Alex Lifeson

At 8:30 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton shows us a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra which they use as a back up.

At 9:15 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton mentions Alex's signature edition of the MK II amp head. Scott mentions that this is a dry amplifier that does not have any effects running through it at all.

At 0:58, the tech explains the signal path of Alex's rig and mentions "The Lerxst head, which is Alex's dirty sound."

For Test for Echo, Lifeson used the Acousticaster, saying "In the choruses I used a Godin Acousti-Caster, which has a really interesting sound that is at the same time almost acoustic but definitely electric."

Alex Lifeson on the ‘Time Machine Tour’ with the PRS NF3.

Listed in this article among Alex Lifeson's touring equipment for the Grace Under Pressure tour in 1984.

In the thumbnail for this video, a photo Lifeson can be seen in which he is holding his signature Epiphone Les Paul Axcess.

At 8:46 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar we're shown a still frame of a VT Valve Tube Head Switcher.

At 11:00 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton mentions that Alex uses some synths and we're shown a still frame of the Korg MPK-130.

The Maestro Parametric Eq was added . Note that it isn't part of the pedalboard, (later, recording Moving Pictures, his pedalboard is shown larger)

Here's the reference in June 1980's Guitar Player cover story.

What is your current onstage amplifier setup?

I'm using two Hiwatts; I have one 100-watt head driving two cabinets on my side of the stage, and another 100-watt head driving one cabinet on stage left-Geddy's side. He uses that as a monitor, and you can't even hear it out in the house. I also have a Fender Twin Reverb I use to get a clean, almost direct sound, and then I'm driving my Leslie with another Hiwatt head. In addition I have two Maestro parametric filters-one on my Hiwatt, and the other on the Leslie-and I use an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flanger, a Roland Boss Chorus, an Advanced Audio Designs [3890 Stewart Rd., Eugene, OR 97402] digital delay, a Morley volume pedal, and a Cry Baby wah-wah.

You are credited on all your LPs since A Farewell To Kings as using bass synthesizer pedals. What are those?

They're Moog Taurus bass pedals, and they have an effective range of two octaves. I use them a lot on "Xanadu" [A Farewell To Kings] where I play harmony to Geddy's bass pedal line, and on "La Villa Strangiato" [Hemispheres]. Most of the time I'll play the lower end while Geddy takes the high, melodic parts.

Which guitars do you take on the road with you?

The electrics I have are the 355, the 345, the Stratocaster, and my white Gibson double-neck. My acoustics are the Epiphone C-60 classical and the Gibson Dove. I also have a Roland GR-500, but I don't use it much. I'm not really keen on it.

Farewill To Kings tour 1978

Tapco rack EQ is below Tapco rack reverb unit, in between (the left of) the Hiwatt stacks, and the Roland Space Echos on the far left.

Here's the European tour equipment list from 1978

Alex Lifeson

Gibson Les Paul, Gibson Custom double-neck 6/12-string, Gibson 355, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Dove acoustic, Epiphone C060 classic, Gibson B45 acoustic, 3 Barcus Berry studio pre-amps, 4 Hiwatt 100 watt amplifiers and cabinets, 2 Fender Twin Reverbs, Roland Boss Chorus, Roland Space Echo, Maestro Phase Shifter, 3 Cry-Baby wah-wah pedals, 2 Morley volume pedals, 2 Maestro parametric filters, Electro-Harmonix power boost, Moog Taurus bass pedals, Tapco graphic equalizer, Tapco reverb unit.

Here's a link to the original page.

http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/19780400beatinstrumental.htm#equipment

For the song "Stick It Out" on Counterparts, Lifeson used a '72 standard tuned in drop D. He says "The guitar was a ’72 Les Paul Standard that I had used on certain songs in the past."

Explains use of it on Anthem http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-alex-lifeson-dissects-11-key-rush-songs-anthem-test-echo

old clip from 1977 talks about it at 1:00 as his original guitar https://rushvault.com/2013/01/19/rare-1977-video-alex-and-his-guitars/

In this YouTube video taken from "R30" DVD/Blu-ray, Alex plays "Roll The Bones" with a Gibson SG Original in a concert Frankfurt, Germany.

The top preamp as seen in this Gallien-Krueger ad with Alex Lifeson. It was used on the "Hold Your Fire" tour.

Q: "When did you got your first good steel-string?" A: "That wasn't until 1976 when I went to Gibson and did some shopping. I got my white ES-335 and a double-neck electric, but I also got a beautiful Gibson Dove, which I used for years. I still have that guitar, and it sounds fantastic. Its probably on all of our records."

Q: "The Dove famously appears on "Closer to the Heart" from 1977's A Farewell to Kings, correct?" A: "Right, it was the Dove plus a Gibson B-45 12-string."

At 5:15 of this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton shows us his Garrison Mandolin.

At 10:20 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton mentions Alex's entire rig is controlled through a Axess Electronics FX1 MIDI Footcontroller.

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 praises the PRS Hollowbody 12-String for its silky playability and bright, clear tone, highlighting the craftsmanship and innovative split saddles. His comments are featured on the PRS Guitars website, emphasizing his appreciation for the instrument's broad fretboard and exceptional intonation.

In this article by Reverb, it is explained that Alex used JCM 900 Dual Reverbs on " Counterparts" and " Tests For Echo" albums.

" The solid-state amps would stick around for the one-two pop punch of Presto and Roll the Bones before Marshall amps were reintroduced in the form of the gain-happy JCM900 Dual Reverb on Counterparts and Test For Echo. The band’s huge sound would be heard on the drop-D tuned “Stick It Out” and the furious driving chords of “Time and Motion.""

At 1:10 of this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton mentions they use Audio-Technica's 5200 series for their wireless system.

At 4:43 of this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton shows us his 12-string Martin Dreadnought that he uses on the intro for "Closer To the Heart."

At 7:32 of this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton mentions their use of the GRX4.

At 7:50 in this "Rig Rundown" with Premier Guitar, Rush's Alex Lifeson's tech Scott Appleton shows us four G-Force TC Electronics; two are set for delays, one is set up for reverbs and pitch shifting, and the fourth one is set up exclusively for a flanger patch.

Alex Lifeson used the Morley VOL Volume Pedal during performances from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, as documented in a Getty Images photo from the Redferns collection.

For Test for Echo, Lifeson used a 2101 in conjunction with a combination of Marshall heads to bind everything together. He mentions that "The important thing with that is to use it through a good speaker simulator, like the Palmer. The compensated outputs on the 2101 don’t quite do it for me, but through the Palmer it has nice body and width."

Telefunken M80 Black model used for R40 Live.

Alex Lifeson uses the Loucin LD Melanija acoustic guitar, as listed on the Loucin Guitars website under artists currently playing their custom hand-crafted guitars.

In the article, Alex states (regarding Rush's Hemispheres):

“By that time I had my ES-355, and my acoustics were a Gibson Dove, J-55 and a B-45 12-string. I had my Marshall in the studio. I had the Twin and two Hiwatts, which I was also using live, but the Marshall was my real workhorse."