Paul Stanley of KISS raves about Tokai and Greco in Dec GP

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detroitace

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Hello all,

I just got the latest issue of Guitar Player magazine. There's a column in there called 'legends' and this month's subject is Paul Stanley of KISS fame.

When asked why they never got a deal with Gibson even though the band always thanked them on albums, he replied, "...it's no secret that, back in the 70's and 80's a lot of the Japanese companies were murdering the American companies in terms of quality. God knows the Tokai Love Rock les Paul copies blew away a lot of the guitars they were emulating. And the best Start I ever owned was a Greco!. I did my first solo album on an Ibanez Les Paul."

I think we all know that KISS regularly used Grecos on tour, especially in Japan, but it's fun to see it in print all the same.

I wonder what Tokais he has in his collection?

BTW, he's playing a new looking Washburn prototype? that looks like the Ravelle from Fernandes. Cool looking, indeed, though I don't go for the white custom look.

-- Bill
 
About 4 years ago when Tokai had an upstairs booth at Winter NAMM it was located right next to the door that the celebs would be wisked in and out of. As Paul (in full makeup) was headed back out to his limo he saw the booth and stated very loudly that "those are awesome guitars" or something similar.

Now if I can just get my band to play some KISS...
 
NOT TO OFFEND ANY ONE, PLEASE, just my 1cw
but KIZZ sucks!!

I commend the remarks re TOKAI guitars as they really are amazing

Sometimes my boss puts a CD on with KIZZ the greatest and it is the kind of Rock'n Roll you listen to when you don't want Rock'n Roll!

Riffs are starting out great but they never take off!!

Listen to Mountain, Leslie West, Uriah Heep, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Wishbone Ash, Deep Purple etc etc etc they knew how to take off from the riffs into great sounding solos, breaks etc
Hawk
 
Paul Stanley had a Greco/banez model with an odd body shape(M and PS=Paul Stanley models) some time ago,then was reissue again.
There was a 3 pickups Ace Frehley model in both Greco and Burny flavours too.
 
Hawkeye2, listen to Alive!, the live rock album that broke it open. The studio albums never quite captured what KISS was all about, but this double live album still stands as one of the great rock albums of all time.

Countless pro guitar players have been influenced by the riffs and solos off that album. Pure energy, man!

-- Bill
 
some may think they suck but they did write what should be this site`s theme song about Tokais... " I was Born for Lovin` You Baby "...or something like that.
 
Both the Ibanez Iceman and the Tokai Love Rock rule. Got an old and a new one of each! ;)

Don't have a PS model Iceman though, a) too expensive & b) I have always hated KISS. Nice guitars though. ;)
 
Kiss Alive is without a doubt THE greatest rock guitar album ever. I'm really not a huge Kiss fan but if you get a chance go back and re-listen to Paul and Ace's guitar work together and really LISTEN to what they are doing and it is a clinic on how two players should play, absolutely GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob
 
I guess some people would be of the opinion that I should be ashamed to admit this.....but KISS was THE reason that I picked up a guitar back in the '70's....I joined a band and played around the Sydney rock scene alongside AC/DC and the Angels(they were'nt called the Angels in those days)
The sound...the larger than life theatrics....I was hooked...KISS "Rock and Roll over" was the first real rock album i ever got.
The next defining moment in my guitar education was seeing Thin Lizzy with Gary Moore live in Sydney in 1979.
 
I didn?t like KISS until a few years ago.. mainly because of all the visuals and parody..... but then, I came to a conclusion... hey.. it?s only rock and roll... sometimes people take rock and roll too seriously (used to do that too). :wink: and began to enjoy a few songs.. not my favourite band by a longshot.. but.. not that bad... :wink:
 
KISS have withstood the test of time because they are good songwriters. Plain & simple. If their songs sucked, they would have never been more than just another odd New York band.

Paul Stanley is a MUCH better guitarist than he gets credit for.

Cool to see Paul acknowledge Tokai like he did!
 
plexirocker68 said:
go back and re-listen to Paul and Ace's guitar work together........ it is a clinic on how two players should play, absolutely GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bob

For a REAL clinic on how two guitar players can play together;

Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson.
Duane Allman & Dickie Betts
Andy Powell & Ted Turner


I think that about covers everything. :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
jawilluk said:
For a REAL clinic on how two guitar players can play together;

Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson.
Duane Allman & Dickie Betts
Andy Powell & Ted Turner


I think that about covers everything. :D :D :D :D :D :D

Don't forget:

Glen Tipton & K. K. Downing
Dave Murray & Adrian Smith (& Janick Gers, too :D )
 
RedFish_Happy said:
Ozeshin said:
Yeah...the Maiden guitar work was greatly influenced by Lizzy.

I don't think so! Steve Harris was a fan of Wishbone Ash, so the early Maiden was influenced by WA not so much by Lizzy! :wink:

Ah yes - Now WISHBONE ASH are a propper guitar band - check out their web site at www.wishboneash.com - they still tour with Andy Powell on guitar, and every now and then the occasional original members drop into their gigs for mini reunions, they are my favourite band. Less commercial than Lizzy which accounts for everyone raving on about lizzy (quality band mind you) when it was Turner and Powell that were doing the stuff first!!

If anyone is interested in learning a few Wishbone Ash songs, my guitar tab site with fan contributed tabs is here:

http://www.biscuit.f2s.com/wishbone-ash-guitar-tabs.htm

Cheers
 
I don't think so! Steve Harris was a fan of Wishbone Ash, so the early Maiden was influenced by WA not so much by Lizzy!

Maiden covered Thin Lizzy's massacre on the b-side of the Can I play with Madness single.

The bomber has many influences - WA and UFO being the most well known. He's also on record as discussing influences such as Montrose, Golden Earing, Genesis and many more. Although the twin guitar thing in Maiden is often attributed to Steve's love of Wishbone Ash, I can recall an interview with Adrian Smith and Dave Murray were Lizzy were discussed in depth.

I've been listening to a lot of UFO recently and there's a real maiden feel to a lot of their stuff - you can see where a lot of the Maiden sound came from.

KISS RULE by the way !!!!!! I always thought Paul Stanley was one dude who knows his guitars :D
 

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