1980s Levinson Blade R4 Vintage S-Style Electric Guitar Walnut w/ Gold Hardware, Japan

Up for sale, a 1980’s Levinson Blade R4 electric guitar in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. Blade instruments are the brainchild of Gary Levinson, crafted with exquisite fit and finish work in Japan, and this model is a modern take on the classic Superstrat platform, aesthetically mirroring Schecter's Dream Machine. A very rare instrument, this early Blade features a gloss Walnut finish on a solid mahogany body, maple neck with slab ebony fretboard, and active Levinson pickups and electronics. The stock single coils are wired to the active Variable Spectrum Control with a three-way mini toggle EQ boost switch, coupled to a three-band set of adjustable tone pots for a wide sweep of sculptable sounds. This Blade weighs 8lbs 14oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, accurate intonation, and fast action.The maple neck has a rounded slender C-shaped profile with modest shoulder and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .800” deep at the 1st fret and .880” at the 12th. The thick slab ebony fretboard features a modern 12” radius, mini dot inlay, Levinson truss rod cover at the 22nd fret, and stock jumbo fretwire. The frets have plenty of meat, showing light wear beneath the plain strings on the crowns of frets 1-11. The guitar plays well in all registers up the straight neck with a responsive and optimally adjusted truss rod, made all the easier by the EZ-Access truss rod wheel at the heel. The scale length is 25 1/2", and the graphite nut measures 42mm (1.653") in width. The Strat-style headstock features the Blade logo and set of gold Sperzel locking tuners that turn smoothly and hold pitch as they should.On the body, the electronics function accordingly with the trio of Levinston pickups wired to the active Variable Spectrum Control system. Standard controls consist of Master Volume and Tone knobs and a five-way pickup selector switch. The VSP three-way mini toggle EQ boost is tethered to the set of three mini tone pots on the back of the instrument to fine-tune Bass, Treble, and Mid frequencies. The Falcon tremolo is a perfect bridge between vintage-style units and modern floating trems, featuring a double block system and roller saddles for unprecedented dive-bomb performance and sustain. The gold hardware shows some patina on the roller bridge saddles and neck plate, and the tinted mirror pickguard is intact. The original gloss translucent Walnut finish highlights the grain of the mahogany body, and cosmetic wear is limited to light scuffs in the pick path, light buckle rash on the edge of the belly contour, and a few additional dings and minor finish scratches on the body as a whole.A form-fit faux leather gigbag is included.