Rush – Rush

two Echoplex(s) side y side, far left, probably 1976 All the World's a Stage tour.The Mini Moog appeared (not yet recorded) on stage, and the red double-neck had not been damaged by the falling speaker horn at the Blue Oyster Cult gig at the Nassau Coliseum Jan, 1978.

Here's an excerpt from Lifeson's great cover interview in Guitar Player, June 1980.

Which guitars did you use on Rush's first LP, Rush?

I used the 335 and a rented Rickenbacker 12-string. That's it for guitars. I played them through my Marshall 50 with a 4-12 cabinet, and I used a Maestro phase shifter, a Cry Baby wah-wah, and an Echoplex.

Did you go through a guitar-buying phase at that time?

I sure did. Some I bought because I wanted them, and others I bought to replace damaged instruments. We were doing a gig with Blue Oyster Cult at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, a few years ago, and the double-neck cherry-finish Gibson I had bought in Nashville shortly before that got injured. The rigging wasn't done properly, and a long-throw horn speaker fell right on top of it, shearing the bridges off and taking huge chunks out of the body. Not only that, but the horn also fell on my 335 and gouged its neck out. That really hurt. The 335 had been with me for ten years; the neck was worn down just right, the finish was worn down from playing thousands of bars and high school dances, and I was proud of it. After that I said, "This guitar is staying home. I'm not taking any further chances with it."

What did you replace those guitars with?

I got a white Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck to replace the cherry-finish one, and I had a Gibson ES-355 made in 1976 with a cream-colored custom finish. That's my main guitar now.

Alex Lifeson uses the Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 Reissue Electric Guitar, as confirmed by its feature in a 2026 Gibson/Epiphone magazine detailing his signature model. This information is supported by the Gibson Gazette's article, "Epiphone launches the Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 Reissue."