Riff Tone

Cold Gin (Live/1975 - 2025 Remaster)

Kiss

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (Tobacco Burst, 1970s)

AmpMarshall 100-watt head (likely Super Lead or JMP, 4x12 cabinet)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (likely T-Top or Patent Sticker, stock 1970s Les Paul Standard)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass5.5

mid6

treble7.5

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, 1975 (Alive! era). Ace Frehley states he used his Les Paul Standard into a Marshall 100-watt head with a 4x12 cabinet, no pedals, and kept the setup simple. No evidence of effects or pedals used in the riff section. No evidence of amp reverb or built-in effects. Microphones used for live recording (Shure SM57 and ribbon mic) but not part of the guitar signal chain.

Tone Character(10)

thick and punchyaggressive British crunchtight low endbright and cutting highsmidrange biteraw and uncompressedpercussive attacksaturated but articulateclassic hard rock driveno audible effects or ambience

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward but requires tight rhythm, consistent palm muting, and a strong pick attack to achieve the classic hard rock crunch.

Sources

“Kiss just had an attitude back then. The four of us were so different, but when we got together it was magic!”: How lead guitarist Ace Frehley wrote and recorded his first classic Kiss song | MusicRadar Ace Frehley on the mystery of his guitar style | Guitar World help with guitar tone : r/KISS - Reddit How To Play Cold Gin By Kiss - Guitar Lesson - YouTube

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