Riff Tone

Detroit Rock City (Live)

Kiss

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (mid-70s, Ace Frehley signature modded for live use)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 100-watt head (model 1959, late-60s/early-70s, into Marshall 4x12 cabinets, live rig)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers (bridge), stock Gibson humbucker (neck)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, 1976-1977 era (Kiss Alive II tour). Ace Frehley used his Les Paul with DiMarzio Super Distortion in bridge, Marshall Super Lead head, no pedalboard for clean sections. Some sources mention Fender amps under the stage for added clean headroom, but main live rig was Marshall. No evidence of effects pedals or amp-based effects used for clean sections.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatetight and percussivechimey cleanno breakup or overdriveclear note separationslightly scooped midspunchy attackno ambience or reverbbridge pickup bitedynamic response to picking

Difficulty

The clean riff requires fast, accurate picking and tight muting to maintain clarity at tempo, but uses straightforward chord shapes and no advanced techniques.

Sources

Ace Frehley shoots down Kiss myths and tells war stories Ace Frehley and Slash on their love of the Les Paul, British blues ...My Guide To The Infamous Kiss Tone - Ultimate Guitar

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