Comments on: Alex Lifeson’s Permanent Waves Gear

By: val

val — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:24:50 +0000

I think, he also used phase shift pedals /this tone you can hear everywhere on Hemispheres\

By: blutorg

blutorg — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:48:38 +0000

I’m not sure Lifeson was using the black Strat for Permanent Waves. I think he was still locked in the Gibson stable at that time. The bad hair photo here, at any rate, is most definitely from well after PW-era.

I agree that Permanent Waves was a peak for the band, coming on the heels of nearly-as-stellar-but-radically-different Hemispheres (subsequently, Moving Pictures would begin a gradual descent–after GuP, they lost me completely until the new century).

PW marked a radical change. Rush stopped, took a breath, and stripped away some of the bloat/pretense and abandoned the silly costumes (and there was the irony of “Spirit of Radio” being a hit). Even the colors of the album cover are basic and stark by comparison. They had mah-TOURED a bit.

Bad hair photo, by contrast, came later when Rush had embraced the herd mentality, wholly integrating a more commercial aesthetic in their approach, and by which time Lifeson had begun using a modified version of Fender’s flagship guitar (no slight intended there vs. Fender, btw!).

By: ER!

ER! — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:32:37 +0000

I used a lot of the same gear that Alex used over the years, and Permanant Waves is my tonal reference in my head. I've owned Marshalls, Hiwatts, Dean Markley tube amps, a boogie rack set-up, and others. My main guitar is a late 70's hardtail strat.

The closest to that permanent waves roar is with the strat and a Boss Chorus Ensamble running stereo with the boogie rig. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Roland Jazz Chorus and some boogies in the studio for Permanent Waves or even a boss CE pedal. The Marshalls and Hiwatts don't get that same sound. As much as I love the hiwatts it's not that sound.