Any Ace Frehley experts here?

marty_the_westie

marty_the_westie

New member
O.K. First things first. Yes I know Ace was not the greatest guitar player of all time, so dispence with any critisims, I've heard them all. Despite that, he's still probably my favorite guitar player. My question is, everbody knows that he played a Les Paul with a super distortion in the bridge, but in the early days, especially before they got famous, what gear did he use. Does anybody know for sure if he used a Les Paul from the start, and if so, when did he start putting s.d.'s in it. If not, then what did he use? Also, did he have the s.d.'s in both, then later, all 3 positions, or did he use different pups in the middle and neck. And lastly, did he always play through Marshall amps? Anybody who is a expert on Ace's tone, please let me know. Thanks.
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I know this much... By atleast the early 80's he was using Super D's in all 3 positions... I'm taking it thats why in alot of photos you see the neck and middle pickups are sunk way down so he could get them to balance... Also he would slave marshalls to tweed bassmans... I'll have to look it up the dates on that but i know that was used on atleast on of the recordings... as for the earlier stuff i dont know..

Edit ok I got that backwards I have an interview with Eddie Kramer and he says that they used a fender tweed amp (doesnt specify which) as a preamp into a marshall... This was in the october 92 issue of guitar player.
 
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Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

It's kinda hard to nail down Ace's tone. Ever notice how all Kiss albums have a different sound.

Ace liked to overdub his LesPaul tracks with a Strat. Also, Listening to his Solo record you can here an acoustic under every rhythm track.

There was a short period of time where Ace used a Washburn Guitar and Laney amps.

His style of playing is much more recognizeable then his sound...
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

Yeah Ace said that he likes to double parts Les Paul/Strat in the studio and just Les Pauls live...

As for his pickups, I'm not sure he ever used Seymour Duncans... he's always used DiMarzio Super Distortions I believe.. I could be wrong about him always using them but I'm relatively sure.
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I'm sure I've seen an early picture of Kiss where Ace wasn't playing a Les Paul. Can't remember what guitar it was though.

If you look at the yearly photos in the booklet that comes with Alive II the LP he is playing in the first pic (73?) has covered pickups, and I would guess they were stock - what replacements were available at that time? The Super Distortion was first produced in 1974, and I think Kiss were involved with the early development of DiMarzio pickups. My guess is that Ace started using Super Distortions in 74, 75 at the latest.

I reckon the question of what pickups he uses in the neck and middle positions is largely academic - I can't think of a recording where it sounds like he's using anything but the bridge pickup. :)

In some guitars he had the smoke generator in the neck position!
 
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Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

Mattt said:
I need a pic! And information on where to get one of those from!
Click to expand...

COOLACE.JPG


http://kissnews.web-log.nl/archief/10/12/2004

Ace: “In the early Seventies we were on tour in Canada and I bought some smoke bombs. I had just replaced the pickups on my Les Paul with hand-wound DiMarzios – which [Larry DiMarzio] was winding in his bedroom at the time – and I wondered if the smoke would come out of the pickup ring if a bomb was in the potentiometer. It worked, but it wasn't a great effect, and it badly gummed up my volume and tone controls. The idea manifested itself again when KISS got bigger. I got together with an engineer and developed a fake rhythm pickup that snapped into a box mounted in the guitar's body. We stuck the smoke bombs in there, and it worked fine. Sometimes, for a really big show, I'd have my tech pack in an extra-big bomb. When we did that, the metal plate on the guitar's back would heat up and burn my leg, or cause a little fire. When Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons] sold a bunch of my costumes, I noticed that some of them had burn marks on the right leg.”

When I was at school I got a mate of mine to put one in my guitar (an old Japanese Tele-style thing). He used a smoke bomb he bought from a theatrical supplies shop and wired it to a switch on the guitar. I let it off when we were playing at a friend's party - in his house! It filled the entire house with thick smoke and we had to evacuate and leave all the doors and windows open 'til it cleared. I didn't stick around until the parents got back. :D
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I've seen very early pictures of KISS, and Ace was always playing a Les Paul. Gene and Paul's guitars changed quite a bit though
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I have seen a pic or two of Ace with some kind of light colored Explorer, and that was from the destroyer days, adn I have seen a live bootleg of Ladies in Waiting, where he used one of those old Kramer guitars that had the split aluminum headstock.

A for amps, I also beleive that Kiss endorsed Randal at one time, but not totally sure.
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

If I remember right Ace did at some point use a Travis Bean guitar live and he also used some kind of Explorer at some point too (I may be wrong on this).

