RUSH's ALEX LIFESON Debuts New Epiphone Les Paul Custom Guitar In Ruby

For 150 years, Epiphone has been at the forefront of musical instrument design. By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into the future, Epiphone has now set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations. Epiphone is proud to announce a new collaboration with its luthiers and the legendary RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson with the Epiphone Les Paul Custom Axcess in Ruby. The Alex Lifeson Epiphone Les Paul Custom Axcess is available worldwide at authorized Epiphone dealers and on www.epiphone.com.

"This is a stunning guitar; it's beautiful and it sounds great to play," says Lifeson. "You have got to plug it in and play it, it sounds great. You can create a lot of different tones and sounds, and a player at any level can make use of this guitar. Playing guitar takes you to that place in your heart and your soul to express yourself creatively and to just have fun; it is just fun to play, it always has been and always will be."

Created through extensive work with Alex Lifeson and Gibson, Epiphone's Les Paul Custom Axcess in Ruby redefines the boundaries of the classic Les Paul in an accessible, versatile package. This guitar carries all of the traditional tones that have made the Les Paul legendary, along with unprecedented levels of sonic and performance agility. Available in both left and right-handed versions, the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Custom Axcess carries a powerful Epiphone Ceramic Pro neck and Pro Bucker 3 bridge pickups with push/pull coil splitting on the volume controls, along with a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo-the world's most efficient vibrato. Along with all of this, the Alex Lifeson Les Paul Custom Axcess still presents that timeless Les Paul look that has remained a classic for more than 60 years, a hardshell guitar case is also included.

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, songwriter, and producer, most recently with his new project ENVY OF NONE, as well as becoming a solo artist 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."

Lifeson's awards and recognition include induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013 with RUSH, as well as being made an Officer Of The Order Of Canada on May 9, 1996, along with RUSH bandmates Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, and receiving the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards in 2012 — the highest artistic honor in Canada. Additionally, Lifeson is a painter, golfer and aircraft pilot.

In 2021, Lifeson released two new instrumental songs, "Kabul Blues" and "Spy House", and made headlines in 2022 with the news of his self-titled debut LP from new band ENVY OF NONE, featuring bassist Andy Curran, singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, and producer Alfio Annibalini, containing a song dedicated to late RUSH bandmate and drum legend Neil Peart.

Photo credit: Epiphone