Picture an Alex Lifeson signature model and a Floyd-equipped Les Paul will likely spring to mind. However, prior to recording Rush’s Moving Pictures album, which was released in 1981, Alex commissioned the build of his Hentor Sportscaster.
We’ll go for a potted history: the Sportscaster was Alex’s take on an HSS Strat-style guitar, the main specs of which included a Warmoth body and neck, ebony fingerboard, DiMarzio FS-1/Bill Lawrence L500 pickups, Schaller locking tuners, and a Floyd Rose vibrato. Now, Alex has teamed up with fellow Canadians Godin to recreate (with evolutionary tweaks) his beloved double-cut.
Released under his Lerxst brand, the Limelight is a high-end nod to his ’80s-era guitar. As with the Sportscaster, it’s based on an S-type body, this time cut from swamp ash.
The maple neck follows tradition with its 648mm (25.5-inch) scale length but bucks it with 22 stainless-steel frets and a 305mm (12-inch) radius. Like the original, we’re dancing on a beautifully even slice of ebony, and to the rear it’s finished in a silky satin.
Tuning is taken care of by Godin’s 18:1 locking staggered tuners with a Graph Tech nut. At the other end it’s fitted with a Vega-Trem, but completists can spec a Floyd Rose instead. Electronically, it’s a different animal from a regular S-type, too, with Alex’s Mojotone Lerxst Limelight set in HSS configuration. They’re wired to a three-way toggle and master volume/tone pots.
We’d use one word to describe the playability of the Limelight: smooth. The medium action could probably go a bit lower, but it’s set to a comfortable ballpark height. Elsewhere, the ebony ’board and stainless-steel frets combine for a glassy feel when traversing the neck and bending strings; when you get to the summit you’ll appreciate the rounded heel shape.
If you’re on the heavier-handed end of the picking scale, you’ll find the strings hold firm under attack without the inevitable pitch-bend when played open, particularly on a guitar fitted with a vibrato.
Ours is set to float, giving us drop and pull-up response. Divebombs, gargles and fluttering vibratos are all on offer, with the Vega-Trem working incredibly smoothly to seamlessly return to pitch.
Tonal preferences are incredibly personal and sometimes an HSS guitar can leave you two-thirds full. Not so here. Mojotone delivers quintessential references for the three positions: Hendrix-y neck tones; pecky, squashy pluck in the middle; and a complex bridge humbucker that’s bursting with clarity and note separation.
You don’t need to be a Rush fan to appreciate this guitar, which might be making a play for one of this year’s most versatile electrics.
Specs
- PRICE: $3,999 (inc gigbag)
- ORIGIN: Canada
- TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody electric
- BODY: Swamp ash
- NECK: Maple, bolted-on
- SCALE LENGTH: 647.7mm (25.5”)
- NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech/41.91 mm
- FINGERBOARD: Ebony, dot inlays, 304.8mm (12”) radius
- FRETS: 22, medium, stainless steel
- HARDWARE: Vega-Trem, 18:1 staggered pole locking tuners
- ELECTRICS: Mojotone Lerxst Limelight set (double-blade bridge humbucker, overwound single coils at neck and middle positions)
- FINISH: Limelight Cream
- CONTACT: Lerxst Amps
