PRS Santana III

Where is it made? (USA, Japan, Mexico, France...)

US model
How many frets and what kind of pickups does it have? What's the pickup configuration?
24 frets
2 PRS zebra coil humbucker pickups


What kind of bridge does it have (Floyd Rose, Wilkinson....)?
prs acc 4007 tremolo.

What controls does it have (volume, tone, pickup selector...)?
What kind of neck does it have?
Volume, tone, LM-type switch.

UTILIZATION

Is the neck comfortable?
Very comfortable, I prefer it to my prs CE 24, which is too slim, too slender

Is the access to the upper frets easy?
Yes, it couldn't be easier, although I would've preferred thinner frets from the 20th fret.

Is the instrument ergonomic (body shape, weight...)?
Nothing to do with a LP, you can play 4 hours straight without a problem

Is it easy to get a good sound? ...
It's incredibly versatile.
A small snag, however, is that mine sounds too sharp when I play clean, despite my efforts to adjust the highs with my amp.
Which affects my other guitars, since I have to alter my settings live.
I also tried to adjust the pickups. It was useless.
I would love to read what other people say about this.

SOUNDS

Does it suit your music style?
Yes, very open sound.
And it sounds good with anything: fender, marshall, mesa and, as of lately, ENGL!!
Which amp(s) or effect(s) do you use with it?
I'm sold on this one.
Engl and mesa
I have an engl powerball and a mesa mark V

What kind of sounds do you get and which settings do you use ("crystal-clear," "fat," etc.)?
Fat, fat linking park-like sounds, but also really vintage funky and bluesy sounds.
Very nice for picking as well.

Which sounds do you prefer / hate?

I love a clean sound that is a bit thick, like a strat with a light tube screamer.
I love to get this sound with the santana.
The humbuckers fulfill this role fabulously.
Further, as I said before, I hate the shrill sound of my PRS, that's why I give it 8/10

OVERALL OPINION

ALL-ROUNDER

How long have you been using it?
I've had it 2 years and play 50 gigs per year.

Which feature do you like the most / the least?
Its weight, reliability and that you can do whatever you want with it.
And its look!!
Did you try any of other models before buying this one?
I have 2 strats, one LP and another PRS

How would you rate its value for money?
It's expensive, but I don't want to see this model everywhere. Quality has its price.

Based on your experience, would you buy this product again? ...
Yes, I'm looking for another one to not wear it out.

I bought this at a Guitar Center blowout sale for only $1700! The list price is $3700, but they usually sell for around $2700. I was there to buy a Les Paul, but I tried this one out, fell in love with it, and bought it for the price of a Les Paul.






This guitar plays wonderfully. The action's great, the pickups are very high quality, and it looks amazing. My guitar is in the Santana Orange finish. This finish looks much better in real life than in pictures.

The only thing I dont like about it is the long neck heel, but PRS probably designed it this way for strength. Everything else about this guitar is absolutley perfect!

The construction of the guitar is flawless. No blemishes, everythings sanded, and all the parts and hardware are very high quality.

This is an amazing and very nice looking guitar, and if you have the money, you should ddefintley try it out. Even though I got it for only $1700, It's defintley worth $2700

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

- PRS Santana III
Violin amber, made in USA.
Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard
Mahogany body
- 24-fret neck, bird inlays, 2 Santana III humbucker pickups
- Floating tremolo
- 1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way toggle switch

UTILIZATION

Everything is OK

SOUNDS

You need to love Santana. If that's the case, you will be satisfied, because the pickups guarantee a powerful sustain like on "Europa." I use it with a vox and the sound just makes me cry from joy, snif snif...On the other hand, for heavier sounds you'd better look for another guitar, because it's too clean.

OVERALL OPINION

I have only one thing to say: too EXPENSIVE!!!! Luckily, it was a present because for its price you can buy 2 Gibson SG or 2 Fender Strats.
Even if the finish is superb (I have a weakness for birds), I don't think the price is justified. I think it's better to buy the same guitar, but not the signature model.