Here are a few hints for replicating the guitar sound of
Carlos Santana. First of all, go easy on the effects.
If you're talking about his early sound (
Abraxas, etc.), there would just be a guitar w/humbuckers. He used an SG, as well as a Les Paul Special. The amp should NOT be too over-driven. You couldn't GET amps like that back then, so he used a hot-rodded Fender Twin. For sustain, Santana employed techniques like adding echo (tape) and reverb (spring), doubling parts, standing in front of the amp for feedback, and turning up the volume control as the note died down. And, sometimes, on songs like
Samba Pa Ti, he would set a wah-wah at a certain point and then leave it there for the whole song.
During the middle period (late '70s through late '90s), he of course had his trademark
PRS Santana Signature model (different ones, depending on the year), and his ubiquitous
Mesa Boogie amp. Effects are still sparing -- occasional wah wah and echo -- but the distortion is much more overdriven. In latter years (think "
Smooth"), he has the some tone, but smoothed out and somewhat effected by the producers.
Finally, there's the famous
Santana Sustain. To get it, you DO need an overdriven amp / humbucking guitar combo that has decent natural sustain. Then, during sound check, crank the amp up to performance volume and find the "sweet spot" -- the place where you get enough feedback to keep a note ringing endlessly, but not enough to squeal. Mark that spot with tape, and stand there whenever you need a super long note.
Hope that helps! :)