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What guitar did Carlos Santana play before PRS?

I had always thought he had played a Ibanez Artist series type guitar but a friend of mine SWEARS they were gibson S6's only.

Anyway please help me solve it, I don't mind if I am wrong, I just want to know!

THANK YOU!

Gibson- L-6, Les Paul, S.G.
Yamaha Artist
Mesa/Boogie's with 15 inch speakers if I'm not mistaken.

I saw a picture of him holding a strat-style guitar on one of his album covers.. what would that have been?

I think Bungalow Bill got it right. If you search for Santana images, you'll see him pictured with most of those guitars, depending on what decade it was.


Originally Posted by bungalowbillGibson- L-6, Les Paul, S.G.
Yamaha Artist
Mesa/Boogie's with 15 inch speakers if I'm not mistaken.

To that I'll add that the SG(s) had p90's. At least thats what I always heard.

He's used a variety of guitars over the years, but his classic early sound was mainly attributed to an SG, which is also what he used for his famous Woodstock performance.
an SG with P-90 in the late 60's then a Gibson L6S, which is an oddball Norlin era Gibson, which he didn't play long. Then he played Yamaha SG 2000's and SG 3000's, which were made for Carlos then put into production. If you want to know more about them let me know...I have one and IMO it will walk all over almost ever single Les Paul I have ever played!


Originally Posted by the guy who invented firean SG with P-90 in the late 60's then a Gibson L6S, which is an oddball Norlin era Gibson, which he didn't play long. Then he played Yamaha SG 2000's and SG 3000's, which were made for Carlos then put into production. If you want to know more about them let me know...I have one and IMO it will walk all over almost ever single Les Paul I have ever played!OK I think this is what I am looking for.
So it wasn't an artist Series, but a Yamaha SG?

Yes tell me more o-wise-one


Originally Posted by aaronlOK I think this is what I am looking for.
So it wasn't an artist Series, but a Yamaha SG?

Yes tell me more o-wise-one The Ibanez series and the Yamaha SG series were in direct competition.

There were several SG series guitars, lots of them were only avaiable in Japan. In the states you could get an SG 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 3000. Later they changed the names to SBG, but the guitar is the same. A Yamaha SG 2000 is double cut away guitar and is maple and mahogany neck through (the center is maple with a piece on mahogany on each side, which make up the neck) with mahogany wings, and an arched 3 piece maple top. It has an Ebony fingerboard, abalone inlays, gold hardware, and 5 layer binding like a Les Paul Custom. Electronice are just like a Les Paul (2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way pickup selector, and 2 humbuckers) except that they came with Jimmy Page wiring (2 coil taps, and 2 phase switches) from the factory! They also have a solid brass sustain block screwed into the guitar that the bridge mounts to. They really are fantastic guitars. I have one, and I am always on the look out for another one!

Carlo tolfd GP Mag about three years ago, that he started on a Fender Strat, then switched to Gibson SG with P-90 pups, then a Les Paul, finally, a PRS that PRS made for some one else, but Carlo kept it.

The same story is contained in aq PRS history book.