GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Black Magic Woman Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Santana
Santana · 1970s · blues
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson SG Special (1968, stock P-90s, cherry finish)
Pickups
Gibson P-90 single coils
Amp
Fender Princeton Reverb (blackface, late 1960s, studio recording)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
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.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6.5
Gain5.5
Reverb4.5
Treble6
Presence3
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
Adapt to MY Gear →7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- warm and smooth
- singing sustain
- vocal-like midrange
- touch-sensitive
- slightly overdriven
- fat and round
- clear note separation
- mellow highs
- dynamic and expressive
- not heavily distorted
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for the original studio Princeton Reverb found; settings estimated based on typical Fender blackface amp use in blues/rock of the era and forum consensus.
- Some sources mention Mesa/Boogie amps, but these were not used until after 'Abraxas' (1970); for 'Black Magic Woman' riff, Fender Princeton Reverb is correct.
- No evidence of overdrive/distortion pedals or wah used in the riff section; all overdrive is from amp and guitar volume.
- Source 1 provides settings for a modern emulation with different gear (Strat, Blues Jr, Tube Screamer, wah) and is not representative of the original recording—excluded from main data.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Santana's 'Black Magic Woman' riff uses a warm, sustaining, edge-of-breakup tone typical of his late '60s/early '70s sound—likely a cranked Fender or early Mesa amp with high mids, strong bass, moderate treble, and lush reverb, matching his signature creamy, vocal-like lead tone.