In the end the long-scale neck and the rather elaborate Q-system electronics probably proved unnecessary for Gene's no-frills style. Instead, roadies would allegedly hand Gene a cup of theater blood at some point in the performance. Amazingly, that could have been the case for Gene Simmons as The Washington Post claims that he was in a relationship with Cher in the 1980s. It seems that not using Gene Simmons name meant she was on her own, and Sophie quickly had to find another way to make her dreams come true. That Gene managed to play that bass and actually got something resembling music from it is a true accomplishment. This time it looks like a fairly standard Fender bridge (mk V). It wasnt long before people were outraged by the comments, and Gene was forced to apologize. "[The Grabber] was a well built instrument that weighed a ton, [] the body was too big and I couldn't move as easily with the thing. Okay, its not always simple to figure out how much someone is worth, especially when their name is tied to a well-known company or, in this case, a band. Once you do, the ceramic magnets in the Rhythm and Lead T-Bird humbuckers pack a powerful and immediate response, with no shortage of punch and depth, making for a bass that sounds, much like the American groups landmark 1975 release, truly alive. According to the Spector web site "Gene Simmons of mega-group KISS commissioned several Brooklyn Era SB-1 basses from Stuart in the late 1970's. None of the known LoBue basses had a bridge like this so it was probably not LoBue's work. There was a reason that so many people tried to live the life of groupies. Fender teams up with Mastodon's Troy Sanders for well-spec'd Silverburst signature P-Bass, Zoom unveils new B2 Four bass multi-effects pedal, with Multi-Layer IR, 300 patches and a 60-second looper, 50 years ago: The Runaways guitarist Lita Ford was invited to replace John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin, Jeff Berlin explains why playing bass is like playing kazoo, To be honest, I'm not really a bass player. . In fact, it couldnt be further from the truth. Theres a lot to like about this costly Thunderbird, from its searing hot tones to that striking mirror-on-black aesthetic. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Nah Gene Simmons is a dick, and his bass lines are sometimes very simple, but he has this cool running bass thing going which is pretty unique and sounds cool. To highlight a detail that entered the story a little earlier when the Fender bridge was installed I've chosen these particular pics. There is a photo as early as 77.08.19 in San Diego, CA that shows the white pickguard Thunderbird on stage during the pre-show setup. We asked the man himself. The body and hardware can be shaped in any number of ways. What is a guitar but a collection of wood, magnets and metals? Or maybe the rather strange decision to use the Axe for a song like Reason to live during the Crazy Nights tour drove home the point that the Axe was a somewhat odd fit for the image at the time. In order to cover the screw holes from the original (and replacement) stringmount below the then-current bridge cover, Gene's tech simply added a piece of what appear to be electrical tape. His. There was little change as the band headed into 1974 and started on what would turn out to be a lifetime of heavy touring. You've written some truly timeless basslines over the years so what exactly is the Gene Simmons guide to finding the perfect part? His many accomplishments include his work as an outstanding actor and television actor, guitarist, singer, singer-songwriter, film producer, composer, voice actor, blogger, songwriter, and record producer, to name a few. Spector #2 was also a part of the traveling circus that was The Return of KISS but it doesn't seem to have gotten much action. Gene Simmons went through the folder compiled for him, containing approximately 100 pages. Its one of the most distinctive signature models of all time, but how did the KISS Demon come up with his trusty four-string? What one can argue is that it seems highly unlikely that a rear output jack would be placed on the upper part of the body, far away from the rest of the electronics.). LoBue custom Fender P-bass. It turned out that some people thought the reason Incarnate was doing so well was all because Nick allegedly stole ideas from other major mangas. . Length: 42 in, Width: 14.5 in, Depth: 1.5 in. One of the least used basses in Gene's arsenal, the Gibson Les Paul Triumph doesn't appear in any live photographs from 1976. Gene Simmons Punisher 2 Bass. Gene Simmons of KISS will be hosting a MasterClass event in Las Vegas next month, where he will teach bass and songwriting. Some people love to embrace every different type of music, while others prefer to stick to what they know. Although he managed to get it back up and running, the group quickly took Gene down again to try and take away his voice on the matter. Not only did Terry tell the rockstar that she thought it was a really obnoxious thing to say, but Gene initially refused to let the interview hit the air. The move to Gibsons during 1975 was purely financial. Gene's version is either a '76 or '77 