1983 Time GS8S Galactic Special Electric Guitar

Time Guitars were a Vermont-made institution back in the day and have a small but very loyal following.  There's a great writeup on the history available online (click here). Paul Languedoc was among the builders involved in the operation at the time this guitar was made and moved-on to find fame as Trey Anastasio's builder of choice.

This guitar certainly looks of its age just judging on the hardware -- but is a little more relaxed in the finish and more early-'70s-vibe than the other '80s Times I've had a chance to pick on lately. They're more... neon and spandex!

More amazing is that this guitar hasn't been altered or mucked-with over its years and is completely original and rather clean, too. I only had to level and dress the frets ever so lightly and set it up to get it to play spot-on. It was already playing pretty dang well when it came in, too.

The body is solid mahogany and while I can't tell about the neck (due to the cool, deep metallic blue finish), I'd imagine it's multi-piece maple. The fretboard is rosewood and it sports a short, 24 1/2" scale length. The end of the neck (hidden by the neck pickup) dates it to '83 and tells us it's a GS8S model.

This is a straight-ahead guitar in a Les Paul format -- two (original) Mighty Mite humbuckers, a 3-way switch, and volume/tone controls for each pickup. Lifting the pickguard reveals a precicely-routed and well-thought-out design and the "rat bite" or "batwing" pickguard shape is... ya know... something we Black Sabbath fans and the like can appreciate, too -- not just the "never-ending ride" folks!

Bottom line: it plays ridiculously fast and has that classic Time vibe and sound. I especially like the middle position on the 3-way switch... it gets a bell-like, sustained, clean-and-clear sweetness to the sound that's a bit on the "Jerry" side. I like.

Repairs included: a light level/dress of the frets and a setup

Body wood: solid mahogany

Bridge: German-made with removable string mount

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: probably maple

Pickups: 2x Mighty Mite

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall
String gauges: 46w-10

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: ~14"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium

Scale length: 24 1/2"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

Body width: 13"

Body depth: 1 3/4"

Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz

Condition notes: it's all-original and in good order. There's very minor playwear throughout and the finish looks great. It has a few nicks and dings in the usual places (the sharp corners) and all are pictured as far as I could find. I've taken photos of the interior, too, which is very tidy. The 3-way switch is a hair loosey-goosey but works fine. I could replace that if desired, though, but it's not necessary. 

It comes with: an old TKL hard case with the Time logo on it.