Alex Lifeson launches the Lerxst By-Tor drive pedal which replicates the “growl” of his Omega amp
Just 500 units have been made available, so if you want one you better Rush…
Credit: Reverb.com
Alex Lifeson of Rush has unveiled the next offering in his partnership with Mojotone under his recently launched brand, Lerxst – the all-new By-Tor drive pedal.
The Lexrst By-Tor “promises to replicate” his Omega amplifier, offering the same intensity and growl the tube amp is known for in a smaller package.
The pedal, which takes its name from Rush track By-Tor And The Snow Dog, was launched just yesterday (6 December) and is being sold exclusively through Reverb.com. Just 500 have been made available, and each ships with a signed pass from Lifeson himself.
The By-Tor is described as a compact, pedalboard-friendly version of the Omega, capable of jumping from light and crunchy drive sounds to tube-like overdriven “chaos.” Its drive section features your typical range of controls: Drive, of course (for setting the amount of desired distortion), Tone (for adjusting top-end sparkle and treble), and Level (for adjusting output).
It also features an onboard Boost section which utilises a JFET-based gain stage. This responds similarly to that of a tube amp’s. It’s designed to add some shimmer and chime to the top-end of your tone, and can be used independently of the Drive section or as an always-on gain stage.
The Boost knob allows for adjustment of the circuit’s output, and there is a special order switch toggle that lets you choose which order to set the circuits in. Setting the toggle to boost first will push your drive section into further saturation, while the opposite way gives you more of a solo boost with tons of gain potential, according to Reverb.
Check it out in the video below:
Mojotone’s LERXST family was released last week (30 November), and includes the OMEGA amplifier head, CHI amplifier head and combo, and an accompanying range of matching guitar cabinets.
The Lerxst By-Tor is available now for £244.88 from the Official Lerxst Reverb Shop. You can also view the full range of Lerxst amplifiers at the official Lerxst website.