PRS Santana Retro in Black Gold Wrap w/ Case

A Tribute to Pre-factory PRS Santana Guitars

The PRS Santana Retro pays homage to the early"pre-factory" solid-body electric guitars that Paul Reed Smith built for legendary guitarist Carlos Santana in the early '80s. Celebrate history with the Santana Retro's deeper body carve, original-style heel, and original headstock shape and nut placement. Experience thick resonance with power and overtones, by virtue of this guitar's stunning maple top and mahogany tone-woods. A duo of humbuckers delivers sweetened vintage tone with loads of detail, incredible warmth, and endless sustain. The Santana is one of the most revered models in the Paul Reed Smith line. Pick up the PRS Santana Retro solid-body electric guitar and discover why.

Mahogany topped with exquisite maple top

PRS began by choosing the tried-and-true combination of high-quality mahogany topped with stunning figured maple. This combination gives this PRS Santana Retro a rich, yet balanced sound. The mahogany back delivers the natural tonal warmth and focused midrange that guitarists clamor for and the brighter tone of the maple top adds clarity and sustain with a strong fundamental. Together these tone-woods give you an incredibly balanced sound. Never one to sit pat, PRS has retooled their finish process. Taking its cues from the Private Stock finish that entails high-gloss nitro over a cellulose CAB basecoat, this method gives the guitar a finish that's thin, durable, and clear. The result is an instrument that feels like a vintage guitar in your hands, with an incredible amount of resonance.

Dual humbuckers deliver amazing detail, warmth, and sustain

The PRS Santana Retro is loaded with a great-sounding set of humbuckers. In the bridge is a 58/15 pickup which produces sweetened vintage tone with every note you play. In fact, PRS built the 58/15 with the same coil wire manufacturing machine that '50s-era guitar makers used to create some of the most iconic pickups in history. In the neck is a Santana pickup. This pickup was designed in collaboration with Carlos himself, and it exhibits the warm, singing sound that is his instantly identifiable trademark. PRS retooled these pickups to bring the sweet harmonics and chunky warmth of this classic design to your Santana Retro. Each set of pickups has been ear-tuned to perfection by Paul and his team, a process known as Tuned Capacitance and Inductance (TCI). The result is a very musical pickup that’s true to its lineage but updated for the modern player.

PRS Gen III tremolo provides a customizable feel and reliable intonation

The new Gen III tremolo functions the same as PRS's older, patented tremolo system, but with a few notable updates. Countersunk mounting holes create a perfectly aligned bridge, ensuring reliable intonation along the entire length of the neck, while larger mounting screws add mass for enhanced sustain. The bridge's sidewalls have been redesigned to prevent sideways movement of the saddles, greatly improving tuning stability. And compound-radius saddles improve vibrational transfer by optimizing the angle the string breaks across the saddle. An unthreaded tremolo arm employs a small set screw that allows for a customizable feel. And radiused grooves on the bridge plate match the radius of the height-adjustment screws, creating more contact and a better fit.

Specs:

Body

• Type: Solid-body
• Shape: Santana Retro Double-cut
• Material: Mahogany
• Top Material: Figured Maple
• Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Colour: Black Gold Wrap

Neck

• Type: Set Neck
• Shape: Santana Retro
• Radius: 11.5”
• Fretboard Material: Rosewood
• Inlay: PRS Birds
• Frets: 24, Jumbo
• Nut Width: 1.688”
• Nut Material: Synthetic/Bronze powder blend

Hardware

• Bridge: PRS Gen III Tremolo
• Tuners: PRS Phase III Locking
• Electronics
• Neck Pickup: PRS TCI-Tuned Santana Humbucker
• Bridge Pickup: PRS TCI-Tuned 58/15 Humbucker
• Controls: 1 x Master Volume, 1x Master Tone
• Switching: 3-Way Toggle Pickup Switch

Accessories

• Strings: D’Addario 10-46
• Case: Hardshell Case (Included)