I'm new to the board so I hope I'm posting this in the right board. I have a 2001 Santana SE with the covered pickups. I've noticed that when I adjust the tone knob that there is no definite tone change until I get down under 3 and then it's a muffled sound. Is this normal, a bad tone pot, or the pickups. I read someplace that the original Santana SE pickups with the covers had less quality than the open ones which I think are 245s. If it's the pickups what do you recommend. Is there a difference between an SE 245 and SC 245? Thanks
2001 Santana SE Pickups and Tone
- Thread starter RickH
- Start date
andy474x
Knows the Drill
Sounds like a tone pot issue to me.
Regarding the SE245 pickups, opinions are mixed but mostly positive. I think they're the best SE pickups to date, slightly hotter than a vintage set, nice tonal balance and well matched to each other. SC245 pickups would be the USA version.
Regarding the SE245 pickups, opinions are mixed but mostly positive. I think they're the best SE pickups to date, slightly hotter than a vintage set, nice tonal balance and well matched to each other. SC245 pickups would be the USA version.
John Beef
Opaque
They didn't make SE245 pickups until probably 2010 or 2011 or something. Before that, from 2003-2010 or whatever year it was, all SE guitars with humbuckers had the same SE humbucker pickups. They're really not bad at all. They neither emphasize or de-emphasize any particular range of frequencies, and they're reasonably clear sounding, output is strong but not super hot. You could change them out if it's simply more to your liking. 2000-2002, the Santana was the only SE and they had the covered pickups. I don't know much about those.
Regarding your issue, it's probably a bad pot.
Regarding your issue, it's probably a bad pot.
