Riff Tone
Samba Pa Ti
Santana
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG Special (early 1970s, likely 1968-1970 model)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsGibson P-90 single coils
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6.5
mid7.5
treble6
reverb5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1970, Abraxas album. All evidence and consensus indicate Santana used his red Gibson SG Special with P-90s into a Mesa/Boogie Mark I for the riff section of 'Samba Pa Ti'. No evidence of live/touring gear or later PRS models for this recording.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothsinging sustainfluid and expressivemellow highstouch-sensitiveviolin-like legatorounded, not harshrich midrangeslightly overdrivenvocal-like phrasing
Difficulty
While not technically fast or complex, the riff requires intermediate-level control of vibrato, sustain, and expressive phrasing to capture the iconic Santana feel.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG Special (early 1970s, likely 1968-1970 model)
AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I
PickupsGibson P-90 single coils
Amp Settings
gain5
bass6.5
mid7.5
treble6
reverb5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1970, Abraxas album. All evidence and consensus indicate Santana used his red Gibson SG Special with P-90s into a Mesa/Boogie Mark I for the riff section of 'Samba Pa Ti'. No evidence of live/touring gear or later PRS models for this recording.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothsinging sustainfluid and expressivemellow highstouch-sensitiveviolin-like legatorounded, not harshrich midrangeslightly overdrivenvocal-like phrasing
Difficulty
While not technically fast or complex, the riff requires intermediate-level control of vibrato, sustain, and expressive phrasing to capture the iconic Santana feel.
Samba Pa Ti settings for your amp
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use on these amps.
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