Riff Tone

Shock Me

Kiss

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (1970s, likely 1973 tobacco burst)

AmpMarshall Super Lead 100 (Plexi, late 1960s/early 1970s, dimed)

PickupsDiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker (bridge position, 1970s spec)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1977. Ace Frehley ran his Les Paul straight into a cranked Marshall Super Lead 100 with no pedals or effects for the rhythm/riff section. No evidence of effects loop or additional processing on the guitar track for the riff. All sources confirm 'cable to amp' with no pedals or effects for rhythm. Pickup selector set to bridge. Settings estimated based on era, amp, and genre as no numeric values are given in sources.

Tone Character(10)

raw and punchymid-forward British crunchtight and articulateaggressive bridge pickup bitefull-bodied with clear note separationdynamic and responsive to pickingslightly compressed from amp saturationno added ambience or effectsclassic hard rock rhythm soundunprocessed, direct amp tone

Difficulty

The riff requires solid timing, tight rhythm, and dynamic picking to achieve the signature crunch, but uses straightforward power chords and no advanced techniques.

Sources

Interview: Greg Collins - KISS' Sonic Boom Producer - Premier Guitar Free-Wheelin' Ace Frehley Fires Up His “Shock Me” Solo Ace Frehley on the mystery of his guitar style

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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