KlanKaos Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 So I was watching A Show Of Hands the other day, and I've been shopping for a guitar. Alex is a huge deal for me when it comes to playing guitar, so I want to get something versatile that can match his live tone fairly well. Anyways, while I was watching, some of the rhythm and lead lines in Manhattan Project (and a few other songs at that point in the video, I can't remember which they were though) seemed like exactly what I was looking for in a guitar. So the question I ask now is: what guitar is Alex using at that point of the show? It looks kind of like it might be his Tele - it has the Fender-style tuning heads - but I'm not sure because I've never really looked at the Teles from that era, and I figured someone around here might know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 That guitar is a Signature Aurora. You can read much more about it here: http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar If you need any more info, feel free to ask. I could probably help if you are serious about getting that sound. That guitar sound on ASOH is truly unique and I have a thing for it. The main driving force behind that sound originates from the Gallien Krueger 2000cpl pre-amp and the Evans single coils he used. If you are serious I'd suggest getting one of those 2000cpl's now. There is actually one on Ebay now, which if I were you I'd grab because those are a very rare find and show up only once in a blue moon. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlanKaos Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) Damn. Yeah, that's definitely the guitar I'm thinking about, and it sounds, from the page you linked me to, unbelievable. I'm REALLY looking more into this. Thanks also for the preamp tip, I'll check that out as well. The sound he has on that video is the best thing I've ever heard. EDIT: Goddamn, these things are going to be VERY hard to find and VERY expensive. I have no idea where to even START looking for the Aurora... Edited September 17, 2009 by KlanKaos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Even if you don't have a Signature, you may be able to run across some Evans and slap them into something to further get that tone. However, you will be close no matter what guitar you have IMHO with that GK2000cpl. I was so excited the day I got mine, I still feel lucky to have found it and remember when I first plugged it in. I played that famous Alex chord and that sound was it. I thought "What a beautiful thing, now I can be Alex Lifeson." They also make a footswitch for that thing that I think is just as hard an item to come by. I finally got my footswitch a few months back and now life is good. If only the amp repairman would fix my Alex Lifeson GK250ML tiny amp. For christ's sake he's had it for about 2 months now and needs to hurry up because I want to play LOUD. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlanKaos Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks man. My problem is I'm DEFINITELY not going to be able to scrape together the money for both the preamp and a new guitar, and I need a new guitar... I'm using an Epiphone hollow-body right now, and it's not suited to hard rock at all. Now my dilemma... do I borrow money from someone and buy the preamp, or do I work my ass off for a month or two and buy a new guitar first? Decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Trust me, you NEED to get that pre-amp. There is nothing else in this world that will get you remotely near that sound from ASOH than the 2000cpl. I tried for years tweaking amps, chorus effects, eq's, delays, everything to get that sound. I got in the ballpark with those, but I still wasn't happy. Once I got that 2000cpl my quest had been accomplished, and I remember how much I regretted wasting my time with all the other shit. Even with your hollowbody now, even plug that in and you'll be surprised at how similar the tone is. Remember, his sound from that time was more electronically driven, especially live. Pickups do make a difference, but that pre-amp is the biggest factor in that whole sound. I'd say 75% of the tone comes from the preamp and the other 25% from his Aurora. So get that thing before it's too late. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlanKaos Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 K, pretty much decided. I've been reading reviews and shopping for the last hour, and every review I've read has mentioned 'that Alex Lifeson sound' or something to that effect, which is TOTALLY what I want to hear. Now I just need to scrape together $120 in the next week. Damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 (edited) It's amazing how misunderstood those Signatures are. Most people never seem to know what they are. I had some clips from ASOH playing on youtube the other day while I was working on the computer and noticed in the comments (not that I ever expect any intelligence there) someone trying to convince everyone else that those were Ibanez guitars. No one could convince him otherwise, he thought that "Signature" simply meant it was an Alex Lifeson signature version of an Ibanez, kind of like his recent 355 signature edition. I've heard people call them Washburns, Kramers, B.C. Rich, all kinds of crazy things. I've never even seen one in person but I'd like to some day. If you go to this specific page of the link SignatureAurora provided above you can see pictures of Alex playing them with a closeup of the "Alex Lifeson" inlay on the fretboard. http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar/#legend Edited September 17, 2009 by snowdog2112 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RushFanForever Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Alex mentioned in an interview that he really struggled with the Signature guitars. They had problems staying in tune and were at times not comfortable to play. He supported that Canadian company with the guitars they made, but overall the experience was not a good one in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE Alex mentioned in an interview that he really struggled with the Signature guitars. They had problems staying in tune and were at times not comfortable to play. He supported that Canadian company with the guitars they made, but overall the experience was not a good one in the long run. Yep, in fact he straight up said he hated playing those guitars in a recent interview. I always thought they were neat from a fan's perspective but like I said, I don't have any personal experience with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE (RushFanForever @ Sep 17 2009, 07:44 AM) Alex mentioned in an interview that he really struggled with the Signature guitars. They had problems staying in tune and were at times not comfortable to play. I can't imagine where in the hell you read that? He was the one that designed those guitars. From everything I've read I've heard the opposisite. He tested fretboard radiuses, and plotted locations for switches and knobs. I can't imagine it being "uncomfortable" at all - the guitars are not heavy at all. Plus - how can you go wrong with a Floyd Rose tremolo? Those things always stay in tune! