Legendary Rush guitarist partners with Mojotone on new line of versatile, hand-built guitar amps and cabinets
Alex Lifeson has announced the launch of LERXST, a new family of amplifiers inspired by the Rush guitarist’s five decades of musical exploration on the guitar while also offering modern players a versatile tonal platform upon which to build their own sonic identity.
LERXST amplifiers offer a diverse palette of sounds that range from crystal-clear cleans to raging arena rock sounds and everything in between, supplemented with key features like power-scaling and serial effects loops to suit the needs of the next generation of sonic explorers, all designed to Lifeson’s exacting specifications and handcrafted in the USA by Mojotone. The initial launch includes the OMEGA amplifier head, CHI amplifier head and combo, and an accompanying range of matching guitar cabinets.
OMEGA is Alex Lifeson’s signature amplifier and the flagship of the LERXST line. This British-voiced amplifier head features foot-switchable clean and lead channels with a shared three-band EQ, meaning a consistent tonal foundation between sounds while still offering shimmering cleans, gutsy rhythm crunch, and soaring lead tones. The amplifier has a switchable 50/25 watt power section to give it an equally usable powerband on large stages as well as in small clubs and the studio as well as a high-quality serial effects loop perfect for utilizing modulation and time-based effects. Lifeson’s signature sounds are easily within reach with OMEGA, but its versatile, characterful sounds are equally useful for players looking to chase their own creative muses and sonic landscapes. In addition to its standard version, OMEGA will also be offered in a Limited Edition Hand Wired version for a short time.
“I’m very excited about the new, updated OMEGA amp. It sounds incredible and it’s very handsome – you’ll want to get one even if you don’t play guitar!” Lifeson shares.
CHI takes the growl and tone of the OMEGA and places it within a more compact form factor. The 30-watt amplifier is built around 6L6 tubes for excellent headroom and a clear, articulate sound and is available as both a small box head and a 1×12 combo amplifier. In keeping with its lineage, CHI also includes foot-switchable clean and lead channels and a serial effects loop, making it equally versatile on stage or in the studio.
“I’ve used more amps than Dr. Frankenstein did when breathing life into his creature, but the LERXST CHI is an awesome monster in its own right and one of the sweetest sounding amps I’ve ever heard,” states Lifeson. “All the great character of the OMEGA in a cool, compact package that you don’t have to be a seven-foot monster to carry around.”
Both amplifiers are also accompanied by a range of guitar cabinets in multiple speaker configurations, including 1×12, 2×12, and 4×12, ideal for any stage configuration or studio application. All amplifiers and cabinets are handcrafted to the highest standards with top-quality components in Mojotone’s Burgaw, NC-based factory. The cabinets, head shells, and combo speaker cabinets are made of voidless baltic birch and finished with a striking race gray and red garnet levant Tolex finish for a lifetime of gigging and playing.
