How would a Custom 24 compare to a Santana ?

I have both. A CU24 AP with an ebony board and a regular neck from 2008, and a 2003 Santana II with a Brazilian board.

Ergonomically, the Santana has a fatter neck carve and a thicker body. It just feels more substantial as a guitar. The CU24 feels smaller and is lighter by comparison---at least mine is. The 24 frets on the Santana do not feel cramped or hard to play in the higher registers compared to the CU24 AP.

My two sound pretty different, especially in the bridge and middle positions. My guitars have stock pickups (Santana pickups and the HFS/VB combo). The Santana II has the treble pickup right against the bridge, and even though that is a hot pickup, the location gives it a great chimey and clear sound with the tone up. Consequently, the middle position is wonderful for funky stuff----I mean REALLY great. The bridge pickup on the CU24 AP is farther from the bridge, and has less treble and more mids--not a bad thing, but different. Both neck pickups sound clear and sweet, with the Santana having an almost beefed up single coil tone when wide open.

I recommend a really hard fretboard wood on both guitars if you want great clarity and a little more immediacy to the notes. I play both of these with a band through a roaring Matchless head, and I would not change a thing about either guitar.
Coincidentally, I have the same two guitars with the identical pickups and even play them through a killer Matchless! Not coincidentally, I completely agree with every characterization put forth. Well done!

The only color I'll add is that it's quite possible to get surprisingly close to a LP sound with the Santana, while the Cu24 offers a different, but equally inspiring tonal spectrum. Both are 'benchmark' PRS guitars.
 
Just checked this forum. I'm on I80 at about 75 mile marker. So that will put me in Chicago next time in about 90 minutes?:eek::D.
But taking you up on that offer probably won't work this trip.

Next time! Sergio has lumped his Santana shapes into the rest pile, as well.
 
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