RUSH LEGEND ALEX LIFESON PROVIDES GW WITH A DEEP DIVE INTO HIS NEW LINE OF SIGNATURE LERXST GEAR — AMPS, PEDALS AND THAT NEW LIMELIGHT GUITAR
STORY BY RICHARD BIENSTOCK PHOTOS BY RICHARD SIBBALD
IF, SOMEWHERE OUT in the cosmos, there exists a master list of guitarists with the most coveted tones in rock history, it’s safe to say that Rush’s Alex Lifeson ranks near the top. His sound — crisp and articulate, and characterized by lightly chorused arpeggios, shimmering, glassy chords and smoothly overdriven lead lines — has powered some of the greatest radio anthems of the last half-century and is instantly recognizable to generations of listeners.
Lifeson has, unsurprisingly, collaborated with various manufacturers on signature pieces of gear over the years — but never to the extent that he is at this moment in time. Though Rush ceased activity in 2015 (and, with the tragic passing of drummer Neil Peart in 2020, are unlikely to restart in the future) the guitarist, now 70, is still deeply engaged in his tone journey. To that end, he recently unveiled a newly designed line of high-end amplifiers under the brand name Lerxst (Lifeson’s longtime nickname), conceived and constructed in partnership with celebrated North Carolina-based manufacturer Mojotone. The flagship design, the Omega, is based on a custom model Mojotone built for Lifeson during the run for Rush’s final studio album, 2012’s Clockwork Angels. The new Omega, a British-voiced head with footswitch-able clean and lead channels, a shared three-band EQ, a switchable 50/25-watt power section and a high-quality serial effects loop, homes in on some of the key aspects of Lifeson’s sound and brings them to the public in a handsome (dig the “Starman” power indicator light on the front panel, for one eye-catching feature), hand-built package. “It’s a great amp,” Lifeson tells Guitar World, “and I just thought, now’s the time to share it.”
Lifeson is apparently in a very sharing mood these days. In addition to the Omega (also offered in a special-edition hand-wired version), the Lerxst range includes the Chi amplifier, a more compact 30-watt design available in small-box head and 1x12 combo formats, as well as a variety of 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12 speaker cabinets. There’s also a Lerxst pedal, the By-Tor Signature Overdrive, which squeezes the sound and presence of the Omega into an even smaller enclosure —
