Gordon Smith Galaxy

Long-scale thin-line semi-acoustic 4-string bass, manufactured UK 1984.
Neck; 1-piece maple set neck, finished in deep red stain to match the body, gloss finish. Fender-style headstock with 4-a-side large ???elephant-ear??? nickel-plated Schaller tuners. Brass nut. 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with abalone dot markers. Truss rod adjust under small Perspex cover at body end.
Body; large semi-acoustic thinline body shaped very like a Gibson Byrdland, with single lower Florentine cut-away. Top and back of maple / ash laminate with a flat profile (ie; not arched, although the sunburst finish gives the impression of an archtop), sides of mahogany with a nice flame. Short wide ???f??? holes with two additional comma-shaped cut-outs at the end of each ???f??? hole, such that there are three holes roughly in a line each side. At first I assumed this was for pure funkiness, but if you look inside you can see that the bracing struts under the top run radially from the solid centre section between the holes to the edge, so I???d guess this split sound-hole design permits greater structural strength of the top. This may have been an older feature or one found only on basses (no longer made by GS); the current Galaxy guitars feature only paired short ???f??? holes. Again as on an acoustic guitar, proper curfing strips reinforce the internal attachment between the sides to the top and back.
Bright cherry sunburst gloss finish, much like the Rickenbacker ???Fireglo??? but with more yellow in the pale centre. Cream binding to body edges front and back.
Chrome-plated Schaller bridge/tailpiece with adjustable individual string spacing, height, and length.
Two passive single-coil (probably) pickups - narrow black oval soapbars without pole pieces, look either custom-made by Gordon Smith, or Kent Armstrong units.
Four controls with Gibson-style speed knobs; 2 vol / 2 passive tone. Three-way pick-up select switch mounted on the non-cutaway upper body bout, like a Les Paul.
Light weight due to semi-hollow nature, but large-bodied so not ultra-light ??? about the same as a Fender P with light ash body.

Having a fair collection of mainly vintage solid-body basses, I was after a semi-acoustic specifically to nail certain ???60???s numbers in a covers band. What I really wanted was a Rickenbacker 4005, but as these are astronomically priced these days I was looking around for an old Gibson EB2, Epiphone Rivoli, or Guild Starfire which are just about still affordable but have the huge disadvantage (to me) of being generally short-scale. I happened to see the Galaxy on ebay at a very reasonable reserve ??? I???d never heard of Gordon Smith ??? and it seemed to tick all the boxes plus having very attractive, distinctive styling, rather like a large-bodied Hofner crossed with a Rickenbacker 4005, with a bit of Fender Coronado thrown in. Always a risk buying untried, but I did ??? in fact largely on the strength of the only review I could find (here in HC, but incorrectly in the guitar section).
Well, the sound couldn???t have surprised me more. Far from the vintage thuddy / woody sound I???d generally got on other semi???s I???d tried, the sound was a very modern, hi-fi one, with plenty of growl and sustain ??? rather like a nice P bass on neck pick-up only with a bit more woodiness and clarity, on combined p/u setting very like my Rick 4001 with a bit of Jazz bass ???honk???, and the bridge pick-up on its own is really too cutting to be usable. The acoustic-ness is definitely there, but needed a bit of tweaking around with settings on both bass and amp to get it as distinctly as I wanted ??? plus I???d put a new set of roundwound DR hi-beams on which were particularly zingy ??? I???ll try some flats at the next change.
What it does mean is that for that covers band I???ll be using the Galaxy solo rather than swapping basses as I???d expected to do ??? it???s just about as versatile as a passive bass can possibly be. Even the slap tone is fat and funky.
The clarity of the pick-ups is amazing, in fact it???s easy to get unwanted string noise when sliding up and down the neck. Extremely quiet hum-wise though.
Also, like most passive basses - and especially semi???s - it sounds sooooooo much better through a valve amp (my Ampeg SVT2-pro / Fender Bassman 135 / Trace Elliot V-type) rather than modern solid state.

