Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

ratherdashing

ratherdashing

Kablamminator
All I've really heard/read is that it was all done with his ES 335 and a pair of Marshall stacks. What Marshalls would these be? Was there anything else? I know there's definitely a flanger or phaser on some tracks (verse of Anthem, for instance).

Thanks.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

http://www.musictoyz.com/articles/chopalex.php said:
He also had a few effects, including a Fuzz Face distortion, a Maestro phaser, a Crybaby wah pedal, and an Echoplex . . . FLY BY NIGHT
Alex played his 335, His Les Paul Std(including the slide part on "Making Memories") a borrowed Martin acoustic for "Making Memories, an acoustic overdub on "Fly By Night", and again, the rented Rickenbacker 12-string acoustic for "In the End" His amps, in the studio, included the Marshall, and also a Fender Super Reverb. Alex got a Morley Volume/Echo pedal, also for this album, and subsequent tours.
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http://www.musictoyz.com/articles/chopalex.php This is a great article about all his gear!
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

i love the sound Alex gets for the most part... he kind of lost me a little in the later 80's but i have been a fan for 27 years... My Favourite tone was the All The Worlds A Stage era... On Line i asked a guitarist here in Canada named Kim mitchell that used to tour with Rush in the 70's a lot what Alex used and how i could get that tone... he just said get a Marshall!
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

I perfer his 335/175 --> Hiwatt tone, but damn he really sounds good just about any time... except for some parts in the eighties.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

I know around 1980 he was using Marshall combos. I saw them on the Exit Stage Left tour, and the Signals tour book stated "I use four Marshall combos which we jokingly refer to as the Marshall combos." There's a video for "Anthem" on the Rush in Rio DVD where he has one or two Marshall stacks behind him. He doesn't really mess with the pickups in his guitars, just uses them stock I had read.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

75lespaul said:
I know around 1980 he was using Marshall combos. I saw them on the Exit Stage Left tour, and the Signals tour book stated "I use four Marshall combos which we jokingly refer to as the Marshall combos." There's a video for "Anthem" on the Rush in Rio DVD where he has one or two Marshall stacks behind him. He doesn't really mess with the pickups in his guitars, just uses them stock I had read.
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in the 70's i believe his PU's were stock.... but by the early 80's when he was using customized strats and partcaster strats he had humbuckers in the bridges of some sort.... but ya you are right.. he really seems to have stock PU's as far as i can tell in "most" of his axes thru-out his carear....
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

The 80's Lifeson tone for the most part was the use of the Galien Kruger 250 ML little combo "toaster" amps or the rack version of this amp.
 
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Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

I'm pretty sure his 80's tone started out with "Hentor Sportscasters", little partscasters he would make with a Kahler trem (or maybe Floyd Rose?) and a Bill Lawrence humbucker in the bridge. Stradeluxer is right, he was a big supporter of the GK guitar amp series. Later in the 80's he switched to Signature guitars.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

thespricket said:
no matter what he uses im gonna go see him this summer!!!!
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hopefully me too!

well since we are talking about his gear throughout the ages, I'm pretty sure he still sticks to PRS guitars now, though he does use a red SG for "Roll the Bones" and a Goldtop HB Les Paul for a few songs. Amps are his signature H&K Alex Lifeson triamps, moog taurus pedals, and a rackload of stuff I can't even imagine. oh... and washing machines.
 
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Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

Rushfan2112 said:
hopefully me too!

well since we are talking about his gear throughout the ages, I'm pretty sure he still sticks to PRS guitars now, though he does use a red SG for "Roll the Bones" and a Goldtop HB Les Paul for a few songs. Amps are his signature H&K Alex Lifeson triamps, moog taurus pedals, and a rackload of stuff I can't even imagine. oh... and washing machines.
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For the Vapor Trails tour that I saw,Alex used different PRS guitars,Les Pauls,an SG,Tele,335 or it might have been that wider bodied Gibson that looks like a 335 that he's had for ions? One PRS I remember was what he used as an acoustic/electric for closer to the heart(His red one I think)..

His amps were all H@K as his backline with the cool blue back lighting...Great guitar player and a great band.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

When I saw them on the 30th anniv. tour, he used a Tele a lot! Probably more than his PRSs. I was surprised by that but he sounded killer as usual. Still brings out his tobacco burst LP when he does overture/temples I think. That's the main reason I got my tobacco burst LP!! Wanted to be like Alex!
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

Buckeyedog said:
When I saw them on the 30th anniv. tour, he used a Tele a lot! Probably more than his PRSs. I was surprised by that but he sounded killer as usual. Still brings out his tobacco burst LP when he does overture/temples I think. That's the main reason I got my tobacco burst LP!! Wanted to be like Alex!
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He had that killer tone all night at the concert we were at also! He's one of those guys I'd really love to meet....On the videos he's funny and I'll bet he's a nice guy also!
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

STRATDELUXER97 said:
He had that killer tone all night at the concert we were at also! He's one of those guys I'd really love to meet....On the videos he's funny and I'll bet he's a nice guy also!
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Agreed. He seems like a fun loving dude who loves to rock! Many years ago, they came to Dayton and I had tickets to see them. After work, I went over to the golf course on Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the whole Rush crew was on the course playing! Neil and Geddy were on the 18th green putting and Alex was over on the range hitting balls. I was too chicken to go over and talk to them though. I just kind of hung around like a dork for a little bit. It was very cool though. They gave the girls who worked at the counter free tickets and they actually sat right in front of us.
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

Buckeyedog said:
Agreed. He seems like a fun loving dude who loves to rock! Many years ago, they came to Dayton and I had tickets to see them. After work, I went over to the golf course on Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the whole Rush crew was on the course playing! Neil and Geddy were on the 18th green putting and Alex was over on the range hitting balls. I was too chicken to go over and talk to them though. I just kind of hung around like a dork for a little bit. It was very cool though. They gave the girls who worked at the counter free tickets and they actually sat right in front of us.
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Oh so very cool....I would have walked over and just made it short and sweet about how much of a fan I've been all these years...
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

I know I should have. Just didn't want to be a star gazer......I'm sure they get that all the time. It was cool though!
 
Re: Alex Lifeson - Fly By Night album gear

STRATDELUXER97 said:
He had that killer tone all night at the concert we were at also! He's one of those guys I'd really love to meet....On the videos he's funny and I'll bet he's a nice guy also!
Click to expand...


oddly his main Ontario house is 20 minutes away from where i live and i have never seen him.... i've met friends of his wifes but never him.... they say he is quite the joker....
 
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