Craig
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

Ace's Explorer was actually an Ibanez or a Carlo Robelli, I forget which. Kiss was one of DiMarzios first endorsees and I am pretty sure they were using them as early as one could imagine. Steve Carr used to do a lot of their guitar work so who knows what he had in them he built Gene a bunch of his passes.

Early days Ace used an Epi Coronet in white, his tobacco burst, the Explorer and a few other guitars. My guess is by the time Alive rolled around he had DiMarzios in his guitars, maybe they weren't super distortions at the time but close to it.

ACE RULES!!!! I've heard he is trying very hard to get his life back in order and I am hoping e finshes up the solo album he hasbeen working on for sometime now and puts himself back on the map. I love Ace, probably wouldn't have started to learn guitar if not for Kiss.
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

In the early 70's there was a small club in Amityville N.Y. called the Daisy.
My buddy was in the house band there. Kiss bumped them out as the house
band. I will call him tommorow and see if he remember's Ace's exact setup
from that era? :)
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

Wattage said:
ACE RULES!!!! I've heard he is trying very hard to get his life back in order and I am hoping e finshes up the solo album he hasbeen working on for sometime now and puts himself back on the map.
Click to expand...

+1

This thread started out with the statement that Ace is not the greatest guitar player of all time, but I think he is a great player. He has a unique take on pentatonic blues licks that he has forged inito a highly distinctive and original style. His classic solos are proper structured pieces that always fit the song perfectly. The sometime simplicity of his style also makes it immediate and accessible, and that in turn has made him an important influence on many younger guitarists.

kmcguitars said:
In the early 70's there was a small club in Amityville N.Y. called the Daisy.
My buddy was in the house band there. Kiss bumped them out as the house
band. I will call him tommorow and see if he remember's Ace's exact setup
from that era? :)
Click to expand...

:cool3: :cool3: :cool3: That would make some interesting reading! :dance:

I wonder if Ace remembers Ace's exact setup from that era. :smack:
 
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Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I heard a great story from an early KISS gig at the Daisy. Gene's makeup was running down into his eyes a bit and apprently he hadn't quite his God of Thunder/Satyr thing yet and he was doing his tongue licking thing to a guy with long blonde hair that he thought was a lady since he couldn't quite see. Well the blonde got up and knocked Gene right out! :laugh2: God that had to be hysterical!

Ace also had a DC LP that I always thought was an Ibanez Artist but apparently it was some oddball that apparently escaped the Gibson factory. I think String and Things has something on it at their website.

13d1bd250.jpg
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

kmcguitars said:
In the early 70's there was a small club in Amityville N.Y. called the Daisy.
My buddy was in the house band there. Kiss bumped them out as the house
band. I will call him tommorow and see if he remember's Ace's exact setup
from that era? :)
Click to expand...
Simon_F said:
That would make some interesting reading!

I wonder if Ace remembers Ace's exact setup from that era.
Click to expand...
O.K. I finally got a hold of him. Not suprising... he recalls Ace useing a LP
into a Marshall. But... He did tell me some interesting KISS Trivia. When KISS
arrived at the Daisy They wore only Glitter on there faces. They where Billed
as New Yorks Strangest band at Long Islands Strangest Club By the Club
Owner Sid Benjerman. it was Sid's dauther who designed and applied the
now famous KISS makeup (althought she never got credit for it) His only other
memory or Ace was sitting at the bar drinking whiskey with him telling him
that KISS would NEVER make it with out a Keyboard player. :duh: :laugh2:
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

ya that smoke looks awesome, but i dont think i would be willing to mod a gibson lp liek that! i would cry if i had to see my guitar in smoke lol
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

kmcguitars said:
When KISS
arrived at the Daisy They wore only Glitter on there faces. They where Billed
as New Yorks Strangest band at Long Islands Strangest Club By the Club
Owner Sid Benjerman. it was Sid's dauther who designed and applied the
now famous KISS makeup (althought she never got credit for it) His only other
memory or Ace was sitting at the bar drinking whiskey with him telling him
that KISS would NEVER make it with out a Keyboard player. :duh: :laugh2:
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I wonder how much the makeup design is worth. Don't Simmons and Stanley own it as a trademark these days?

Imagine how big Kiss could have been if they'd taken the advice about the keyboard player :D
 
Re: Any Ace Frehley experts here?

I moved to NYC in 73 to join a band Ace had previously played in. When Kiss got their first advance from Casablanca Records Ace came by our place to show off his new Les Paul Standard in sunburst. This was prior to the first album being released. 2 months later we got signed to Casablanca and I bought a Les Paul!
 
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