Riff Tone

Childhood's End

Kiss

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (Ace Frehley signature or similar, likely with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup)

AmpMarshall Superlead or Marshall JCM 900 (studio recording, 1997 Carnival of Souls era)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion (bridge humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid6

treble6.5

reverb2

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Childhood's End' (Carnival of Souls, 1997). Ace Frehley was not in the band at this time; Bruce Kulick played the guitar parts. Bruce Kulick is known to use ESP guitars with Seymour Duncan pickups and Marshall amps in this era, but sources for this specific song are lacking. Most Kiss rhythm tones of the era used Marshall amps with minimal pedals. No evidence of live-specific gear for this song.

Tone Character(10)

thick and richclear string definitionBritish crunchtight palm mutingfocused low endslightly scooped midsarticulate attackmid-gain classic rock soundnot overly saturatedclassic Kiss riff tone

Difficulty

The riff requires solid palm muting and rhythmic accuracy but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed, making it accessible to intermediate players.

Sources

Kiss Amp Settings - Nail that Ace Frehley Guitar Tone!My Guide To The Infamous Kiss Tone Ace Frehley's Les Pauls, Guitar Gear & Rig | Equipboard

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