Over the group's 42 . Many people thought Gene was talking about those who suffer from their mental health. That certainly would have been one way to get the kids listening. [**]. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons told UCR about his artistic endeavors during an exclusive interview in August 2021. . There are no actual live shots of the bass and after the promo videos it just disappears never to be seen again. As the photos show there is a marked difference in the shape of the lower horn, most easily seen in the shots of the back. Talking with legendary rock 'n' roll musician, Gene Simmons, one thing becomes clear pretty quickhe likes a good thrill. I've scammed people all this time The world of Jean-Jacques Burnel. [****] Personal communication with Jack Williamson who asked Free about the matter. The rockstar has been open about how hes never tried illegal substances and says that he doesnt get along with people who dabble with narcotics or those who have a dark cloud over their heads.. The women and shady affairs that destroyed Gene Simmons' life. Love him or hate him, Gene Simmons has probably become one of the most high-profile ambassadors of electric bass since Kiss released its self-titled debut album in 1974. We're sorry-this item is unavailable. This mkV version stays unmolested for the remainder of 1979, the last photographic evidence being from 79.12.06. )Although not as obvious this is also seen in the pic from Toledo 76.07.30. Perhaps most importantly of all, it's a bass that's tailor-made for conjuring this larger-than-life character's earth-conquering tones. Add in a healthy dose of compression or overdrive, as well as some heavily repeating delays, andits hard not to picture a possessed Simmons spitting out blood infront of you, screaming Oh yeah! before attacking that open low note in God Of Thunder. (Plenty of 1980 shots are improperly labeled 1979 online. Gene Simmons Punisher 2 Bass. The application claimed that Gene first used the gesture in 1974 while posing for a photo with the legend that is Dave Grohl. . Apparently, Gene has always been obsessed with comic books and knows some of the biggest names who have worked on the art over the years, but it was getting his hands on certain Golden Age books and turning them around for $10,000 each that really saw the money start rolling in from a young age. Whatever the case, it wasnt long before Gene Simmons had something to say about it all. Founding KISS bassist Gene Simmons has partnered with Gibson for a new line of electric guitars and basses dubbed G. One of the many things that fans often cant wait to see is Gene Simmons performing his famous blood-spitting routine. If Gene tried to use the Carr Axe live it probably turned out to be too heavy for use. This is one of first Gene Simmons (KISS) signed Axe Basses made available to the public. Things didnt get off to a good start as he accused them of playing a victim, but he made things even worse by stating in an interview that they should take their own lives. Viewed as a whole it is obvious that the LoBue was far and away Gene's favorite. Sometimes the paintbrush can be just as beautiful as the art it inspires and creates. Now, 46 years later, he and Gibson are teaming up for G2, a new line of basses and guitars announced this past week during the NAMM conference. First seen in Detroit on 78.01.20, these knobs will thankfully stay on for quite some time. 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? But, far be it from Gene to play an off-the-rack bass in standard configuration for long. I have a very large ego, dont wonder about that! Find out more about how we test. . (Also seen in Lund, Sweden. Earliest known appearance of this version is 75.05.06 in Milwaukee, WI. At first, people thought that Gene was trying to trademark the image itself. "Well, that is very kind of you to say. This version of the bass was Gene's #1 bass more or less from 1973 until the summer of 1975 when he started altering it. There was little change as the band headed into 1974 and started on what would turn out to be a lifetime of heavy touring. This feels like a real Thunderbird and being handmade in the USA, it very much is one, with an incredibly resonant mahogany body. (My original theory was that the blade was originally silver and refinished black but the dating of the photo shoots are well-established.) Some time in November mk VII shows up. The result? Gone is the original witch-hat knob, in its stead we find a black speed knob. All that twerking and tongue flashing was enough to change peoples minds about the star. There's a high-gloss, mirror-like finish on the body and headstock, added rivules on the body near the pickup, and, true to form, a hole where there should be (or had been) a tone knob. The first known sighting of this bass is on 75.08.09 and it doesn't seem to survive 1975. Thankfully, everyone walked away from the incident without any injuries. The caption next to this Axe bass noted that it was a limited-edition built by Kramer. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. As Simmons explains, "because I owned the name and the design, it qualifies as an invention in the library of congress. There is a bass resembling the Grabber, based on the headstock, standing offstage in a pic from 76.02.01, in. The pair have been together since 1983, with Gene telling People that theyve been happily unmarried most of that time. 15155. Sadly, things didnt quite work out for the star. John Lennon's Gibson J-160E went for $2.4 million at Julien's Auctions in 2015. There was once a time that Gene Simmons appeared to be on Fox News at every waking moment. An erstwhile acquaintance of LoBue's who handled the bass in its mkVI incarnation in New Jersey 76.07.10 has suggested that almost all the modifications were done by Charlie or the Guitar Lab rather than Gene's tech. At the time Spector only had two model bass guitars, the SB-1 and the SB-2. LoBue custom Gibson Grabber Gibson Ripper. The one in the middle does feature the pointy headstock that was a feature of all of the guitars Carr built for KISS (see Ace's mini-Explorer and Paul's Star guitar for instance). The Kramer Axe was fine for playback but for one of very few live TV performances (the first one since 1974?) Get the latest and greatest Guitar news with one of our guitar magazine subscriptions. Whether or not the change to the new bridge occured earlier than Cobo Hall 76.01.25 is anybody's guess. The clear knobs make the transition into the new year appearing in Chicago on 78.01.15. Rock fans everywhere might disagree as Gene Simmons believes its time to give up on the genre. 