“We wanted to pay tribute to Grace Under Pressure by building off of my favorite guitar from that period”: Alex Lifeson celebrates 40 years of a Rush classic by launching a next-gen Sportscaster replica

Alex Lifeson and his new gear venture Lerxst are celebrating 40 years of Rush’s barnstorming LP Grace Under Pressure with the release of a limited-edition signature guitar.

Named Grace, the Strat-style electric guitar is being touted as “an evolved take of a modern classic” with much of its template coming from the “world-class” Lerxst x Godin Limelight six-string.

Also concocted in collaboration with fellow Canadians Godin, Grace is a fresh take on the Hentor Sportscaster that Alex Lifeson made sing across Rush’s celebrated 1980s era.

Imbued with “the latest in high-quality hardware and craftsmanship” for an instrument “primed for the next generation of tone seekers”, the Red Sector A-colored guitar (geddit?) effortlessly stands out – and it does so with aplomb.

Beyond its spotlight-stealing mirror pickguard and chrome hardware, Grace is loaded with a Mojotone Lerxst Humbucker in the bridge, and two Mojotone Lerxst single-coils in the middle and neck positions, which combine to replicate the original Sportscaster’s modded Strat wizardry.

That pickup combination was originally only available on the Limelight, but a pre-loaded pickguard has since been released, extending its prog-ready tones to Strat and Strat-styled guitars of all persuasions.

Grace pairs a swamp ash body with a maple neck and an ebony fretboard with 22 stainless steel frets, and either an original Floyd Rose or a Vega Trem for those wanting to stay closer to the Strat’s traditional hardware heritage.

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By 1984, Rush had firmly established themselves as one of the world’s premier progressive rock acts, and Lifeson was typically known for playing a Gibson Les Paul during this time.

But the Sportscaster had proved to be an unlikely sidepiece, arriving after Lifeson first modified a Fender Stratocaster with a new single-coil pickup in the neck, a Gibson humbucker in the bridge, and Floyd Rose tremolo in 1978.

“I used this guitar as a spare primarily and started using it increasingly for the Floyd Rose,” Lifeson told Guitar World in July.

“I was becoming more enamored with the use of the tremolo bar, and the Floyd Rose made that very effective – and it sounded great,” he continues. Eventually, the guitarist commissioned Veneman Music to build a replica, incorporating a shark neck, Floyd Rose, and a Bill Lawrence L500 pickup. From that, the Sportscaster was born.

The Limelight saw the Sportscaster make an unlikely comeback last year, and now Grace is looking to take the Rush virtuoso’s unorthodox Strat-style build to new heights.

Rush - Red Sector A (Live "Grace Under Pressure" Tour) - YouTube

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“We were blown away by the positive feedback we got from the release of Limelight earlier this year and knew that we wanted to do another one,” says Lifeson.

“With Grace, we wanted to pay tribute to the 40th Anniversary of Grace Under Pressure by building off of my favorite guitar from that period and – much like Limelight – evolving the concept to create an instrument with a sound and playability that would speak to modern players.”

Lifeson adds that the “beautiful instrument” can cater to a variety of playing styles, meaning you aren’t limited to riffing in 27/8 with this thing.

“And the mirrored pickguard,” he continues, “comes in handy for late-night sessions when you need, um, to check, ah, your hair or something.” That, personally, is the clincher.

The Lerxst Grace guitar is limited to just 200 units at $3,999 apiece.

Head to Lerxst’s Reverb Shop to learn more.