Epiphone and Alex Lifeson have unveiled a replica of the Rush guitarist’s iconic ‘Whitey’ ES-355, and it is as high-end as Epiphone guitars get.
Based on the Alpine White 1976 ES-355 that can be heard right across the Rush catalogue, this Inspired By Gibson “reissue” comes with Gibson USA pickups, a signature hard-shell guitar case, and stays faithful to the original design with a Varitone and the guitar’s dual outputs.
The gold hardware isn’t to be sniffed at either, with a gold Harmonica-style Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with a Maestro Vibrola. This is Epiphone going premium, so there are all kinds of specs that you would typically associate with high-end electric guitars, such as the CTS pots and Mallory capacitors, the Switchcraft jacks and pickup selector switch, premium sealed die-cast tuners with metal tulip-style buttons.
Also, the Gibson Custom livery is all over the instrument, from the split-diamond inlay on the headstock to the block inlays on the fingerboard, plus multi-ply binding to the body’s top and headstock.
Lifeson had hinted that something special had been in the offing, and that he had been working with Epiphone on a signature guitar. And it could only really be the ES-355, aka Whitey, aka the electric guitar that – arguably – most Rush fans would first think about when they think about The Ultimate Rush Guitar®.
“The ES-355 has always been a really special guitar for me,” says Lifeson. “It’s got this incredible balance of elegance and power.”
Lifeson says this one is a chip off the old block. But even if the first thing you want to play on it is Freewill, consider this a blank canvas for your own prog rock peregrinations.
“What I love about this Epiphone “Whitey” recreation is how faithfully it captures that original spirit while still feeling fresh and alive in your hands,” says Lifeson. “It’s a guitar that invites you to explore, to take chances, and to find your own voice. I’m genuinely thrilled that players everywhere will have the chance to experience it and make it part of their own musical journey.”
Lifeson’s ES-355 comes with a pair of Gibson USA T-Type humbuckers at the neck and bridge.
These are hooked up to the usual three-way selector, dual volume and dual tone controls, plus you have the Varitone rotary dial running in mono, and a mini-toggle to bypass it.
Each notch on the Varitone removes a select band of frequencies giving you five filtered options that make the ES-355 one of the most versatile semi-hollows out there.
The rest of the specs are as you’d expect. This has the 24.75” scale length, the 12” radius ebony fingerboard, a Graph Tech nut and the tortoiseshell pickguard as per the original.
The Alex Lifeson 1976 ES-355 is available now, priced £1,199/$1,499. See Epiphone for more details.
