ToneAdapt

Loading...

Back to Community

Riff Tone

Black Magic Woman

Santana

Guitarblues1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Special (1968, stock P-90s, cherry finish)
AmpFender Princeton Reverb (blackface, late 1960s, studio recording)

Amp Settings

gain5.5
bass6.5

Create an account to see all tone details

Create Free Account

Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1970 (Abraxas album). Santana used a late-60s Gibson SG Special with P-90s into a Fender Princeton Reverb for the main riff section. Mesa/Boogie amps were not yet in use for this recording. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section; overdrive comes from amp pushed to breakup. Wah is not used in the riff section, only in solos.

Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothsinging sustainvocal-like midrangetouch-sensitiveslightly overdrivenfat and roundclear note separationmellow highsdynamic and expressivenot heavily distorted

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its expressive vibrato, sustained notes, and dynamic phrasing, but does not involve fast runs or complex chord shapes.

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account