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Kiss And Tell: Ace Frehley On Les Paul Guitars

It could be argued that Ace Frehley was the most influential guitarist of the ’70s. When Kiss hit its commercial peak, there was no rock band more entrenched in the minds of America’s youth. Frehley teamed up with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss to form Kiss in New York City in 1973; they donned outrageous makeup and costumes and assumed comic-book hero personas. Though Criss wore the feline face paint, it’s Frehley who seems to have had nine lives. After leaving Kiss in 1982, Frehley embarked on a solo career, releasing three albums and compiling a laundry list of troubles that included drug and alcohol addiction, bankruptcy and high-speed car chases with the police. The now sober Frehley is set to release Anomaly, his first solo album in two decades. Read our Q&A with him.

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Ace Frehley: What can I say about the Les Paul guitar? It’s part of my sound. Nothing comes close to a Les Paul, in my opinion. I’m always asked how I get my classic sound. It’s pretty simple. Get a Les Paul and a Marshall amp, then turn that Marshall up to 10, and there you have it! I’m proud to have had Gibson make my own Les Paul Ace Frehley Signature guitar in 1997. It was one of their fastest sellers. My new signature guitar comes out in a few months. It’s gonna have a blue flame top and was designed by me. I’m sure I’ll be using it on my world tour this fall.