The Hentor Sportscaster made an unlikely comeback when Alex Lifeson announced that his own gear brand, Lerxst, had and was making them in partnership with Godin. But what became of the original Sportscasters, like that fire engine red model that Lifeson was cradling on the cover of ’s November 1981 issue? Truth be told, it’s a little bit of a sorry tale. But as Lifeson tells us, in this interview to commemorate 70 years of the Strat, the Hentor Sportscaster did more than enough to etch its way into the annals of rock history.
With a different , the solo to would just not have been the same...
“The story begins in 1978 when I modified a that I purchased new. I replaced the bridge [pickup] with a Gibson , reversed the input jack for easier access and added a Floyd Rose tremolo to replace the Fender tremolo. I used this guitar as a spare primarily and started using it increasingly for the Floyd Rose.
“It was renamed ‘the Hentor Porkflapsocaster.’ Shortly after, I commissioned Veneman Music to build a replica incorporating a shark neck, Floyd Rose and Bill Lawrence L500 . This was the Hentor Sportscaster.
This became the model for the Lerxst Limelight [Lifeson’s new with Godin].” “Although I was known primarily as a Gibson player, I did own several Fenders and liked the difference. I owned a 1956 Strat in 1973 as a backup to the [Gibson] ES-335.
It made me think and play differently. I was becoming more enamored with the use of the tremolo bar, and the Floyd Ros.