Immaculate. The cherry sunburst finish is gorgeous, flawless, and expertly done. Gloss is unfashionable on necks these days, but appropriate for its time.
Schaller hardware is workmanlike, dependable, and totally robust.
The intonation and action needed a bit of tweaking when I received it, but as the other reviewer pointed out; it can be set up to have a phenomenally low action, entirely due to the accuracy of the set and quality of the construction of the neck. In fact the fastest neck I have ever played bar my BC Rich NT Eagle.
Frets, controls, all fittings expertly done and still doing what they should.
It has only two minor downsides. Firstly; even though the body is thin-line it is still slab-bodied with no contouring - for a mainly finger-style player like me it means the upper front edge of the body digs into your forearm a bit ??? not a major issue but it???s less comfortable than a contoured body.
Secondly; it???s very slightly neck-heavy when balanced on a strap.
Finding a hard case is proving a bit of a problem too; it???s wide (39cm).

For a 24+ year old bass it feels and looks virtually brand new.
The finish is quite thick by modern standards, but showing very little signs of wear.
Any semi is going to be more vulnerable to accidental damage than a solid body, with this I???d be more confident than with most.
Never used a backup in 30+ years of playing.

I understand they???re still a small family-run firm, and have a web-site; www.gordonsmithguitars.com . I contacted them via the email address on this site to date the bass from its serial no, and got a really helpful reply quickly back.

I???ve always had a soft spot for unappreciated classic basses ??? for one thing it means you get more bass for your money - among others I own a Gibson RD Artist, Ovation Magnum 1, and a pre-EB MusicMan Sabre and always reckoned they topped the list. This does now; how Gordon Smith could hand-build basses of this quality and still be relatively unknown is beyond me.
This is now the only bass I use in the band for which I require maximum tone and versatility - that says it all. The rest of the band reckons it sounds far better in the mix than my previous workhorse (???73 Fender P), reckon it looks amazing, and it attracts a lot of attention and curiosity at gigs.
If it was lost I doubt I???d ever see another, but I???d keep looking. If I find another one now I???ll buy it like a shot and convert it to fretless for a matched pair.

Custom made by Gordon Smith in early 80's.
Jazz archtop style 4-string bass.
2 passive pickups, 2 tone, 2 volume controls.
Schaller hardware.
Brass nut & frets.
Semi acoustic with f-holes.
Sunburst finish.
Nice thin neck.

Great for all styles.
Much better for jazz than my Fender Jazzbass.
The action is so good and the frets are so low that it almost plays like a fretless.
Clean sound is the best I have EVER heard but its got plenty of balls when you crank it up.
Range of sounds is very good.

Beautifully set up.
PERFECT ACTION!

The perfect guitar for just about any situation.
To pretty to risk damaging but its very solidly built.
Hardware will last forever as will the finish if looked after.
Don't need a backup this thing is built to last.

No problems

I have been playing bass for over 15 years I have tried everying from Musicman to Gibson to Hofner to Steinberg to Traben to Jaydee...there has been a few but frankly this kicks them all out of the arena. I know the looks may not appeal to all, as far as I'm concerned its quite a Hofnerish look, but I like it and frankly I wouldn't care it plays like a dreams.
I am a better player when I play this guitar.

The only bad thing about it is that Gordon Smith don't make them any more. If you see one but it!!! It is the closest you will ever come to bass perfection.

Early 80's Model made in Britain.
Semi acoustic - jazz archtop style
Twin coil tapped humbuckers provide a wide range of sounds.
Passive electronics but no tame - hot vintage tones.
Sunburst finish, GS tune-o-matic style bridge.
GS tuners.

I use this for everything now. The single coil settings sound sweeter than my fender and the humbucker settings are angrier than my Gibson. The clean sound is genuinely nicer than my acoustic and its a Martin.
This is simply the best sounding guitar I have ever heard and don't underestimate it's versatility I use this for everything from jazz to grunge to funk to black metal.

Perfect as you would expect from a manufacurer of this reputation.

Its well build but its an archtop so you have to look after it.
It could survive a beating but its far to pretty to let get hurt.
Hardware - indestructable high quality gotoh/schaller quality.
Everything about this guitar is solid. In twenty five years NOTHING has gone wrong and it has been played a lot.

You don't need a backup with a guitar of this quality even the chance of breaking a string is reduced due to the sheer quality of the instrument and it's setup.

Always helpful to oblige.

