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So I mentioned in another thread that I was going to start buying parts to build a Sportscaster, but the money's just not there. So I'm doing a "first draft" on a Squier so I'll have the experience to do it right (and probably just move some of the parts over) when I have the money to buy a MIM Strat or whatever. But I'm stuck at the switch. So many people have said Alex used a "Gibson switch" or "Les Paul style switching" that I went out and got a Les Paul switch. Then I found where Freddy G. said the wiring is Bridge/Neck + Middle/Neck, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to do that with a two-position common-center Gibson switch. Then I read somewhere that it's a special 3-pole switch used in the three-humbucker Les Paul Deluxe. I googled for an hour for "three position Gibson switch" and got nothing, plus a lot of links to normal, two position Gibson switches. Nobody seems to have a wiring diagram for this either, and so I'm sitting here ready to solder, I might or might not have the right switch, and can't find this answer. I sent _pete_ an email a few days back but haven't heard from him. Anybody have any idea? If it was a SuperStrat I'd just experiment, but my temperament doesn't do well with having to wire it up one way, assemble it, put strings on, try it, then take the strings off, disassemble it, try it a different way, reassemble it, put strings back on it, etc. Probably the #1 reason I hate working on Strats. Anyway, if anyone could point me in the right direction, this is driving me mad. -mark

I'm sure this has been done before but I couldn't find a specifically top five favorite guitarists thread with the search after a couple tries. I've thought about mine many times before, but after Tuesday afternoon my old list demands change. Here it is: 1. Tie - Brian May and Alex Lifeson 2. Eddie Van Halen (time will tell if he stays here or turns my number one spot into a 3-way tie, both are entirely possible) 3. David Gilmore 4. John Petrucci 5. Steve Howe Honorable mentions to Steve Hackett (who would probably beat out Howe if he just cared to show off a bit more), Matt Bellamy, Dave Mustaine, Glenn Tipton, and Jimi Hendrix.

Hello guys. First time here. I would like to introduce you to Delicious Grace. It's a musical project where they write their own songs. They are just starting out. Rush is such an iconic group for us that's why we decided to post our song here. I hope you like it: DELICIOUS GRACE - ON MY WAY TO YOU

Hello! Alex has used several guitars during his career. During the 70s, he mainly used semi-hollow Gibson (ES-335, 345 and 355 white). During the first half of the 80s, he was often seen with 3 modified Fender. A black, a red and a White nickname "Hentor" Then, for a few years (Hord your Fire and Presto) he used Signature guitars with active pickups. In the 90s, he mostly used Paul Reed Smiths and then finally, in the years 2000 and 2010, he mainly used Gibson Les Paul. So what are your Alex top 5 guitars? Here's my mine : Gibson ES-355 '76 (white) : Main guitar for AFTK, Hemisphere, Permanent Wave and some songs for MP. Fender Stratocaster modified "Hentor" : Used for Limelight solo and several songs on MP. Main guitar for Signals, GUP, and Power Windows Gibson EDS 1275 double neck (Red then White) : used on Xanadu Gibson Les Paul '75 (tobacco burst) : Used for All the world's stage and later on Stick it out. On tours in the '90 and '00 Paul Reed Smith CE Bolt-on '90 (black) used among others on Dreamline, Leave my things Alone Special mention for the Fender Telecaster Reissue (blonde). Alex's main writing guitar.

I think I captured this link from BookFace but apologize if it has been posted here. The vid descsription tells it all.... Isolated Alex guitar scanned from the wireless amp signal at a live show.... gives me goosebumps to listen to this; so simplified and pure but no less exciting and entertaining, at least that's how I feel.... Rock on! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTIfYDto3nc

You oughta check out these cats from Vancouver. All young session pros. Here is a live session video with one of the more prog-inspired tracks on their recent debut.

Inspired by the lead vs. rhythm guitar thread and listening to one of my fav modern guitar solos, let's discuss our favorite guitar solos released on or after January 1, 2000. Not a huge category, I know, but a nice opportunity to sh®ed some light on some oft forgotten modern masterpieces.

