Riff Tone

God of Thunder

Kiss

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (mid-1970s, likely Ace Frehley's main studio guitar at the time)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 100 (Plexi, 1959 model, typical for Ace Frehley in 1976 studio sessions)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers (bridge position, period-correct for Ace Frehley on Destroyer)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Destroyer' (1976). Ace Frehley played the main riff section. No evidence of pedals or effects used on the riff section; distortion comes from amp. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Marshall Plexi usage for classic rock. No evidence of live/touring gear or alternate guitars for this section.

Tone Character(10)

thick and mid-heavyaggressive and percussiveBritish crunchfull-bodied and saturatedtight palm-muted chugsraw and unpolishedslightly compressed attackbridge humbucker biteamp-driven distortionclassic 1970s hard rock

Difficulty

The riff is not technically complex but demands tight timing, heavy pick attack, and consistent palm muting to capture the song's signature groove and heaviness.

Sources

r/KISS - help with guitar tone What guitars did Paul and Ace use on their '70s albums?Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons talk classic Kiss tracks

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