Santana III transformation: from Playa to Slaya

[Tahlee]

Hello everyone! I started a mod thread instead of continuing with my NGD.

Well, I just had a new guitar day for my 2002 Santana III - 10 top. I absolutely love the guitar, but the tremolo was heavily pitted so I ordered a new one. The new tremolo won’t match the original chrome pickups. Oh dear...I immediately knew what that meant. I had just tumbled down the slippery slope of guitar modification.

 

[bodia]

I'm gonna like this!

 

[Tahlee]

I ordered the Mann Made raw brass tremolo, which is why I thought the chrome pickups wouldn’t look very good next to it. The tremolo arrives tomorrow.

So, I started thinking about pickups. I absolutely love the Santana pickups so I am going to put them into my Tremonti. It currently has Seymour Duncan Alpha and Omegas and I find the neck pickup to be a little muddy.

 

[Tahlee]

I ordered a set of zebra Seymour Duncan Amos pickups and an Emerson custom paper in oil tone capacitor 0.022uf Bumblebee.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

The cool thing about those unplated trems is... they match with everything!

 

[Tahlee]

From Seymour Duncan’s website:

The sound of the Amos Flying V is uniquely robust compared to other PAF loaded guitars. Careful examination of the original pickups revealed something unique – unusually strong magnetism, which could only be replicated by using Alnico 6 magnets. Although Alnico 6 might seem like an odd choice for a PAF replica, the result is surprisingly warm, clear and powerful – and matches the tone of the originals. But despite their abnormally strong magnetism, these humbuckers retain all their warmth and clarity.

Each set is built using period-correct butyrate bobbins, maple spacers, and wound on the same historic Leesona winding machine originally used by Gibson in the fifties and sixties, and will be hand-signed by Seymour W. Duncan and Joe Bonamassa.

 

[Tahlee]

 

[dmatthews]

Too much fun!

 

[11top]

Hello everyone! I started a mod thread instead of continuing with my NGD.

Well, I just had a new guitar day for my 2002 Santana III - 10 top. I absolutely love the guitar, but the tremolo was heavily pitted so I ordered a new one. The new tremolo won’t match the original chrome pickups. Oh dear...I immediately knew what that meant. I had just tumbled down the slippery slope of guitar modification.

Your Santana is great, but that SC is way cool.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Can't wait to see how this turns out!

 

[Tahlee]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I love the Singlecut. That one’s a Tremonti. I have a Singlecut trem arriving at any moment. I’m watching UPS on a live map and it’s in my area now.

 

[MichaelS]

I assume the brass will turn darker with patina. I wouldn't worry about the color match with pup covers...

 

[ViperDoc]

I need me some Santana.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I assume the brass will turn darker with patina. I wouldn't worry about the color match with pup covers...

Yeah, it’ll get gloriously cruddy lookin’ over time:

 

[Tahlee]

That looks good to me!

Did you notice an improvement in tone, Sergio?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

That looks good to me!

Did you notice an improvement in tone, Sergio?

I feel like there was an increase in note separation, and a little more mid presence. It could be all in my mind though.

 

[Tahlee]

Nice. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks.

 

[Tahlee]

I played the Santana last night for a while and my shoulder was feeling those 8.9 pounds. This is my first Santana. Are they usually this heavy? This thing sounds killer, though.

 

[bodia]

I feel like there was an increase in note separation, and a little more mid presence. It could be all in my mind though.

I don't think it's you. I would agree with your assessment.

 

[shimmilou]

Are those metal pup rings?

Yeah, it’ll get gloriously cruddy lookin’ over time: