For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Surprisingly, Alex Lifeson is mostly self-taught. Best regards! Another one of Lifeson's iconic guitars is another custom-built ax, his 1980 Hentor Sportscaster electric guitar, which was used in the 1981 album Moving Pictures and was the main recording guitar . I decided to listen to more experienced voices and I cut a template from 1/4 inch medium density fiberboard. beatbopboom. RUSH: Progressive Power Trio RUSH in their early . Ive been playing guitar since I was 13 years old and am an avid collector. ET and 1 p.m. California Garrison Guitars was an instrument manufacturer in Canada founded in 1999. Im along for the ride. As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! I had the ultimate pawn shop find recently north of Toronto, a late 70s Marshall 412 tour cabinet from the All The Worlds a Stage era, as far as I can tell. I purchased this guitar in 1976, Lifeson says. For a limited time, save in the Gibson European Demo Shop. Of course, whats an Alex Lifeson signature model without his favorite tremolo bridge: the Floyd Rose. three way switch, large brass sustain block, Hentor Sportscaster logo on peghead face, Freddy Gabrsek logo and serial number on peghead back. In 2008, Alex Lifeson teamed up with his favorite guitar-makers to create a signature Gibson ES-355 thats (almost) as good as his original 1976 model. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. There just isnt another guitar player like him. Lifesons Moog is preset with a few bass sounds and some samples. It only came with a white finish (of course) and featured gold hardware. According to Rushisaband.com, Niagara On The Lake luthier Freddy Gebrsek has received permission from RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson to create and sell replicas of his Hentor Sportscaster, which Alex used extensively during the early 1980s. A few months ago I figured out, thanks to posts on forums like this, that I pretty much had the basic components needed to build my very own Hentor Sportscaster and have it be fairly period-correct. The second output jack on his guitar is just for the piezo pickup. is it the Signature guitar he was using? His guitar, however, is a Rickenbacker with a brass neck and a 12-string neck. After playing it Alex wasn't to impressed with the pickup but thought the Guitar the pickup was installed in was great! It smashed right into his prized ES-335 (and his double-neck EDS-1275, which well get to later), cracking the headstock. For the wiring check, the link to the build thread I linked to above in post 6. Actually I was thinking more about it - while I did have that GFTPM issue I was actually thinking of an even earlier Guitar World that I had (from 1981): Most of the parts are in, so here's a rundown of the essentials. Rush's Alex Lifeson is collaborating with Julien's Auctions on an upcoming auction titled "Property From The Archives of Alex Lifeson". Lifeson prefers to use the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah to help his solo parts stand out. I've found someone who's willing to lend me their router and bits, and I'll be spending part of my weekend prepping the body for surgery, taking measurements and drawing stencils and such. Toward the end of the 80s, Alex Lifeson switched from playing his Gibson HRF to guitars from a new, relatively unknown brand called Signature Guitar Company. Its essentially an oversized hollow-body Les Paul. JavaScript is disabled. The amp setup was a couple of Dean Markley 2x12 combos, two Marshall 2x12 combos, two . I also had a Lifeson cover story issue (transcriptions of Red Barchetta). Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear. Can't make it to the auction, then watch live streaming with Julien's Live. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. That looks great and well worth all of the setup. Another notable guitar going under the hammer is Lifeson's 1980 Hentor Sportscaster, the custom electric guitar which Lifeson played on albums such as 1981's Moving Pictures and 1984's Grace Under Pressure. Well, it sounds like youve got the idea well thought out so it should work out well in the end. Sincerely, Lifeson uses the Gibson HRF for songs like Hemispheres, Tom Sawyer, and Camera Eye.. What is giving Ronnie Wood his tone in this song? "Hello my fellow Rush fans! I'm not familiar with the original that inspired this build, but I can still tell that this turned out exceptionally nicely! The attention to detail shows, and I can only imagine what a special instrument this must feel like, how much pleasure it must bring just to look at it. Like with his guitars, Lifeson has gone through a few amps over the years. The Hentor Sportscaster! alex lifeson hentor hentor sportscaster rush sportscaster strat modification stratocaster 1; 2; Next. It requires routing a pocket for the switch and two channels for the new wiring location. Alex Lifeson: "I purchased this guitar in 1976, it was custom-built in Kalamazoo just for me. ", A 1970 Gibson Les Paul acquired by Lifeson during Rushs inaugural tour and played extensively on all Rush albums and tours from Fly By Night and 2112 to Hemispheres., A 1971 Jose Ramirez acoustic guitar used by Lifeson to record all classical-style tracks on the album Hemispheres, including The Trees and La Villa Strangiato., A 1976 Gibson Dove acoustic guitar played on numerous tours and used by Lifeson to write Closer to the Heart and other songs from the 1977 Rush album A Farewell to Kings., A 1976 Gibson J-55 acoustic guitar used by Lifeson to compose Rushs platinum-selling album 2112 as well as A Farewell to Kings and served as the main acoustic guitar on Natural Science and Camera Eye from Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). All his Strats were 1977 models and I believe all had alder bodies. just odd never seen that one before Ok got a lot done today since I have 2 other guitars drying up after clear coating them. