Rush guitarist teams with Epiphone for new guitar
Legendary Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has debuted two new songs to celebrate a new collaboration with Epiphone. The instrumentals — “Kabul Blues” and “Spy House” — are available via Lifeson’s website and is the first new music from the iconic guitarist in nearly a decade.
Lifeson teams with Epiphone to present the new Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul Standard Axcess electric guitar. Created by Lifeson and the luthiers at Epiphone in Nashville, TN, the Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul Standard Axcess is now available worldwide at epiphone.com.
Through an extensive collaboration between Lifeson and Gibson, Epiphone pushed the boundaries of the classic Les Paul to create the exclusive Alex Lifeson Les Paul Standard Axcess. The guitar includes a pair of powerful Epiphone pickups – the Pro Bucker 3 bridge pickup and the Ceramic Pro neck pickup. It also includes coil-splitting options via the push-pull volume controls and a Graph Tech Ghost Floyd Rose system. Together these features give the player access to both traditional magnetic humbucker tones as well as the Ghost’s realistic acoustic tones. For added flexibility, you can blend acoustic and magnetic voices to create a rich layered sound and then route them through either a traditional mono jack or use two cables to access the individual magnetic and piezo outputs.
“The introduction of the Epiphone Alex Lifeson Axcess model based on my Gibson Les Paul Axcess model has all the same attributes and characteristics that I desired so much when we originally designed it,” Lifeson shares. “The look, the sound, the playability and the utility–it’s all there for the player-at any level. I’m very proud of this guitar.”
“We have been honored to have Alex as part of our family for decades,” says Elizabeth Heidt, Vice President of Cultural Influence. “He is an incredible, iconic artist, innovator, philanthropist, and an inspiration to so many. We are excited to partner with him on the Epiphone Axcess and to celebrate this collaboration with his fans around the world.”
Lifeson made his mark on the music industry over 50 years ago, redefining the boundaries of progressive rock guitar. His signature riffing, copious use of effects processing and unorthodox chord structures befitted him the title by his Rush bandmates as “The Musical Scientist.” While the bulk of Lifeson’s work in music has been with Rush, he has contributed to a body of work outside of the band as a guitarist, producer and with the release of his 1996 solo album Victor. Lifeson ranks third overall in the Guitar World Readers poll of “100 Greatest Guitarists” and is also included in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
