Riff Tone
Bella
Carlos Santana
Guitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarYamaha SG2000
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsYamaha SG2000 humbuckers (Alnico V, stock)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6.5
mid7
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1987. Gear confirmed for this era and song by multiple sources. Santana was known to use the Yamaha SG2000 and Mesa/Boogie Mark I for clean tones in the mid-late 1980s. No evidence of PRS guitars for this specific recording. No evidence of additional pedals for the clean riff section.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothrounded attackfull-bodied midsslightly rolled-off highstouch-sensitiveclear note separationrich and expressivenot brittle or harshsubtle amp reverbarticulate clean sustain
Difficulty
The riff is not technically complex but demands precise control of dynamics, vibrato, and phrasing to capture Santana's expressive clean tone.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarrock1980s
Original Gear
GuitarYamaha SG2000
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsYamaha SG2000 humbuckers (Alnico V, stock)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6.5
mid7
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1987. Gear confirmed for this era and song by multiple sources. Santana was known to use the Yamaha SG2000 and Mesa/Boogie Mark I for clean tones in the mid-late 1980s. No evidence of PRS guitars for this specific recording. No evidence of additional pedals for the clean riff section.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothrounded attackfull-bodied midsslightly rolled-off highstouch-sensitiveclear note separationrich and expressivenot brittle or harshsubtle amp reverbarticulate clean sustain
Difficulty
The riff is not technically complex but demands precise control of dynamics, vibrato, and phrasing to capture Santana's expressive clean tone.