It looked as though he needed it as Genes outfit weighs quite a lot thanks to all those theatrical additions. They have one album and a handful of collaborations, but thats not all. I do stuff because I get excited about it and then I hope that other people will get excited about it as well. Of course, it could also be so simple that the band and management felt that the new, more serious concept album KISS weren't properly represented by an instrument that looked like an Axe. Alas, by mid-1977 the cherised LoBue's days are numbered. Reports have varied throughout the years, but Gene is confident that hes been with thousands of partners. There is also a new, wider binding. Gibson havent let themselves down here at all, with this review model feeling lighter than it looks. It showed a mirror image of the #1 Spector and erroneously dubbed it a "Spectre" bass, even claiming it was the first "Spectre" ever made. At the time Spector only had two model bass guitars, the SB-1 and the SB-2. One of the Viewmaster pics show the thickness of the body to be almost double that of a regular bass. Thankfully, everyone walked away from the incident without any injuries. Talking with legendary rock 'n' roll musician, Gene Simmons, one thing becomes clear pretty quickhe likes a good thrill. Gibson Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird: Price Comparison, We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. The first change (mk II) is to simple clear lucite knobs with 1-10 numbers on them. That one night he dropped it and the neck broke in half." They cover the classic Kiss tones, from the walking lines of Strutter through to heavier hits likeCreatures Of The Night and beyond. Unfortunately it is exceedingly difficult to try and identify which Spector is which in most photos, even if they are well-lit. Then came the aftermath. Believe it or not, but Gene Simmons is actually a married man, even though the rockstar has been open about his alleged romances over the years. There is only one man that gave us the licks that inspired us to "Rock and Roll All Nite," - Gene Simmons, the legendary rock icon and bassist from KISS. Kiss legend Gene Simmons fondly recalls the days when a fledgling Rush would regularly play support to the panstick-sporting rockers. Gear 2021: Ending a big week for Gibson that began with the acquisition of Mesa/Boogie, the company has now announced a new partnership with Kiss icon Gene Simmons. 10 young bluesbreakers who are making the Blues fun again, Maybe Id move to Japan and try and be an English teacher! Mastodons Bill Kelliher on the future of the band, his love of Les Pauls and what hed do if he wasnt in the band. The very obvious absence of an Axe during 1990-95, with the possible . My bass is the only musical instrument that is an invention., Jokes abound about the level of KISS merchandise available, but the reality is that Simmons was ahead of his time in terms of understanding how to monetise and control his image and legacy, and trademark ownership has played a big part of that. Thats right; Parade reports that Gene used to teach sixth grade. LoBue custom. But for the Fridays TV appearance in January 1982 Spector #2 was back. An interesting aside is that the Grabber was the least expensive instrument in the Gibson 1975 catalogue, even cheaper than the Marauder that Paul smashed on a nightly basis. It was probably added to help the intonation problems inherent in any set bridge like the original, but this one proved problematic as the few surviving pictures show that the strings had a tendency to skip out of position. What are you waiting for. This particular version of the bass doesn't last long as both the bridge and the pickup are soon changed for mk IV. After all, his stage show is often filled with performances of him showing off his impressive tongue skills and has been argued as one of the most iconic poses of all times. Though the marriage only lasted for a few years, Gene Simmons her only son was born in . The women and shady affairs that destroyed Gene Simmons' life. Long believed to be a prototype for a possible Gibson Gene Simmons signature guitar, this bass is actually a heavily modified 60's Gibson EB-0. Some have defended their actions by saying they want to focus on the performance and not the live rendition of the songs, while others have denied lip-syncing at all. Stuart shaved down the normally bulbous horns of the SB-1 into points.". Lets face it; its no secret that some of our favorite celebrities have worked through some pretty mundane jobs before making their way to the top. It's been suggested that the incredible disappearing binding was masking tape that Gene himself applied during the hours of tedium on the tour bus. At the end of our show [I] walk offstage and I throw the guitar off the stage, and everyone gasps. The musician was behind some of the most legendary tunes of our time and left a huge mark on the world when he passed in 2016. In contrast, Spector #2 takes a serious beating throughout (the pics below span the entire tour). We'll let him know. There are masterclasses taught by Simmons himself that are only available to Axe buyers. Watch on. Nah Gene Simmons is a dick, and his bass lines are sometimes very simple, but he has this cool running bass thing going which is pretty unique and sounds cool. There is a photo as early as 77.08.19 in San Diego, CA that shows the white pickguard Thunderbird on stage during the pre-show setup. I still have 50 or so that are from the 70s but theyre available for sale. To those who might call Simmons a sellout, Simmons has a message, Damn right, bitch. Amit has been writing for titles likeTotal Guitar,MusicRadarandGuitar Worldfor over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences. A Tribute to the Pedulla 1988 MVP4 - The Gene Simmons Vampire Punisher. The thunder starts with a Shure U4D-UHF into a Radial JD-7 Injector. The Spector web site is clear on the matter: "The bass in the photo above [on the Spector web site, not featured here] is still in Gene's possession as far as we know. There is something else that Nick Simmons has been working on over the years, and it comes in the form of his graphic novel. For this tour Gene also mysteriously starts sporting a cable from the output jack. Earliest known appearance of this version is 75.05.06 in Milwaukee, WI. That certainly would have been one way to get the kids