Magnatone Tornado (X-15)
Overview
Brand name:
Product:
- electric guitars
Series name:
Dates of manufacture:
The Magnatone X-15 Tornado was an American made solid body electric guitar, introduced in 1965.
BODY: Double cut-away ultra sleek hand contoured body, which is light in weight and precision balanced for comfortable playing.
VIBRATO: Features the “Lever-Lock" vibrato and the fastest playing smooth action neck.
ROCKER BRIDGE Specially designed adjustable "rocker" bridge avoids string breakage.
2 MAGNA PICKUPS: 2 super-sensitive magnetic pick-ups for greater tonal variations. Strings can be self-adjusted both front and rear for more balanced sound.
TILT LOCK NECK Exclusive preset "TILT-NECK" readjusts neck angle without removing neck from body.
STRING NUT Another Magnatone exclusive feature. Special string "NUT" prevents strings from jumping.
SLIDE SWITCHES 2 slide switches produce different rhythm and lead combinations. Lead/Rhythm switch then selects one of 8 different sounds, further modified by tone control and separate Lead & Rhythm volume controls. WOOD: Appalachian fine grained poplar bodies, Northwest Canadian maple necks, imported rosewood fingerboards.
METAL PARTS: All critical metal parts, including screws were made of fine highly polished stainless steel or aluminum, eliminating possible corrosion pitting or rusting.
FINISH: Bodies were hand, rubbed, seven coat processed lacquer (Magnatone exclusive), carefully worked to resist checking due to abrupt temperature changes. Guitar necks were finished with clear coats, except for the metallic black and metallic white models. Available in high lustre: sunburst, blue, red, black or white
PRICE: RRP $260 in 1965
Source: Magnatone catalog 1965.
Specifications (2)
General
| Finish colors | black finish, blue finish, red finish, white finish |
| Made in | USA |
Prices (2)
| Date | Price | Condition | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | $20 | good | The guitar is red sparkle, but the finish is now seemingly losing its clearcoat, and is shedding tiny gold flakes. There are scratches through to the wood in a few spots. The neck is beautiful figured maple, but does show checking. | |
| 1999 | $100 | worn | Stripped and refinished (was black sparkle-now amber varnish). Cracked pick-guard. |
