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Limelight — Rush1 / 2
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Limelight Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Rush

Rush · 1980s · rock

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (black, modified with humbucker in bridge, Schaller neck)
Pickups
Bridge position humbucker (exact model unknown, likely DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan, as per era modding trends)
Amp
Marshall 50-watt head (likely JMP or JCM800, as used on Moving Pictures sessions)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (humbucker, Strat position 1)

Studio recording, 1980-1981. Guitar was a heavily modified Stratocaster with a humbucker in the bridge. Amp was a Marshall 50-watt head, not Hughes & Kettner (which came later).

Amp Settings

Mids
7
Bass
6
Gain
0
Reverb
2.5
Treble
7
Presence
6

Effects Chain

  • Chorus pedal (model unknown) · chorus

Fender Stratocaster (bridge humbucker) → Chorus pedal (model unknown) → Marshall 50-watt head (with spring reverb)

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Tone Character

  • chiming clean chords
  • bright and articulate
  • slightly compressed
  • glassy top end
  • clear note separation
  • modulation shimmer
  • studio ambience
  • no audible drive
  • percussive attack
  • lush clean texture

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
  • ⚠️No direct source lists exact amp knob settings for the clean Limelight riff; settings estimated based on typical Marshall clean settings for the era and genre.
  • ⚠️Guitar model and pickup configuration confirmed by Equipboard and Guitar World, but exact pickup brand/model not specified.
  • ⚠️No explicit pedal model is confirmed for the clean riff; chorus effect is clearly audible and included as 'Chorus pedal (model unknown)'.
  • ⚠️Amp model inferred from multiple interviews and era; Hughes & Kettner was not used until later.
  • ⚠️Presence and reverb settings are estimated based on typical Marshall/Fender clean tones of the era.
  • ⚠️If more precise pedal/amp settings are found in future sources, update accordingly.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Alex Lifeson's 'Limelight' tone is a classic early-80s British crunch with pronounced mids, moderate gain, and clear but not harsh highs, likely from a Hiwatt or Marshall with a Gibson ES-355. The mix is dry with just a touch of reverb, and the mids are pushed for note clarity and cut.

Sources