⭐️ Carlos Santana became one of PRS’s earliest believers — even though he thought the guitars were too good to be real

“He said the first guitar was an act of God”.

Carlos Santana was among the very first musicians to champion the guitars of Paul Reed Smith. Long before any official partnership existed, he was already playing Smith’s custom-built electric guitars, eventually agreeing to a collaboration that would propel PRS into the spotlight with a landmark signature instrument.

However, as Paul Reed Smith now reflects, Carlos Santana was not instantly convinced. And it was not because the guitars fell short — quite the opposite. They were so impressive that Santana initially doubted their authenticity and consistency.

Speaking with Guitar Center CEO Gabe Dalporto on an upcoming episode of the Inside the Noise with Gabe Dalporto podcast, Paul Reed Smith revisits the early days of PRS and explains how his relationship with the guitarist who helped shape the company’s future first began.

“Three years of building guitars for him,” Smith says when asked how long it took to win Santana over.
“The first guitar, he said, was an act of God. The second one, he said, was an accident. The third one, he didn’t say anything.
By the fifth one, he called me and said, ‘Okay, you’re a guitar maker.’ In other words, the first one was so good that he thought it couldn’t possibly be intentional.”

Smith likens the experience to writing hit songs:
“It was almost like someone had written him one hit, and he didn’t trust that the next song would also be a hit. But after the fifth guitar, he said, ‘Okay, you’re in.’ He made me earn his trust. He didn’t give it away freely, and I really respected that.”

Paul Reed Smith also draws parallels between those formative years with Carlos Santana and his later collaborations with John Mayer and other top-tier artists. According to Smith, they all share a strong sense of personal taste and a willingness to challenge convention.

“What I love about Carlos Santana, John Mayer, and all these incredible musicians is that they don’t like something just because someone tells them to,” Smith explains.
“They like something because they decide for themselves that it’s right.”

Santana went on to become one of PRS’s first major endorsers, elevating the brand to global recognition and helping set it on the path to becoming a major force in the guitar industry. Over the years, the iconic Santana I model from the mid-1990s has been revisited and updated across SE, Private Stock, and core signature ranges.