Alex Lifeson and his new company Lerxst have announced their first guitar, the brand new Limelight. The Limelight was created in partnership with Canadian manufacturers Godin Guitars and is inspired by Lifeson’s iconic Hentor Sportscaster guitars from the mid-80s.
The Lerxst Limelight captures the essence of the original Sportscaster – including its ‘Frankensteined’ body construction, mismatched pickup outputs, and tuning difficulties caused by its original tremolo system – but they’ve been rectified with 21st century craftsmanship and state-of-the-art hardware choices by Godin’s engineers. So no, this thing isn’t a pain in the ass. It just looks like it could be.
“Collaborating with Alex Lifeson, an iconic artist who continually pushes tonal boundaries, is more than an opportunity—it’s a testament to our shared pursuit,” said Godin Guitars President and CEO Simon Godin.
“At the heart of our ethos lies a commitment to musicians driven by passion. Our history is woven with guitars that embody purpose and innovation, such as the Acousticaster, Multiac, and LGX. We’re relentless in our pursuit of tone, seeking the extraordinary. Together with Alex, we’ve fused our expertise and passion to craft instruments that transcend expectations. This collaboration represents a union of two relentless forces, aiming not just to build guitars, but to sculpt vessels of inspiration, setting new standards in musical expression.”
The Lerxst Limelight has a contoured swamp ash body for premium comfort and a maple neck with 12″ radius ebony fretboard and medium stainless steel frets for fast and intuitive playability. Like the original it has an HSS pickup configuration for maximum versatility, and the pickups have been custom-wound by Mojotone to Alex’s specifications to ensure balanced performance in all pickup positions. Players have a choice of the classic Floyd Rose tremolo system or a Vega Trem with 18:1 locking tuners for superior tremolo performance with rock solid tuning stability.
“The original Hentor brought together a mix of tone and playability that empowered me to explore sounds and styles of playing that I had never attempted before,” said Lifeson. “Ultimately these things became signature parts of my style. When the idea came to reimagine this guitar it made sense to partner with innovators like Godin who I knew I could trust to utilize the advances in technology and manufacturing skill to create something that could power a new generation of players looking to push their own boundaries.”
“It was not quite enough for me to just develop a reissue of that very special instrument,” Lifeson continued. “This was an opportunity to showcase 40 years of evolution within that solid platform. Well, Axe and you shall receive!”
