVIEW
SUPERNATURAL
THING
PRS SE Santana solidbody guitar
BY CHRIS GILL
128
GU I TA R WOR L D
GUITAR
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high quality in all its raw glory. The
body on my test example was made
from three pieces of mahogany, but
ARLOS SANTANA PLAYED
you really had to look closely to notice
a significant role in the develthe seams, and upon casual inspection
opment of the PRS SE series
it looked a lot like a single solid slab.
when the line was introduced back in
All of the hardware is several
2001. In fact, the very first SE model
notches in quality above that of other
was the Santana SE (which is differguitars in this model’s price range.
ent than the new SE Santana model).
The PRS-designed tremolo feels very
Since then PRS has also offered the
solid, and the individual string saddles
Santana SE II, the limited-edition
fit tight and are smoothly polished to
Santana Shaman SE in 2003, and the
avoid string breakage. The tuners have
limited-edition Carlos Santana SE One
a smooth action, and the pickups, masAbraxas in 2009. With the introducter tone and master
tion of the new SE
ON DISC OR AT
volume knobs,
Santana model,
GUITARWORLDDIGITAL.COM
and three-position
Carlos is the only
pickup selector
artist to have five
are firmly installed with perfect alignSE models (and that doesn’t even
ment. The PRS-designed Santana
count the various high-end PRS Sanhumbuckers have classic-looking
tana models).
zebra bobbins and perfectly compleWhile the SE series was originally
ment the guitar’s vintage styling and
conceived to offer “student-edition”
timeless appeal.
or “standard-edition” models similar
to the “junior” and “special” guitars of
PERFORMANCE
yesteryear, recently they’ve become
more like “special-edition” instruFROM ITS STYLISH looks and flawless
ments. The various PRS SE signature
construction to its incredible feel and
models—like the SE Mike Mushok
outstanding tone, everything about
Baritone, the three-humbucker SE
the PRS SE Santana screams qualZack Myers, and the red sparkle
ity. Even though the guitar is made
finished SE Orianthi—may be very
overseas, it still maintains the vibe
affordable, but they’re anything but
of U.S.-made PRS guitars. The main
stripped-down, no-frills instruments.
differences are that the materials and
The new PRS SE Santana continues
hardware aren’t as exquisite, and
this trend, offering much of the same
the overall design does not feature
vibe as the high-end PRS Santana
as many detailed touches such as the
model, from its old-school doubleU.S. model’s more elaborate contours.
cutaway body shape to its extremely
The SE Santana already sounds
playable neck.
loud and lively when unplugged,
with the tremolo springs providing
FEATURES
a slight amount of reverb-like resonance. Those tones improve when
UNLIKE THE FIRST Santana SE models,
the guitar is plugged in. While the
the new PRS SE Santana looks almost
SE Santana almost perfectly nails
identical to the PRS Santana models.
Carlos Santana’s signature lead tone,
The biggest difference is that the top is
it also produces addictive hard rock
not as exquisitely carved (although the
crunch rhythm tones and fat, punchy
SE does have an arched top) and the
funk chords. The humbuckers’ outabalone strip inlays are missing from
put level is just slightly hotter than
the body. The SE Santana is the first
a classic PAF, providing a good balSE model to offer a 24 1/2–inch scale,
ance of clarity, definition and aggresbut the SE has 22 frets while the upsion. You can hear each individual
scale PRS Santana model has 24. The
note in a chord, but when you start
neck has a similar wide and fat profile,
to solo, it seems like single notes
and the rosewood fingerboard is decomagically become fatter.
rated with bird inlays.
The wide and fat neck profile feels
Instead of a solid flame maple cap,
just a little thinner and flatter than
the SE Santana’s mahogany body
PRS’s own wide-fat neck profile, but
is topped with a maple cap with a
the 24 1/2–inch scale is easier to play
thin flame maple veneer and a black,
and results in lower string tension.
orange or Santana yellow finish. The
The frets are so smooth that if you
body and neck are not stained and
close your eyes, you’ll think you’re
are sprayed with a smooth, clear poly
playing a regular PRS model.
finish that proudly displays the wood’s
OVERALL VALUE
SPECS
STREET PRICE
$754.00
MANUFACTURER PRS
Guitars, prsguitars.com
SCALE LENGTH
24 1/2 inches
FINGERBOARD
Rosewood with “oldschool” bird inlays
FRETS 22
BODY Mahogany with
maple top and flame
maple veneer
NECK Mahogany
BRIDGE PRS-designed
tremolo
PICKUPS PRS Santana
humbuckers
TUNERS PRS designed
CONTROLS Master
volume, master tone,
three-position pickup
selector
The SE Santana is
the first PRS SE
model with a 24
1/2–inch scale.
The inner mounting
of the maple
veneer top has a
beautiful flame.
The solid-feeling
PRS-designed
tremolo won’t go
out of tune.
THE BOTTOM LINE
WITH A STREET price well under a
thousand dollars, the PRS SE Santana
offers a high level of quality, from
craftsmanship to tone, making it an
unbeatable value. SC
+PRO
EXPRESSIVE TONE
FAST-PLAYING
NECK IMPECCABLE
ATTENTION TO
DETAIL
-CON
NONE