Riff Tone

Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas)

Santana

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarPRS Santana Signature (late 1990s model, likely 1998-1999, mahogany body, rosewood fretboard)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark I (head, likely with Tone Tubby 1x12 cab as per era)

PickupsPRS Santana Signature humbuckers (neck position, likely Alnico V magnets)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6.5

mid7.5

treble6

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

boostPete Cornish Pete Cornish LD-1 Line Driver

Notes

Studio recording, 1999. Gear confirmed by multiple rig rundowns and interviews for the 'Supernatural' album. No evidence of live/tour substitutions for the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

warm and smoothsinging sustainround and thickmidrange-forwardtouch-sensitivecompressed but dynamiccreamy overdriveslightly woodynot harsh or brittlefluid, vocal-like phrasing

Difficulty

The riff requires tight rhythmic precision and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or fast passages.

Sources

[DISCUSSION] how'd Santana get the tone for Smooth? : r/Guitar Carlos Santana's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard Carlos Santana "Smooth" Tone? - forum topic - Ultimate Guitar Rig Rundown: Carlos Santana - Premier Guitar Decoding Carlos Santana’s supernatural soloing style | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 7 times by the community

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