listening. "Kiss was born on 23rd Street. (The number of replicas that have turned up over the years is a clear indication of the bass' truly iconic status.) Believe it or not, but Gene is quite the entrepreneur when hes not working with the band. Overall there were some factual errors regarding the instruments during the Convention and the tour book was laughably incorrect. Gene Simmons went through the folder compiled for him, containing approximately 100 pages. This version of the bass was Gene's #1 bass more or less from 1973 until the summer of 1975 when he started altering it. There will be a guitar version and left-handed versions. Gene has claimed that he had it painted black before the start of the Alive! The bassist will bring back the Gene Simmons' Axe MasterClass for fans . Greg Kennelty. Gene Simmons has played all sorts of instruments over the years, from the Charlie LoBue custom bass guitar heard on the early Kiss albums to his own Punisher and Axe signatures, although for a while in the mid-70s Simmons did experiment with Gibson Grabbers and Rippers. Although he initially apologized for the incident, Gene also accused it of being highly exaggerated and misleading. It seems that we will never know the truth about what happened behind closed doors at the news network. The move to Gibsons during 1975 was purely financial. This guitar was purchased brand NEW in the year 2000! Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; Hebrew: , [aim vits]; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician.Also known by his stage persona the Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s. Speaking out against the genres meant it wasnt long before plenty of people had their own thoughts about the rockstar and Kiss. Ever the savvy businessman, Simmons ended up trademarking the term "Axe" as it refers to a musical instrument, as well as the shape of the bass. From there it goes out to an Empress Compressor and one of two Tech 21 VT-Bass 1969 amps. The technical info on the EB-0 is taken from the January 2007 issue of Vintage Guitar (also avilable online). Notice also the triangular "point" of the finish. The Gibson Gene Simmons G Thunderbird Bass is out now, priced 2,499 / $2,799. It turns out the people at Fox News were less than impressed with Genes alleged behavior as the security guards reportedly had to intervene and escort the star from the building. We now know that Gene Simmons doesnt always have the most popular opinions on people who use illegal substances. Sophie reportedly pestered major streaming sites instead. Things didnt get off to a good start as he accused them of playing a victim, but he made things even worse by stating in an interview that they should take their own lives. The passing of Prince was a tragic day for millions of fans across the world. So I ended that relationship and continued to make them on my own.. In 2013, the rockstar spoke about Amy and Kurts passing in a radio interview, where he said that just because they have passed, it doesnt mean theyre an icon. Of course, it didnt sit well. The Spector takes over as the #1 and during the early part of the Love Gun tour it is brought out only occasionally soon to disappear completely. I sell out every night., Just as different paintbrushes might inspire us to paint differently, the Axe is a very different instrument and commands a different vibe when it is played. Im clear about that. KISS frontman Gene Simmons delivers briefing at Pentagon podium that has not seen a spokesperson in almost a year By Tom Kludt , CNN Business Updated 10:54 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2019 In 1978 Gene recalled that: "[I used that bass] For about four years, until one night I threw it to my roadie. According to the Spector web site "Gene Simmons of mega-group KISS commissioned several Brooklyn Era SB-1 basses from Stuart in the late 1970's. 2023 Guitar.com is part of NME Networks. Now, Inc. estimates that Gene Simmons is worth a whopping $300 million. the #2 Spector got the nod. Gene Simmons: "Everything Vinnie Vincent did sounded like Yngwie Malmsteen on crack". Although the world learned that things werent always smooth on their ride to the altar, the pair have been married ever since. Sadly, in 2014, Gene upset quite a few people during an interview with HuffPost Live. I think it's fair to say that Gene's techs have made quite imaginative use of simple black tape throughout the years. Sadly, Gene Simmons wasnt impressed with the look. G, from Gene to Gibson, will introduce new collections of right and left-handed electric guitars and basses across . . But, far be it from Gene to play an off-the-rack bass in standard configuration for long. However, some. It seems this only made Gene even angrier than ever. The headstock featured Gene's autograph and the pointy shape of the head was mirrored by a bizarre pointed part below the bridge. Before we move forward we need to take a step back (and get a little ahead of ourselves) and adress a slight "wrinkle" in the photos. The one pic I've seen from San Antonio 77.11.22 is inconclusive as far as what knobs are on the bass. - Bass Certificate of authenticity signed by Gene Simmons. It can be tough for any celebritys child to make a name for themselves when their parents are Hollywood royalty. At first, people thought that Gene was trying to trademark the image itself. Skip to main content. It has also been suggested that this one is actually from 1981 but that would make it later than the production model Kramer Axe which would cast some doubt on Carr's statement above. Sadly, the truth isnt quite so exciting as Gene apparently discovered he had an impressively long tongue when he was 13 years old and realized it was a hit with the ladies. The body and hardware can be shaped in any number of ways. Like the best signature models, this is an instrument that ultimately inspires you to sound and play like the musician behind it, while also being capable of a lot more, from Motown to country, and with the right kind of EQ scoop and compression, even slapped funk even if its not aimed at such musicians. Jan 11, 2009. so I read an article years ago where it talked about gene simmons' live rig, but i couldn't find any info anywhere and the magazine is long gone, so I spoke with his tech Spike and he said basically this is it: 1 SVT-2 Pro. 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