Magnatone Hurricane

Made in the USA, and as best as I can tell in 1966. Has been refinished (I've heard some Magnatone guitars had finishes that actually flaked off). Has one (single-coil?) pickup, volume and tone controls, and jack on the pickguard. Bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and I'm guessing alder for the body. It's pretty light for a full-scale bass, and looks something like a cross between a Telecaster guitar and a Precision Bass. Bridge is adjustable for height only by using the wheels at either side, and each string has its own saddle which is also adjustable back and forth; strings attach at end of bridge. There's chrome covers over the bridge and the pickup. There is a mute which can be applied via a wheel beside the bridge.

I play mainly for myself, blues and classic rock. I have an Ampeg B-15N I run this through, and the tone is unique -- warm, but not as rich as an old P-Bass, and not as bright as my maple-bodied Jazz. Sustains pretty darn well. The tone control actually works on this guitar, unlike many others where the knob seems to be more for looks -- you can get a pretty good snap out of the strings if you turn it up, although I like leaving it down all the way. I think the pickup might need some re-winding some day, because it's no where near as strong as my Fenders'. There is a slight hum, which I guess is due to the lack of shielding in the cavity. I haven't wanted to take it apart, because it's set up exactly how I like it.

This is what sold me -- ever pick up a guitar and just be able to run all over the neck right away, with no stumbling? The action on this is great -- low, with no buzzing. Neck is true, and once in tune it stays there. Can't speak for the original finish, but the repaint on mine must be at least 10 years old, and this thing looks like a real relic -- white pickguard has yellowed some, the finish on the neck has turned amber, and all the chrome is intact but dirty. I love it!

Well, this thing is at least 35 years old, and still plays great! I expect to have to do some minor upkeep (clean the pots, rewind the pickup), but I plan on having it around forever. I would have no problem playing this live, but I've had guitars stolen in the past, and I probably wouldn't risk it.

Company is long gone. Too bad too.

More than 20 years playing bass and 6-string. Have owned the usual big guys (Fender, Gibson, Rick) and still have a small stable. I am definitely going to keep my eyes open for another of these -- they are not Fenders but they're roughly comparable, and a mid-60's P-Bass in the same shape as this would cost as much as a used car. Plus this looks cool, plays great, doesn't break your back, and no one else has one!

American made in the '60's, the Magnatone Hurricane is a pretty basic solid body instrument. Four strings on a 34 inch scale, 20 frets, one single coil pickup, with one volume and one tone control.

The bolt-on neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard, clay dots on the board surface and marker dots along the edge. There is a bar type string retainer just above the nut, which is a "zero fret", and a plastic cover for the truss rod adjustment just above that. The neck finish is a gloss lacquer, with a black manufacturers decal on the headstock.

The body is poplar, which is quite light, with a thin paint finish. Available finishes could be a sunburst or any of several solid colors, including a couple of very '60's metal flakes. This instrument is red with very fine gold flakes. The body shape is distinctive, with a wide, round upper bout and a thicker waist than a Fender bass.

All pickups and controls mount on a white/black/white three layer pickguard, with the "Magnatone" name engraved below the strings. There is a black plastic finger rest at an angle below the strings, and chrome plated covers over the pickup and the tailpiece. The pickup has four adjustable polepiece screws, but no height adjustment.
The bridge is a shallow "U" shaped steel piece with thumbwheels at each end for height adjustment, and four round saddles with individual screws for setting intonation. The strings anchor through holes in far edge of the tailpiece plate, which is bent up and forward at an angle.

The most unusual feature is an adjustable string mute. The mute is a felt pad on a metal carrier which normally rides under the strings just above the bridge, but can be raised up to mute the strings using a thumbwheel just below the "G" string. Different!

Sound is again pretty basic. Good balance with solid lows and crisp highs, and a little bit of single coil hum in the background if you point it the wrong way. Overall output is rather low, but there's more than enough to work with through almost any amp. The only tonal variety available is what you can do with your fingers and the tone control. Sounds good and sharp with a pick, and mellows right out with the fingers, but the finger rest is probably on the wrong side for any modern finger-style playing or slap work.

There are enough adjustments available to make the instrument play very well. The action tends toward the low side because of the zero fret and the relatively low output pickup. Raising the strings causes the output to drop quite a bit, and it sounds better all around when the strings are closest to the pickup. The low action at the top of the neck because of the zero fret means that some string "buzz" is just about unavoidable.

For a 35 year old instrument, the finish shows plenty of wear, but that's to be expected. The quality of the materials is really good for it to have lasted this long. The wood is all top quality, and the metalwork is all heavy gauge and heavily plated.

The controls and electronics are all US made '60's quality, not much different from the parts Fender was using, except for the pickup.

This bass is so simple, there's really nothing to go wrong. If it was tough enough to last this long, I wouldn't worry about it on a gig or anywhere else.

I cleaned it up and set it up with new strings when I bought it, and haven't had to touch it since. I don't play it that often, but when I pick it up, it's right in tune and ready to go.

The Magnatone company disappeared around 1970, so there's no support.

They never made enough of these to qualify for any kind of support from the aftermarket either, so if you need anything other than strings, you're on your own.

I'm primarily a guitar player, and wanted to have a bass handy for doing arrangements and track work. I saw this bass at a guitar show, and though it played pretty well. It looked and played a lot better with just a little work.

Built to last, with a solid, sweet sound. A great American made '60's instrument, and a fraction of the cost of a Fender bass from the same period.