NAMM 2024: “Designed to have a broader tonal range”: Magneto Guitars launches the Velvet Deluxe, a lightweight Les Paul-flavored electric guitar that aims to elevate single-cut tone

Magneto Guitars will be showcasing its latest build, the exquisite-sounding Velvet Deluxe at NAMM 2024. A redesign of the Velvet Custom, it has been built to offer a lightweight 24 3/4”-scale set-neck guitar with pickups tailored for clean and overdriven tones in equal measure.

African Mahogany makes up its body, which also features a chambered top, and neck, whilst a rosewood fretboard boasting Magneto’s signature rhombus inlays. A neck-to-body transition was carefully sculpted to increase access to the higher frets.

A bone nut is in place to offer a greater tonal response, with fat and focused mids when driven balanced with enough treble to serve classic tone chasers the aim of the game here. Helping with that are its own-brand Metro Pole MAC-5 humbuckers, which are wound around Alnico 5 magnets for extra rich harmonics and water-tight bass response.

Its 14° angle headstock sports Grover tuners with three control knobs for tone, volume and a three-way pickup switch position on the body. It becomes available to order in May and comes in Magneto’s recently added silk finishes, which include metallic green, candy apple red, metallic orange and sunset gold.

French boutique guitar builders Magneto Guitars have a knack for making gorgeous guitars, with its Starlux model making for one of NAMM 2023’s coolest-looking hollowbody guitars. The Velvet Deluxe continues that tradition.

So far, Magneto has built signature guitars for Eric Gales and the in-demand country guitarist Andy G Jones (Van Morrison, Cliff Richard, James Ingram). Versatile string bender Perry Stenbäck is also amongst its roster of artists.

(Image credit: Magneto Guitars)

The firm was founded in 2009 when guitar designer and manufacturer Christian Hatstatt teamed up with Japan-based luthiers to build a new range of high-quality six-strings that don’t break the bank. Its other deluxe models come in around the $1,000 price mark, so we expect the Velvet Deluxe to cost similarly.

You can find its very first Velvet Deluxe models displayed NAMM 2024, with Magneto located at the Lyon and Healy Corporation booth Nr. 5314.

Head to Magneto Guitars to find out more, and keep up to date with the latest instrument, amp and pedal releases in the build-up to NAMM 2024 via our guide to the latest NAMM 2024 news.