I don't know if this is the proper sub-forum to submit this kind of thing. Please point me in the right direction if it's not. But I've been working on my favorite Rush song, Xanadu. And here it is, please no haters, I'm a sensitive guy... and I only have rudimentary recording equipment. https://www.youtube....h?v=CqOi2hNbY24 Album: A Farewell to Kings Song : Xanadu My stuff: Guitar: '96 American Strat w/ rosewood neck. Amps: Fender Blues Jr. w/ NOS German Telefunken Tubes Blackstar w/ NOS U.S. RCA Tubes Effects: in no particular order. Chorus: TC Electronic Compression: Vintage MXR Script DynaComp Volume: Ernie Ball volume pedal 12-string effect: POG Reverb: Cathedral Echo: Vintage Ibanez AD-9 analog delay Fuzz: Soul Bender Lyrics by Neal Peart. Based on the poem, "Kubla Khan; or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment", by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. "Kubla Khan; or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in 1816. According to Coleridge's preface to "Kubla Khan", the poem was composed one night after reading a work describing "Xanadu", the summer palace of the Mongol ruler and Emperor of China - "Kubla Khan". Later that night, Coleridge experienced an opium-influenced dream and upon waking , he set about writing lines of poetry that came to him from the dream until he was interrupted. The poem could not be completed as the interruption caused him to forget the lines. He left it unpublished and kept it for private readings for his friends until 1816 when, at the prompting of Lord Byron, it was published. friggin' Lord Byron!!! ------------------------ XANADU To seek the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice To break my fast on honey dew And drink the milk of paradise I had heard the whispered tales Of immortality The deepest mystery From an ancient book. I took a clue I scaled the frozen mountain tops Of eastern lands unknown Time and Man alone Searching for the lost Xanadu Xanadu To stand within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To taste anew the fruits of life The last immortal man To find the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice Oh, I will dine on honeydew And drink the milk of Paradise A thousand years have come and gone But Time has passed me by Stars stopped in the sky Frozen in the everlasting view Waiting for the world to end Weary of the night Praying for the light Prison of the lost Xanadu Xanadu held within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To taste my bitter triumph As a mad immortal man Nevermore shall I return Escape these caves of ice For I have dined on honeydew And drink the milk of Paradise.

Believe me, I know this sounds crazy. I have a coworker who swears that when he was in high school and college (late 70s/early 80s) it was common knowledge that Alex claimed to have learned to play guitar from Jimi Hendrix while he was in a coma. I've laughed at this many times but he still sticks to it. After doing some searching on the topic I've come up blank. Has anyone here ever heard of this rumor or is this guy the only one who has ever heard of it. Thanks for the help!!

My fave is definitely the bass! You gotta love that nice, fat bottom end.

Ok so just plain and simple i'm looking for a list of Rush songs that'll sound good on just acoustic!!! obviously Closer to the heart, I'm trying Resist, and I think Here again sounds good on an acoustic. Any other suggestions?

It's always aggravating seeing people arguing on the net about guitar players, and how often Alex Lifeson is overlooked. Some names of course will never go away - names like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, some of whose music I do indeed enjoy and, despite the fact that they’re really just glorified blues players, they’ve certainly earned their place in history. You’ve got your “melodic” giants like Jeff Beck and David Gilmour. Then there’s your out and out rockers such as Angus Young, Slash, Michael Schenker, all of whom tend to be more one-dimensional. These are all names that will always be part of the conversation, and there’s so many more one could mention, from so many sub-genres of rock music, let alone all the other music genres that boast some guitar greats of their own. Hence, it’s almost pointless to try and determine who is “the best”! It’s particularly amusing when people confuse the word “great” with the word “fast”. When you see 20 violinists in an orchestra playing in perfect unison at the same velocity as Paul Gilbert or Joe Satriani, I think it puts the whole speed thing and its relevance in perspective. And how does “speed picking” compare with the dexterity required by a Classical guitarist to play Bach’s “Chaconne” or the allegro movement to Barrios’ “La Cathedral”. So back to the “rock” world… might I suggest we consider using an asset such as “versatility” to level the playing field somewhat. Guitarist Steve Morse (of Dixie Dregs, Kansas, and Deep Purple fame) was voted “best all around Guitarist” five years running, back in the 80’s, in the Guitar Player magazine reader’s poll, owing largely to stellar picking technique, and a command of numerous playing styles, including rock, country, jazz, and classical. Ironically, most non-guitarists don’t even know who he is… an irony made all the sadder given the number of so-called “stars” out there whose notoriety exceeds their actual abilities. Morse acknowledges our fair-haired boy Alex Lifeson as an influence by the way (Steve toured with Rush at one point). And, as we know, “Lerxt” himself is often overlooked when name-checking the great guitarists. So, it is this proposed asset of “versatility” that I think vaults Lerxt firmly into the conversation of guitar greats!! Perhaps, not a versatility in terms of styles like Steve Morse, but a versatility of strengths… a multifaceted player like few others. It’s almost criminal the degree to which Lifeson is overlooked given that the range of his abilities is almost an embarrassment of riches. Even if one were to base things on “shredding” alone (I don’t just mean playing fast, but playing interesting lines as well), Alex could hold his own! - and this is coming from a fan of Steve Morse, Alan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Michel Cusson, Paul Gilbert, etc. To be sure, there's a number of players out there that can shred, and/or studied at Berklee or G.I.T., or whatever, but despite his lack of knowledge of fancy scales, Lerxt is a veritable compendium of lines and solos, dazzling both in their melody and dexterity. Furthermore, you take some of Lerxt's "shreddier" stuff and put it through a high gain/compression amp like a Soldano and I dare you to tell me the difference between that and the much vaunted Petrucci or Satriani! But, returning to the “Multifaceted” thing, if there's anyone whose a better balancing act of shredding, melody, soul, phrasing, and just sheer "balls out" guitar playing than Alex "Lerxt" Lifeson, they must live on another planet!! Specifically, it's Lifeson's "phrasing" that always astonishes me. Like I said, some of these other cats might have gone to "school", but there's some things that are just more "felt" than "learned", ie. phrasing, soul, etc... and it's in the phrasing department in particular, a domain usually allotted to the likes of Jeff Beck or Scott Henderson, that I maintain "Lerxt" has few equals!! I’m just glad he’s on our side. Rush is indeed well stocked in the virtuosic guitar department!!!

