REVIEWED
PAUL REED SMITH SE Santana
With the same 24.5-inch scale length and unique double cutaway profile as Carlos Santana’s US made PRS Signature model, does the new affordable SE Santana have the potential to attract player’s who have so far resisted PRS’ considerable charms?
Words: Tim Slater
PRS SE series – the affordable Korean made alternative to the American company’s high end US built guitars - has proved to be a resounding success and the new SE Santana is the latest in the impressive line up of affordable artist endorsed SE models that forms an important part of the PRS stable. If you are already au fait with the PRS SE story then you are doubtless already familiar with Carlos Santana’s long and successful association with Paul Reed Smith guitars (see box out). The guitar legend lent his name to the original SE Santana series that
SE Santana PRS SRP £749.00
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
Headline Music T:
W: 01223 874301
headlinemusic.co.uk 14 3pickup
PRS launched back in 2001but the original SE Santana bore little resemblance to Santana’s official PRS signature model. The new SE Santana is an entirely different beast; it still may not be an exact replica of the official US made Santana model but the latest SE Santana is nevertheless much closer to its US counterpart in terms of appearance, specifications... and spirit.
Body & Neck
One of PRS’ most unique features is the standard 25-inch scale length that it features on most of its instruments but the SE Santana sports Carlos Santana’s preferred shorter 24.5-inch scale. One of the first things that strikes you about the SE Santana is what a lively guitar it is. Mahogany forms the main core of the solid double cutaway body and so we find a guitar with plenty of breathy resonance that translates directly into a bountiful natural sustain. A maple cap dressed with a two-piece maple veneer adds an attractive finishing touch and whilst the top doesn’t feature the same deep rounded carves as the US Santana model there is still just enough relief around the sides to
prevent the front from feeling like a flat slab. The body contouring is subtle but still effective in adding a vital element of comfort, with a shallow ribcage cutaway on the upper back and PRS’ much-copied deep chamfer on the lower cutaway. Slung on the strap the SE balances well and the agreeable weight doesn’t seem to induce a painful Quasimodo-esque stance after a couple of hours serious playing. The PRS neck profile is one subject that seems to divide opinion between those that feel instinctively at home with it and those that don’t. The SE Santana’s special neck profile features slightly more rounded upper and lower sides compared to the more flattened elliptical profile that PRS uses for its standard PRS Wide Fat
and Wide Thin neck pattern. There is a more pronounced ‘hump’ or keel running down the entire centre of the SE’s glued-in mahogany neck; It isn’t exactly a soft ‘V’ but it isn’t far off and in terms of comfort it feels very nice indeed. The rosewood fingerboard reflects that this is a budget priced guitar, the grain is quite light and highlighted with purple-ish streaks (which we think actually look quite attractive) but the traditional bird-shaped inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets are fitted and finished to a very high standard. The 22 fret ‘board may be two frets shy of the full complement of frets sported by the US Santana model but the SE still feels like the full package and there is no sense that the player is being short
The SE Santana is a budget priced guitar but it still feels like the full package. There is no sense that the player is being short changed...
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64