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. I just wanted to compliment you for the outstanding job that you did, researching and writing such a detailed, informative, interesting, and enjoyable article. You can see this model in action on Far Cry from the Snakes & Arrows tour. If you listen to any Rush songs written after 1982, theres a decent chance the guitar part was originally written on Lifesons 1952 Reissue Tele. Alex Lifeson: I purchased this guitar in 1976, it was custom-built in Kalamazoo just for me. You must log in or register to reply here. the horizontal brace says Feb 25th 1978 Carnaby Road In 2011, Alex Lifeson got to team up with his friends at Gibson once again to create another unique signature guitar. Here are a few of his favorites to take on tour and use in the studio: Alex Lifeson does a lot of fading to add some dramatic effect to his solo and rhythm parts. Next Last. My name is Chris and Ive had a passion for music and guitars for as long as I can remember. There isnt anything special about Lifesons Tele. Although Lifeson helped propel Signature to new heights by showing off its capabilities on stage, the Signature Guitar Company ultimately closed its doors in 1990, and Lifeson switched back to Gibsons and PRSs. Growing up, his musical idols included other legendary rockers like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. He has spent so many years experimenting with different guitars, amps, and effects, that its nearly impossible for anyone to recreate. I'm getting ready to tackle one of these as well - it's more of an "homage" than an exact copy of any particular instrument. The Property from the Archives of Alex Lifeson auction will be split into two sessions, occurring at 10 a.m. While most Gibson Axcess models include chambering (hollowing out parts of the body) for weight reduction, Lifesons model has no chambering. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. There is no back plate on the guitar, consistent with the original model. As he said in an interview with Total Guitar, Theres nothing particularly special about it, but it has 24 frets, and I needed it for a song.. Unfortunately, at a show in 1977, the band was opening for Blue yster Cult and one of the horns fell off the PA system. The 3 way Gibson switch is super simple and more intuitive than soldering a 5-way blade selector - the routing to place the switch on the lower horn will be a bit of work of course, but perfectly doable with a hand drill. Ive seen pictures of the original with white pickups and a non fine tuner Floyd also. First, the Hentor Sportscasters pickup toggle switch was located on the horn of the guitar, similar to a Gibson. Heres how it works. The Sportscaster's heavy yet versatile sound embodies Rush's bold sonic . Custom built to match the specs of Alex's 80's Sportscaster Strat! Some of you may know of the Hentor Sportscaster, a 1973 white Fender strat that Alex Lifeson modded. Regular price $59.99 Geddy Lee Vintage Tour Edition Mini Fender Jazz Bass Model Officially Licensed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. JULIENS AUCTIONS IS HONORED TO ANNOUNCE OUR PROPERTY FROM THE ARCHIVES OF ALEX LIFESON AUCTION TAKING PLACE FRIDAY, MAY 20th AT THE HARD ROCK CAF NEW YORK AND LIVE ONLINE AT JULIENS LIVE. Lifeson picked up one of their mandolins to use for a handful of songs, and sometimes, for only part of a song. Basically, if you click on a product link on this site and buy that product we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. https://images.reverb.com/image/upl,t_large/v1581972430/h0nfvf6whdarq19a1o7i.jpg, Fender "Squier Series" Floyd Rose Standard Stratocaster 1992 - 1996 | Reverb, https://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/vintagecream.html, https://www.tdpri.com/media/hentor-sportscaster-wiring-diagram.32741/full?d=1427069188, 2023: The Year Epiphone Became Unaffordable, Don't store picks in zip bags for too long. Alex Lifeson Hentor Sportscaster Mini Guitar Model Officially Licensed - HANDCRAFTED with all the details just like Alex's famous guitar! Please let me know if you are still having problems. Alex Lifeson has always been experimenting with his guitars and equipment. In 2010, the band wanted to go for a steampunk vibe. 1 of 2 Go to page. Alex Lifeson Hentor Sportscaster Miniature Guitar Model Officially Licensed; Neil Peart: Drum God . Well from that pic it s a slab board with a bullet truss rod so most likely a custom built something. From 1980 to 1986, Lifeson used four identically modified Stratocasters, all of them equipped with the Floyd Rose bridge. It also had a Tune-O-Matic bridge and a Maestro Long Vibrola tailpiece. Well done and keep up the great work! Shortly after he bought his first proper guitar, Alex Lifeson also picked up a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Standard following Rushs first tour in 1976. Its an HSS, two knobs (volume / tone) with a Floyd rose non fine tuner trem (no locking nut). What would a lead guitarist be without an awesome wah pedal!? He fell in love with it right away. It instantly became his primary player that graced both the stage and the studio for the next few years. Btw, to answer your other question, to route an American standard 2 pole or a vintage routed body for a Floyd, you will need to fill the cavities and drill new holes then refinish. The Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess is a very unique guitar. News of . List price: Previous Price $49.99 . Alex Lifeson knew that and following in the footsteps of one of his favorite guitarists Jimmy Page, he picked up a Gibson EDS-1275 Doubleneck in 1976. Another notable Lifeson axe his 1980 custom-built Hentor Sportscaster electric guitar used on the recording of RUSH's seminal albums since "Moving Pictures", in particular "Grace Under . Figure this was the bass cabinet (bottom) of the 3rd stack, I believe Alex used 4 stacks at the time. not a floyd on it though odd it has two HBs and not the HSS like the others. Early estimates suggest that "Whitey" will bring in $200,000 - $300,000 at auction. Roughed out on the bandsaw, sanded close to the line and routed to shape. but there's no way you're getting that solo with a 355. It's Friday night, and I think we need a MEME thread. It is this performance which critics point to when asked to define the sound of Rush. You might struggle to find exactly what you want from a Squier, they made a HSS Floyd strat but in very small numbers and only once or twice that Im aware of.