
It’s worth noting that these set of 74 Les Pauls have been some of the most faithful guitars in Frehley’s catalog. This turned Ace’s pickup selector into a “kill switch”, enabling him to achieve the stuttering staccato effect often heard in his guitar solos. Ace used neither the neck nor the middle pickups, so these were lowered away from the strings and disconnected from the guitar. The bridge pickup is a DiMarzio Super Distortion, while the neck and middle pickups are DiMarzio PAFs. With a cream pickguard, cream pickups, and triple binding, these pieces are absolutely gorgeous to look at on either of their versions.įrehley also added nickel-plated Grover tuners with square pearloid buttons to assist in tuning stability and, of course, enhance the guitar’s aesthetics. The Gibson Les Paul Custom is far from a cheap guitar! It was heavily used during the live album Alive II, recorded at the Budokan in Japan in 1977, the Unmasked tour, and fairly enough, much of Frehley’s career. A feature that would be more practically installed in his future models, but this was a firestarter.Īce purchased these guitars once KISS had started pulling in serious cash, around the fall of 1976. This one was groundbreaking considering its top pickup slot would be designed to shoot smoke from it. On another hand, Frehley famously sported his Ebony Les Paul with the exact same fix and set up as his cheery burst one. Eventually, the design and setup of these peculiar models would eventually evolve into the “Budokan” Les Paul in 2011. These cherry-burst and ebony Les Pauls featured cream-colored humbuckers making up for perhaps the most associated look with Frehley’s image, in addition to inspiring the basis for the looks and feel of several of his later signature models.
#ACE FREHLEY BURNY GUITAR FULL#
See the full list of Ace Frehley guitars and gear below. But true to the always eccentric antics, Ace has also had plenty of custom builds. Throughout his entire career, he has been a champion of Gibson Les Paul Customs, with the triple pickup configuration becoming his signature model. What Guitars Does Ace Frehley Play?Īce Frehley plays Gibson Les Paul Custom guitars. He became an icon to thousands of fans who wanted nothing more than to shred their way to stardom. When he donned his iconic Spaceman makeup, towering above the audience in platform boots, smoke pouring out of his Les Paul Custom, Ace Frehley became more than a guitar player. Of course, it wasn’t all about Ace’s playing. It’s no surprise that renowned axemen like John 5, Dimebag Darrell, Marty Friedman, and even shredder supreme Paul Gilbert cite him as a primary influence. His incendiary work on the early KISS albums, success with Frehley’s Comet through the 80s, his triumphant return to the band 90s, and his barn-burning solo efforts throughout this century have been nothing short of remarkable. Few artists ever achieve the level of stardom as KISS’ original Spaceman, Ace Frehley.
