Sceptre SD1-3TS Desoto Deluxe, 3 Tone Sunburst
Desoto Standard SD1 3TS
The North American Alder body brings the warm mids to the forefront on this classic sounding bass. The North American hard maple neck has a black walnut fingerboard with a 34”/86.36 cm scale, a 400mm /16” radius and a real bone nut. The beautiful finishes are set off by the white pearl pickguard.
The two Levinson JB pickups are reverse wound / reverse coiled for noiseless operation together and utilise ALNICO 5 magnets for accented bite. The controls are a classic volume, volume, and tone configuration on a vintage style chrome plate.
The bridge is vintage style with a 19mm pitch as preferred by professional players.
Specifications
Description
BODY WOOD North American Alder TUNERS 20:1 Die Cast
NECK WOOD Hard Rock Maple BRIDGE Sceptre Vintage Style 401
FINGERBOARD Black Walnut PICKUPS 2 Levinson JB
FINGERBOARD RADIUS 400mm PICKGUARD Pearl White
NUT WIDTH 38mm STRINGS D’Addario Bass Light (.045 – .100)
NUT MATERIAL Bone HEADSTOCK FINISH Natural Gloss
HARDWARE FINISH Chrome FINISH 3 Tone Sunburst
DESOTO
In 1957 Chrysler called the DeSoto “the most exciting car in the world today.” Futuristic styling, engineering firsts, stunning colours and LOTS of chrome – 1950’s bling. While this was happening in the car world the music world saw its own revolution – the arrival of Rock ‘n Roll and the first electric bass guitars.
The Desoto bass draws on a classic design known for exceptional versatility, rich midrange and bright treble response. The Sceptre DeSoto Series uses the original 1960’s style pickup positioning for the smoother and more present midrange of these instruments. This is further accented by a North American alder body with its comfortable, elegant contours.
The neck is classic. The slim satin finished neck with a 38mm bone nut makes playing comfortable in any position over all 20 frets. The dual action truss rod keeps the neck straight and stable.
The pickups are custom wound with enamel 42 AWG enamel coated wire and ALNICO 5 magnets. The neck and bridge pickups are reverse wound/reverse poled for hum-free operation when using both pickups while maintaining the snap and growl of single coils.
Perfect balance in the hand and in the ear. The Sceptre DeSoto Series.
THE ORIGIN OF LEVINSON SCEPTRE
It’s been over 50 years since I started building and repairing guitars. I’ve had the honor of building instruments for some of the world’s greatest guitarists over this expanse of time. During the late 60’s I was part of a small but exclusive repair shop in Champaign, Illinois. We met many of the music icons of the 60’s and 70’s when they came to play at the University of Illinois and did work for everyone from the Grateful Dead to Cat Stevens.
At the University of Illinois, I studied applied and natural sciences and continued this when I came to Basel Switzerland in 1971. The creation of tone is a wonderful science – part Physics and part magic. During my graduate studies at the University of Basel I continued guitar work and founded Guitars by Levinson in Basel, Switzerland in 1977. This is history and has been a part of the Blade Guitars story over the years.
Sceptre Guitars is the result of using my experience of these 50 years to create a line of instruments of impeccable build integrity with exceptional playability and great tone. All instruments utilize excellent raw materials, top hardware and my new line of Levinson custom wound pickups.
FEATURES THAT MAKE LEVINSON SCEPTRE SPECIAL
A guitar is the sum of its parts. Woods, finish, hardware, pickups, construction method and precision. It all has to be right and live in harmony in the instrument or the result will not be optimal. Choosing the most expensive components is no guaranty that the instrument will be excellent.
I want to tell you about the parts that I have chosen to use on Sceptre Guitars and Basses and why I chose them.
You owe it to yourself as a musician to experience these instruments.