Simple. Pick your favorite Alex Lifeson guitarsongs from each album and all together. (I'll be back later to make my post) Enjoy!

Not sure if this thread has been done before, but I figured I'd start it anyways. Pretty straightforward: what's the best guitar sound/song on each album. In your opinion of course (unless it disagrees with mine ;) ) (As usual posting only the albums I've listened to ) Rush: ...Working Man for the riff, but if you ignore Alex's less experienced earlier style the whole album is great for guitar! 2112: 2112, namely the solos in Presentation, Soliloquy, and Grand Finale, but I love the start of Something For Nothing AFTK: Xanadu (for the intro) Hemispheres: La Villa Strangiato (was there ever any question?) PeW: The Spirit Of Radio MP: Red Barchetta Signals: The Analog Kid P/G: Between The Wheels PoW: Territories/Middletown Dreams HYF: Turn The Page/Open Secrets/Lock And Key ... CA: Clockwork Angels (that guitar entrance is still the most amazing sound on the album to me)

This is something that I've been wondering about for some time and I'm sure it's been discussed but I got no results from searching. For live performances of Seven Cities of Gold, Alex had a second guitar on a performance stand. On the DVD he goes up to it and strums the open strings during the outro, but I really can't hear it. I also remember him using it at the first Chicago show, to similar sonic effect. I noticed that by the Milwaukee gig in 2013, he stopped bringing it out. Does anybody have any clue what the point of the second guitar was? I can only guess that it was some kind of weird experiment that didn't really work out the way that Al wanted, so he ditched it.

All these guitarists turn 60 this July/August: Pat Metheny, Steve Morse, Al Di Meola, Eric Johnson and Scott Henserson. All born in 1954. Stevie Ray Vaughan was also born in 1954. As well as Uli Jon Roth and George Lynch. 1954 was definitely a year when the guitar gods visited earth! :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar: :guitar:

As I've said before, I'm always amazed by this guy's technique. I'm no player but seeing the way he touches the strings... I love it!!

For local Vancouver fans of RUSH. We need your support to keep the music of RUSH alive! Come see your local RUSH tribute band "Moving Pictures" Live at the Blue Frog in White rock BC Saturday Sept 28 2013. http://www.bluefrogstudios.ca/newshows.html https://www.facebook.com/MovingpicturesRushTribute http://www.soundslikerush.com/index.html

For local Vancouver fans of RUSH. Come see your local RUSH tribute band "Moving Pictures" Live at the Blue Frog in White rock BC Saturday Sept 28 2013. http://www.bluefrogstudios.ca/newshows.html https://www.facebook.com/MovingpicturesRushTribute http://www.soundslikerush.com/index.html

Alex Lifeson has been a huge influence on my guitar playing and it's not always the obvious solo's that have given me the most pleasure. Here's a selection of bits, some I can play and in order of album. 1.The rhythm guitar of Beneath, Between & Behind. I like playing the chords and the lead riff. 2.The guitar solo in The Necromancer. On vinyl it used to shriek across the speakers, never the same on CD. 3.Discovery, easy to play but gives you a big grin, and when you play it to people who've never heard of Rush they always ask what's that? 4.Intro to Xanadu, who's not played it all over the fretboard but whenever I hear it, it gives me goosebumps. Always expect the wind to come blowing through the house as it kicks in. 5.The harmonics at the beginning of Cygnus x-1, quite tricky to get right. 6.The lead break in the third part of Natural Science, possibly my favourite bit of lead guitar by Alex. 7.Thechords in the verse of Red Barchetta. 8.The chorus of The Analog Kid, and the middle of The Weapon 9.Guitar solo in Kid Gloves 10.Middle bit of Marathon 11.Jangly bit in the middle bit of Mission

I learnt Hope and O'Malley's break. I started to like the acoustic guitar only songs with no signer just one acoustic guitar doing his thing. If you guys know any other songs like Hope I would really like to learn them.

