Magneto U-One Eric Gales RD3 review

After releasing his career-defining album, Crown, earlier this year, the bar is set high for the blues great’s new signature guitar

Magneto U-One Eric Gales RD3
(Image: © Future / Olly Curtis)

Guitar World Verdict

It’s the sounds and slick playability that are rather impressive here. Time to add Magneto to your ‘to-try’ list, we’d say.

Pros

  • +

    Stylish re-evaluation of a classic.

  • +

    Great weight.

  • +

    Sharp detailed build.

  • +

    Excellent pickups and quality hardware.

Cons

  • -

    Our sample might need a neck shim.

  • -

    Only one finish.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Magneto guitars first appeared back in late 2008, the brainchild of Christian Hatstatt, a guitar designer and maker who has worked with various European brands, most notably Gary Levinson’s Blade Guitars. 

Christian’s initial designs centred on two models: the Sonnet and T-Wave inspired by Fender’s Strat and Telecaster. Later in 2012, the Velvet was added, a more Les Paul-inspired style. Yet unlike many modern makers who might simply change a headstock outline, Magneto subtly reevaluates those originals. 

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Dave Burrluck
Gear Reviews Editor, Guitarist

Dave Burrluck is one of the world’s most experienced guitar journalists, who started writing back in the '80s for International Musician and Recording World, co-founded The Guitar Magazine and has been the Gear Reviews Editor of Guitarist magazine for the past two decades. Along the way, Dave has been the sole author of The PRS Guitar Book and The Player's Guide to Guitar Maintenance as well as contributing to numerous other books on the electric guitar. Dave is an active gigging and recording musician and still finds time to make, repair and mod guitars, not least for Guitarist’s The Mod Squad.