No. 0201981·progressive-rock·5 blocks
Tom Sawyer
Alex Lifeson's tone on Tom Sawyer is a masterclass in using chorus and effects to create a massive, shimmering wall of guitar sound. The ES-355's semi-hollow body provides natural resonance and warmth, which is then pushed through a Marshall for crunch and layered with a Boss CE-1 chorus for that wide, sweeping stereo effect. The result is a tone that fills the entire sonic spectrum without ever getting in the way of Geddy Lee's bass and Neil Peart's drums.
Moving PicturesSignal path · input → output · 7 blocksLive values · Fractal Axe-Fx
Guitar
Gibson ES-355
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Studio Comp
Japan CE-2
Plexi 100W High
Digital Mono
London Plate
4x12 Green 25W
Studio Comp
← Studio compressor
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Attack
38s
Release
200s
Mix
0.5
Level
0dB
Japan CE-2
← Boss CE-1
Speed
4Hz
Depth
6
Mix
50
Plexi 100W High
← Marshall Super Lead 1959
Drive
6
Bass
5
Mid
6
Treble
7
Presence
6
MV
6.5
Digital Mono
← TC 2290
Time
350ms
Feedback
25
Mix
25
London Plate
← Hall reverb (Le Studio)
Mix
20
Decay
2s
Engineer's note
File 020
Alex Lifeson's tone on Tom Sawyer is a masterclass in using chorus and effects to create a massive, shimmering wall of guitar sound. The ES-355's semi-hollow body provides natural resonance and warmth, which is then pushed through a Marshall for crunch and layered with a Boss CE-1 chorus for that wide, sweeping stereo effect. The result is a tone that fills the entire sonic spectrum without ever getting in the way of Geddy Lee's bass and Neil Peart's drums.
— Alex Lifeson
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