In my life a have had many guitars -Fender strats, Gibson Les Paul, Gibson 335, Kramer, Ibanez, G&L, Martin, Tokai, Gretch, Sovereign, Jaydee, PRS...I've pretty much tried them all but I have to say this is simply the finest instrument I've ever played in my entire life.
Its an all rounder that excells in every field.
I'm thirty-two years old and this guitar has made me feel like I did when I was sixteen and couldn't wait to get home to play.
You can get 335 tones, you can get Les Paul, with the coil tap you can get stratty single coil & surf and with various combinations you get a decent Gretch and everything in between.

If it were stolen I would devote the rest of my life to tracking it down.
The build quality in all honesty ranks with Gibson at their absolute finest but with a consistency that Gibson themselves sometimes lack.
People just don't realize how fine these guitars are.

Ok...so there it was, #400 of Gordon Smith Galaxy in the music shop window, never really paid much attention to GS guitars before, being a confirmed Strat user, but there was just something about it !.......
Slimline semi acoustic, Maple back and front, Mahogany fixed neck with rosewood fingerboard, Schaller hardware, two tapped Schaller humbuckers with 3 way switch in the Les Paul position, nice and handy...the neck felt sooo sweet...wide, which suited my ham fists, with big fat frets.
Acoustically, the guitar had a lovely resonance, promising good things.....the neck was silky smooth, shallow front to back, just built for those who like their women slim !.......action was built for speed, but it would need to be jacked up a little for clarity on chords, suspect the instrument had been set up for a jazz noodler.
The Galaxy was my favourite.....sunburst........rich maroon through yellow, with the lovely clean maple grain showing through a treat. Smooth gloss finish all over..........veeery nice !! Overall, enough serious and quality features to keep a sad old stringbender happy for many a long winter night.

Plugged into my old road buddy, my trusty Peavey Deuce, the Galaxy was at once rich, deep and full of tone on both pickups humbucking, a nice docile sound, good for rhythm with the bridge pickup pot backed off a little. Things sounded a little more brooding with the neck pickup alone, with the Deuce cranked up so the valves were cooking a little.....in fact a little too brooding, with the two 12" drivers screaming a little for mercy.......the Galaxy is definitely a very bottom ended guitar !! Bridge pickup alone was much thinner,again, with the Peavey driving hard, there were some fabulous Gary Moore sounds to be had.
with the pickups tapped, things improved for biting clean rhythm sounds, and an almost stratty sound for lead work, with a bit of reverb in there, it was almost Knopfler country.
For one who plays many different styles,including country, soul and blues, the galaxy has its limitations, which is why I continue to use my Strat alongside the GS, but for those Parisienne Walkways moments, it is unbeatable, and at a fraction of the price of a Gold Top, a great compromise.
Since purchasing the Galaxy, I have swapped the Schaller pickups for Seymour Duncans........a Custom Custom and a 59'er.....and things have gone from ' good' to ' awesome '
The galaxy is a dream to play, a real looker, and my only complaints would be the over heavy bottom end, no matter what pickups or amp setting are used it would appear, and the fact the the pesky pickup switch keeps loosening its own securing nut, even when I tighten it with a spanner !!

Being as I bought this guitar second hand, cannot comment on factory setup. Setup as I got it was a little too light on the action, though it was nice to know the guitar is so well made that hair trigger buzz free action is possible. The hardware, being Schaller, is of course of good quality.....finish is excellent and flawless.

The guital has stood much live playing, hardware is solid, unlike my Strat, the GS never but never goes out of tune !!
Finish is quite obviously deep and will last, and deffo use it on gig without backup.....never even bust a string yet and I bend big time !!

Again......second hand purchase so no comment here

Playing for thirty years, own a black USA Standard Strat, Peavey Deuce, Fender Twin reverb, Boss FX, Jim Dunlop Wah and too many other things to list.
Anyone stole it or I lost it, if I could get exactly the same again, definitely go for it !!
Love everything about the way it plays, would like to be able to hit the bass string without my speakers going ' what??'......uncompressed, it is seriously scary at the bottom end.
Compared the GS to Kramer, Musicman, Yamaha, Epiphone, chose the GS because the value for money for playability for sound was unbeatable...........even the new price is incredible value
If I were to have anything else to share, it would be if you like thinline big bodied semis that will handle anything from a fat blues riff to a snarling Van Halen old lady scarer, then you could do worse than a Gordon Smith Galaxy.......