ebony version that was modfied from the get-go. In 1977 the most common location of this mini switch was more or less right below the volume knob (with the bass seen in the playing position), and certain pics show what appear to be a piece of tape (or in some cases a dab of paint) covering up something. Shannon Tweed - Now Whether or not this is the first Axe that Gene got or not is something of a mystery. As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! The luthier and Gene's fellow NYC resident (whom Gene describes as a consummate craftsman, something he feels is missing in today's world), would build Gene his first custom bass. I heard there's a special package including one of your Axe or Punisher basses. More importantly, however, this feels like a real Thunderbird and being handmade in the USA, it very much is one, with an incredibly resonant mahogany body that rings loud acoustically beforeyouve even plugged it in. Reports have varied throughout the years, but Gene is confident that hes been with thousands of partners. Right after the guitar was purchased, it was immediately packed in its hard case along with all of the items the guitar came with, which included: The Certificate of Authenticity, the original Gene Simmons hard . Kiss legend Gene Simmons fondly recalls the days when a fledgling Rush would regularly play support to the panstick-sporting rockers. Jan 11, 2009. so I read an article years ago where it talked about gene simmons' live rig, but i couldn't find any info anywhere and the magazine is long gone, so I spoke with his tech Spike and he said basically this is it: 1 SVT-2 Pro. The LoBue worked tirelessly night in and night out and didn't go through any changes except the wear and tear of heavy use. Simmons is announcing a new signature bass guitar in collaboration with Gibson, called the Gene Simmons G Thunderbird Bass. Realtor.com. Sadly, Steve Carr passed away in 2006 which probably means that this part of the Axe story will forever be shrouded in mystery. Gene Simmons, bass guitarist for Kiss, gets ready to breathe fire during the crescendo of "Firehouse," a number performed during a concert in Hartford, Conn., Feb. 18, 1977. Although the world learned that things werent always smooth on their ride to the altar, the pair have been married ever since. Of course, being so open about his relationships hasnt always sat well with everyone else. A Tribute to the Pedulla 1988 MVP4 - The Gene Simmons Vampire Punisher. That one night he dropped it and the neck broke in half." There is only one man that gave us the licks that inspired us to "Rock and Roll All Nite," - Gene Simmons, the legendary rock icon and bassist from KISS. Gene has gone through quite a few different basses over the years. One of the many things that fans often cant wait to see is Gene Simmons performing his famous blood-spitting routine. For many years, Simmons' primary . "You can get a Gene Simmons Axe or Punisher signed; they go from $5,000 to $15,000. Photographic evidence doesn't allow for three #1 Spectors, there are only two. Fans of the band get to enjoy an entire performance thats been carefully choreographed to be an experience like none other in the world. The Serial Number for this Gene Simmons KISS: PUNISHER Bass Guitar is: #00896. Thats not the only time that Gene has opened up about his relationships away from the cameras, as the rockstar later confessed that hed actually been with up to 5,000 different women. In 2012, Madonna fans were in for a treat as the pop star was lined up to star at the Super Bowl halftime show. From lunch boxes to credit cards and everything in between, it seems theres no shortage of Kiss-themed things on the market as even caskets are on the menu, meaning the brand is estimated to be worth $1 billion. Overview. It turned out that Gene wasnt happy for a hip-hop group to get a spot in the hall his bands called home since 2014. The Gibson Gene Simmons G Thunderbird Bass is out now, priced 2,499 / $2,799. There is a bass resembling the Grabber, based on the headstock, standing offstage in a pic from 76.02.01, in. 10 young bluesbreakers who are making the Blues fun again, Maybe Id move to Japan and try and be an English teacher! Mastodons Bill Kelliher on the future of the band, his love of Les Pauls and what hed do if he wasnt in the band. Would you believe that hes been building a business empire for himself since he was back in college? [*] The shape of the bass was indeed completely original in that it was custom shaped but it wasn't an original design. The one below from Cleveland 79.07.19 is the only one I've found that is actually from 1979. Kiss's always-colorful bassist reflects on how he and Paul Stanley wrestled with the band's identity - and Vinnie Vincent's unorthodox, fleet-fingered ideas - on Creatures of the Night, 40 years on. Which is why, in addition to some of the cosmetic alterations the Axe has gone through over the years, we often see them with different pickups and hardware as well, as Simmons explained, A pickup is subject to the wood and the body shape. Then came the aftermath. (Plenty of 1980 shots are improperly labeled 1979 online. The bass guitar's mahogany body produces crisp tone