1979 saw the introduction of the Axe bass into Gene's repertoire and the beginning of a life-long association. The pickup becomes a Gibson EB-0 style, something that Gene had experimented with before (the Fender he used during the Wicked Lester days) and it would be the last pickup change for the LoBue. According to Simmons' tech at (13:16), "This is the main bass for the show. It can be easy to think that Gene Simmons views comic books as nothing more than a way to make some extra money on the side. The three-night stand in Detroit from 77.01.27, represented here by the pro-shot video from the third night, is the first sighting of the last incarnation of the LoBue (mk VIII). The final change in a very short time frame was the addition of a Gibson chrome bridge cover (mk VI). He is the God Of Thunder, after all. After the re-finish (more info below) the coverup disappears, most likely because the hole was filled before the finish was applied. The contrast between the ebony nitrocellulose lacquer finish against the mirrorplex pickguard and truss-rod cover is eye-catching, treading thefine line between modern edge and classic finesse. The two Gs have teamed to launch G - a whole range of electric guitar and bass . To top it off, Gene says that he has a Polaroid photo of each of his partners from over the years and a hotel key firm the night they spent together. He decided years ago that she'd already been through enough having survived the horrors of the Holocaust, and he didn't want to break her heart by becoming a drug addict. Published. "The first instruments are the Thunderbird basses, which will come in a few different colors. The first change (mk II) is to simple clear lucite knobs with 1-10 numbers on them. Long believed to be a prototype for a possible Gibson Gene Simmons signature guitar, this bass is actually a heavily modified 60's Gibson EB-0. All of his business-savvy moves and investing in several companies, such as a financial company, a restaurant chain, and a sports team, means hes earned quite the fortune over the years. Ever the savvy businessman, Simmons ended up trademarking the term Axe as it refers to a musical instrument, as well as the shape of the bass. Apparently, the staff were all in a meeting when Gene burst into the room - unannounced. Greg Kennelty. It even has the original pickup right up to the end of 1980. John Lennon's Gibson J-160E Acoustic-Electric - $2.4 Million. Simmons was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of . . 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. Spector #1 Spector #2 Thunderbird. Length: 42 in, Width: 14.5 in, Depth: 1.5 in. It turns out that Gene Simmons worked in a whole host of careers before he made his way to the world of rock and roll. As if things couldnt get any worse, Gene proceeded to tear his shirt and shouted, Hey chicks, sue me!. 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. Just walking through the hotel lobby and hallways chatting with Gene was an unbelievable experience. The shot from Springfield 79.09.05 shows the new inlay. However, being so popular means there have been plenty of conspiracy theories about Genes tongue. . There is also a new, wider binding. Thats not individual products. "I saw a bass he had built hanging on the wall and decided right then that I wanted it. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handling lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3). Watch on. A long-tongued, fire-breathing, towering bass player who performs in a demon warpaint, massive platform boots, and stylized armor, Simmons is a sight to behold. One can see the sparkling of the finish during his blood-spitting routine. The change to mkIV happens sometime early July: the original pickup is on display during the Largo show 79.07.08 but by the shows in New York there is a new pickup in place. We now know that Gene Simmons doesnt always have the most popular opinions on people who use illegal substances. I still have 50 or so that are from the 70s but theyre available for sale. To those who might call Simmons a sellout, Simmons has a message, Damn right, bitch. The body appears to be a slab style with a hint of a bevel on the "inside" of the horns (and possibly where Gene rests his arm; see below). There are, to my knowledge, precious few pictures of Spector #2 in the Love Gun/Alive II costumes. The passing of Prince was a tragic day for millions of fans across the world. Search titles only; Posted by Member: Separate names with a comma. In an interview with his son for Esquire in 2014, Gene confessed he believes that rock music has finally come to an end, and even went as far as to say the music industry could be on its last legs. The Les Paul Triumph bass, actually designed by Les Paul himself, had been introduced in 1971 as a successor to the Les Paul bass. In 2016, Gene told Rolling Stone that he cant wait until rap music is gone for good and thinks it will only take a decade for it to disappear. Are well-established. but theyre available for sale ( 13:16 ), & quot ; this is God. 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