I just watched a video the RRHOF posted showing what memorbilia the newley inducted bands donated, and I was horrified to See Alex's Double neck in there. Though it will be neat to see in the museum, it also means that the next preformance of Xanadu will be even less authentic (if we ever get Xanadu again). I understand that it hurts alex's back to play it, but still, Xanadu was my last song on my top 5 list to hear live, and now it will be slightly less special to not see his double neck played. One last insult to me was that he gave such a prominent peice of memorbilia to the museum that kept them out 13 years, as I feel the guitar deserves a better home. What does everyone else think. BTW the other memorbilia in the video was Neil's S&A cap, a pair of sticks, and a snare (I could not tell which kit it was from) and one of Geddy's Fender Jazz basses with one of the clockwork angels symbols. It's a nice contrast with Alex's old Guitar and Geddy's new Bass

I love ethnic, tribal music as much as the next guy, but what really blew me away on Bombino's first "american" album is his guitar technique. It sounds like a "throw a little bit of everything together" style, obviously is something he came up with on his own, and sounds... odd, weird, but unique. I like it!! For the record, he's a true Tuareg nomad, made a first album on his own (available on Bandcamp), and then this new one produced by the Black Keys guy. Not that I care about that. What do you think, TRF guitar gods? http://youtu.be/KUG7dcSDHB4

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone would sell me an extra set of their VIP Package guitar picks from the Clockwork Angels tour? I would be open for negotiations on price and how you wish to go about this. I've done this before and I've done it when I've sent money first and recieved the item, and visa versa so I'm open to working with you. PLEASE! If anyone has a spare and wou,d be willing to part with it, it would be so awesome! Send me a message or reply on this post if you are interested. Thanks, and Happy Holidays, -Brent

Hi Rush Fans. I hope I am not posting in the wrong area. It's my first time here. I live and work in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, a little town north of Toronto. There is a couple here who got an idea to buy a guitar and get it autographed by one of their favourite Canadian bands and then donate the proceeds to a charity which was near and dear to them. They bought just one second-hand guitar which they wanted to have signed by one band but it just so happened that Goddo, another band of note in this region was playing locally. They signed the guitar. A second guitar was bought and it was signed by April Wine. This sparked a bigger idea. Why not go for the stars? The biggest band they could think of was Rush so they set out to see if Rush would sign a guitar. It wasn't easy because it takes a lot to meet anyone of their calibre in person, but they managed through Rush's management to get a guitar autographed. Some of the other autographs are from Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, April Wine, Goddo, Loverboy and Blue Rodeo. There is also a country stars guitar. In total there have been 9 guitars autographed by Canada's hall of fame performers. One of them was sold immediately through the Canadian Diabetes Association. It had autographs by members of Loverboy, Journey and Pat Benatar and was sold for $4,000. The remaining 8 guitars will be auctioned off on Ebay. I am working with the founders of the charity to get all eight guitars listed on Ebay. There is a banquet here on the 24th of November in support of the effort. The reason I am here is that I wanted to let you all, as fans of Rush, know that one of the guitars is signed by all three members. It will be for auction on Ebay later this week as soon as we can iron out some Ebay and Paypal requirements. There is a reserve bid on the guitar set by the band themselves. It has been an amazing learning experience to find out what it takes to get an official autographed anything from bands like these. Even more amazing is the fact that the charity founders had no experience in the music business yet they managed to get so many high profile names involved. Anyhow, so I thought I would stop in and tell you about this. You can visit the official website to see the guitar: http://musichealsthesoul.ca/ The facebook group is here: http://www.facebook.com/MusicHealsTheSoul.ca You can read the local news stories on the auction. It has become quite the talk of our little town. It's very exciting for the residents here. We haven't had this much excitement since the Stanley Cup came here in 2000. http://www.simcoe.com/what%27s%20on/article/1515495--guitar-heroes-collect-signatures-for-charity http://www.simcoe.com/news/article/1531563--rush-signs-guitar-for-diabetes-auction http://www.ctvbarrie.ca/2012/11/friday-november-09-2012-ctv-news-at-6-webcast/ If anyone here is interested in bidding on the guitar or knows someone who is, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. All proceeds from the auctions will go to the Canadian Diabetes Association.