Riff Tone

Hotter Than Hell

Kiss

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1973 Charles Lobue Custom V (Paul Stanley) or Gibson Les Paul Standard (Ace Frehley)

AmpMarshall Superlead 100 (Ace Frehley) or Marshall Plexi (Paul Stanley); possibly Fender Champ for some overdubs

PickupsDual humbuckers (likely Gibson PAF-style or DiMarzio Super Distortion for Ace, unknown for Lobue V but likely humbuckers)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb0.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1974. Rhythm riff section. Paul Stanley used his Charles Lobue Custom V with two humbuckers, Ace Frehley used a Gibson Les Paul Standard with humbuckers. Amps were Marshall Superlead 100s, possibly a souped-up Fender Champ for some overdubs. No evidence of pedals or effects in the riff section; direct guitar-to-amp signal chain.

Tone Character(10)

powerful and anthemiccrunchy British overdrivewarm, thick midrangetight, punchy attackaggressive yet melodicdirect and unprocessedclassic rock rhythm crunchdistinct, percussive rhythmno audible effects or ambienceslightly compressed, focused sound

Difficulty

The riff is based on straightforward power chords and driving rhythm, requiring tight muting and aggressive picking but no advanced techniques.

Sources

Kiss Members, Gear & Sound Kiss: Hotter Than Hell | Guitar World Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons talk classic Kiss tracks Ace Frehley shoots down Kiss myths and tells war stories | Guitar World

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