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE I can't imagine where in the hell you read that? He was the one that designed those guitars. From everything I've read I've heard the opposisite. He tested fretboard radiuses, and plotted locations for switches and knobs. I can't imagine it being "uncomfortable" at all - the guitars are not heavy at all. Plus - how can you go wrong with a Floyd Rose tremolo? Those things always stay in tune! He has bashed them repeatedly over the years. I'll go through my interview stuff and get you some sources. It'll take me a little while. Plus, some of the times he talked about them were on radio. Be back when I find them. I can almost picture the exact words in my head "I really hated playing those guitars" in a recent interview. I'll get you the quotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RushFanForever Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I will rephrase what I said that relates to this. Guitar Player - November 1991 GP : Was that when you started to integrate the whammy bar into your playing? Alex : Actually, I had a vibrato arm on the 355. It was effective, but it would not stay in tune. I started using it around A Farewell To Kings, but it was son unreliable I was afraid of it. The Floyd Rose came out around the same time I got that Strat happening, so I put one of those on. GP : But you weren't locking your nut. Alex : Right. On the modified Strats, I'd occasionally put some graphite or WD-40 in the nut; that was enough. If a string went out of tune, I'd just give it a little pull. I wasn't locking nuts until I started using Signature guitars. Locking nuts are such a headache. It always bugged me to feel all that metal down there when I was playing in a lower position. Visually, it bothered me too. Now that I'm playing PRS guitars there's no need for that anymore. The strings go straight up the headstock; they stay in tune just fine, though I don't dive bombing or anything. I could not find the recent article. Hopefully snogdog2112 can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 You are correct about him describing the position of the trem and his attitude toward locking nuts. That I agree with. The guitar that he's referring to about having difficulty staying in tune is his Gibson ES-355. He wasn't necessarily bashing his Signature here, never once does he say anything really negative about it. He wouldn't either, it's not his character to degrade something. The metal feel and appearance were just a quirk. It's the same as the quirk about his ES-355 staying in tune. We all know that his ES-355 is his favorite guitar ever and probably considers it another member of his family. The Great White Signature Aurora was another beloved instrument of his. He loved that guitar for its own personal characteristics (wood, vibration, feel, sound, etc). Thanks for posting that article. I hadn't seen that interview before and it was a treat. I eat up anything to do in regards to these Signatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE He wasn't necessarily bashing his Signature here, never once does he say anything really negative about it. He wouldn't either, it's not his character to degrade something. I'm sorry but you're going to be disappointed when I find that recent quote. Although it's only recently that he's been blunt about simply not liking them there have been many interviews dating back to the HYF tour where he consistently brought up how difficult they were to get to perform properly. Considering I've got to go through old actual print magazines, scans of articles, and bookmarked sites with interviews it'll take me a little while but keep checking back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Don't bother. You're not going to change my feelings no matter what you come up with. There's really nothing that can be said to get me to bow down to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE Don't bother. You're not going to change my feelings no matter what you come up with. There's really nothing that can be said to get me to bow down to you. What in the world? How can you be so defensive? I LIKED his Signatures, I was disappointed in hearing him say that. It's simply a matter of fact that he said it. I'm not trying to make you like or dislike anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I apologize, honestly it was meant to be a joke. I probably should have added a a smiley face or something, like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowdog2112 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE I apologize, honestly it was meant to be a joke. I probably should have added a a smiley face or something, like this: Ok, sorry. It's amazing how easy it is to miscommunicate when you don't have speech, inflections, body language etc.on a messageboard, especially if you don't already know the person. It's impossible to tell how to take things sometimes. Trust me, I'm on your side on this, I started playing guitar in the late 80s and I thought those Signatures were the coolest things in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlanKaos Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 I'm really going to look for those Signatures now... they sound so great. But so hard to find... And I am getting the GK 2000cpl as well. Hopefully it works out with my hollow-body - either way, the distortion will be better than the Fender I have right now =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Indeed they are hard to find. Signatures, like the GK2000cpl come up only once in a blue moon. There was just one sold last week on Ebay. In fact, it was a Visionary model and it went for about 2 grand. Other Signatures have been sold on there say within the last year have sold for around $1500.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Money Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 those guitars are crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignatureAurora75 Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE (bigmoney2112 @ Sep 17 2009, 03:24 PM) those guitars are crap MF please! Idiot, if you make a statement like that you need to back it up. Tell us why you think they're crap. You ever played one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionman Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 QUOTE (SignatureAurora75 @ Sep 17 2009, 04:49 PM) QUOTE (bigmoney2112 @ Sep 17 2009, 03:24 PM) those guitars are crap MF please! Idiot, if you make a statement like that you need to back it up. Tell us why you think they're crap. You ever played one? I'd like to hear this too........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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