Ever hear a classic guitar track and wonder, “how in the hell did they get that tone!?”
Turns out, there’s a human encyclopedia for that, and his name is James Santiago. Name your
Ever hear a classic guitar track and wonder, “how in the hell did they get that tone!?”
Turns out, there’s a human encyclopedia for that, and his name is James Santiago. Name your favorite riff of any genre… James will rattle off the guitar, amp, microphone, studio and room that achieved it. If he doesn’t know, you can expect an educated guess.
James’ résumé reads like a to-do list of guitar enthusiasm: professional gigging since age 15, Guitar Player reviewer at age 20, contributor for network television and video games like Dirty Jobs and Guitar Hero III. Eventually, he had his own GP column dedicated to breaking down the rigs of Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Michael Landua and other ace players. In turn, James has become a self proclaimed gear nerd and indulges in everything from vintage guitars to modern day pedals and software.
While he can still be found at the occasional L.A. jazz gig or Dweezil Zappa show, James has taken his expansive knowledge of guitar gear to the world of product design and marketing. After retiring from year-round touring around 2000, he joined Line 6, and later Voodoo Lab, developing and promoting new products. His latest experience includes oversight of the Fender ’55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in and OX Amp Top Box developments with Universal Audio, each a resounding success in guitar hardware and software.
We sat down with James for a Q&A on the guitar landscape, go-to gear, and his experience with both hardware and software development teams at Universal Audio.
Find out more at uaudio.com.
You’re quite the guitar collector… can you talk about a few of your favorites and how they’ve shaped your playing style over the years?
Well, it feels more