with plenty of heavy bass for that signature Detroit Rock City sound. These are smaller, all black with a small white dot that shows the naught setting (mk III). At the time Spector only had two model bass guitars, the SB-1 and the SB-2. Perhaps the black blade wasn't quite "axe-like" enough because it was summarily refinished a matte silver by 79.06.20 when the promo videos were shot in Savannah. (And the look of the #1s from behind betrays no evidence of a rear output jack but in all fairness the entire bass isn't visible. And the first time I used this was on New Year's Eve, Dubai, 2020. For Gene Simmons, playing with Kiss is more than being in a rock and roll band; its about being part of a rock and roll brand. Perhaps its no wonder that Gene has taken his idea of branding the band to the top and cultivated quite the brand over the years? The offstage shot also gives us the first look at the tape coverup of the original bridge holes as discussed below, thus beginning Gene's long use of tape coverups. During the time they were selling in Spencer's, various companies manufactured the . Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Meet Gene On Tour. The rockstar was born in Israel where Gene says his family lived in extreme poverty before they saved enough to emigrate to the States and start a new life. The string of prototypes that Carr eluded to were probably the ones shown below. I don't often have a lot of good things to say about . Following up on this thread, I found an article on one of the Gibson basses Gene Simmons used in the early years of KISS. Its one thing to date two of the biggest names in music, and its something entirely different to break up their friendship as a result. The two entities have teamed up for G, which will offer multiple electric guitar and bass collections across Gibson Brands, including Gibson, Epiphone and Kramer. The bass on the right is slightly more problematic. Or why not treat yourself? All of the basses are built at a shop in South Korea [although there are some specialty one-off builds done in the USA by master builder, Jim Cara]. KISS frontman Gene Simmons delivers briefing at Pentagon podium that has not seen a spokesperson in almost a year By Tom Kludt , CNN Business Updated 10:54 AM EDT, Fri May 17, 2019 The axe-shape body has the same style and flare as the demon's own, complete with a painted silver blade on a shiny black . Its difficult for me to walk past a mirror without stopping to say, yo, whats up?. 1 bass for Gene and the exceedingly brief appearance of the Fender Precision is only in the role of backup. Then, all he needs to do is let it start trickling from his mouth to up the performance. These days the basses are available through his own website [GeneSimmonsAxe.com] and every Axe Bass is built by hand, and is personally inspected by Simmons before being shipped to the customer. The first G model is a Thunderbird Bass. It's akin to a Thunderbird bridge but appears to be slightly larger. This Gene Simmons Punisher Bass is a rare, limited edition bass that swept through the Spencer's stores in malls throughout the US. As Simmons explains, "because I owned the name and the design, it qualifies as an invention in the library of congress. The body of the instrument is shaped like the . More highs can then be cut using the master tone knob, allowing for softer, jazzier tones when dialled in clean a nice option tohave, even if Simmons himself tends not to go there. The bass checked . "I just had a guy named Stuart Spector build me one with a longer neck. I dont care, it doesnt mean anything to me.. Modifications soon follow of course. Gene Simmons and his son, Nick, have been spotted at a handful of events together over the years. Greg Kennelty. He is the God Of Thunder, after all. Plenty of articles can tell you what the Axe is, the wood and the metal the specs, but to get the real insight on what this legendary instrument meansyou have to go to the source, the man whos been playing it all these years, Mr Gene Simmons himself. According to the Spector web site "Gene Simmons of mega-group KISS commissioned several Brooklyn Era SB-1 basses from Stuart in the late 1970's. Some of the modifications included a special gloss black paint job with white binding along the sides of the body. [*] The reddish Grabber was re-finished since Gibson never offered the Grabber in any kind of metal flake finish. The application claimed that Gene first used the gesture in 1974 while posing for a photo with the legend that is Dave Grohl. Gene Simmons, bassist and co-vocalist of rock band Kiss, looks back on the band's career, and how he has been in charge of the group's highly lucrative business affairs. In 1978 Gene recalled that: "[I used that bass] For about four years, until one night I threw it to my roadie. I've scammed people all this time The world of Jean-Jacques Burnel. These pics, which found their way into the later versions of the tour book, show the bass with a black blade and black knobs. Not once in the Gene Simmons/Bass Player interview (July 1996) does Simmons ever claim . A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. 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