The neck has pearl diamond inlays just like Gene's, and the detail in the paint and set up is just like the Demons. The Fender Jazz basses Ive used on some songs, but live, theyre too boomy. 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. The instrument is clearly a Triumph rather than the earlier Les Paul bass (the control scratchplate is a dead giveaway) but Gibson only offered it in natural and white finishes which leads me to believe that the instrument in Gene's hands was refinished. We cant say that weve ever thought about a world where Gene Simmons is the one giving us fashion advice, but the more we think about it, the more we want to know what thats like. tour. At about eight or nine years of age I seem to remember there was a bass purporting to have belonged to Mr. Simmons on eBay, and a thread back in the DP2 days? From the Spector site - For 20 years, Gene Simmons of the legendary band KISS recorded and toured with his custom made Spector bass. Alas, by mid-1977 the cherised LoBue's days are numbered. The new collection will launch with the release of the G Thunderbird bass later this year. The move to Gibsons during 1975 was purely financial. 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. 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. 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 reddish Grabber was re-finished since Gibson never offered the Grabber in any kind of metal flake finish. People accused Nick of plagiarizing ideas from the likes of Hellsing, One Piece, and Bleach, something that was enough to see the youngsters dreams of becoming a graphic novel author vanish before he got his time to shine. In the end the long-scale neck and the rather elaborate Q-system electronics probably proved unnecessary for Gene's no-frills style. So, after a few short months in "the rotation" it is modified by removing the tone pot and moving the output jack up in its place. There are a few pics that don't quite fit in. This is not a traditional signature model arrangement. See the Pedulla section. What happens when you want to put on one of the best stage shows the world has ever seen? New rock and roll stars lurked around every corner, and it seemed that plenty of people couldnt wait to head to the latest party on the block. As far as video evidence goes it first appears in the opening credits of KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (see below). In a rather unprecedented move the bass is left alone with no noticeable modifications. It's incredible to look at these pics and see the extent of the damage that year-round touring and Gene's costumes (most of it probably from his ever-. (The number of replicas that have turned up over the years is a clear indication of the bass' truly iconic status.) )Although not as obvious this is also seen in the pic from Toledo 76.07.30. The Kramer Axe was fine for playback but for one of very few live TV performances (the first one since 1974?) M&G Pkg $4450. Overall there were some factual errors regarding the instruments during the Convention and the tour book was laughably incorrect. Fans of the band get to enjoy an entire performance thats been carefully choreographed to be an experience like none other in the world. That one night he dropped it and the neck broke in half." So I started out with the visuals, because when somebody walks in, that the first thing that hits them. It seems thats always been the case for Nick as the star has been working on his own band, Peroux, for the last few years. Unfortunately it is exceedingly difficult to try and identify which Spector is which in most photos, even if they are well-lit. According to Gene he met Stuart Spector, then just an upstart luthier working out of a small Brooklyn shop, during the Destroyer sessions. The Axe is one of the most recognisable and distinctive signature instruments ever, but you wont get Simmons wasting time worrying about the enduring legacy of his favourite bass. [*] The Axe presented here has quite a different design than the one that would end up being used but according to the photos it actually made it on tour with the band, seen here in Knoxville on 79.09.12 next to Spector #2. The first two are just simple changing of the knobs. I think that when it comes to Bass ( Which I play Bass and Guitar among other instruments! ) There is also a new, wider binding. Answer (1 of 7): When I was younger it was KISS that got me to listen to Heavy Metal and I thought then that Gene Simmons was the best period! Gene Simmons inspects the folder with the documents about his mother's persecution. Whether or not the change to the new bridge occured earlier than Cobo Hall 76.01.25 is anybody's guess. Then came the aftermath. Earliest known appearance of this version is 75.05.06 in Milwaukee, WI. They both had the same body shape and the number only designated the number of pickups. - Bass Certificate of authenticity signed by Gene Simmons. By the time we're through, there will be a Flying V, and there's even going to be a double-neck guitar and bass. Kiss legend Gene Simmons fondly recalls the days when a fledgling Rush would regularly play support to the panstick-sporting rockers. Before that he had an old rickety Epiphone which was stolen, bought a Fender P for $150, sold that P for $300, took that cash and had Charlie build his . Gene and his bass finally did part ways, though by all accounts he was reluctant to give it up. What I will refer to as Spector #1 (although in reality it is two basses) makes it debut for the Love Gun tour on the very first night in Halifax. The laser-engraved skull logo on the pickguard may not be to everyones taste, so youll either love it or hate it, though it does tie in with the rocknroll aesthetic associated with Kiss and therefore has its merits. It was one of three designed in this configuration for Gene." Spector #1 LoBue custom Thunderbird Dan Armstrong. April 13, 2022. Thankfully, some things have gone in her favor, as Sophie has done some modeling and worked as a reality TV star in a handful of shows, including Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Thats all when Sophie doesnt work as a body positivity advocate. Apparently, some people think the rockstar actually had a cow tongue surgically attached to his mouth, and thats how hes achieved such an impressive length all these years. Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; Hebrew: , [aim vits]; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician.Also known by his stage persona the Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s. If theres one thing that Gene Simmons is proud of in his life, its the supposed number of women that hes been with throughout his career. The first change (mk II) is to simple clear lucite knobs with 1-10 numbers on them. The courts fired back that hand gestures themselves cant be trademarked, meaning Genes case was thrown out, and he was forced to let others pull the pose. It's not shown in the tour book photos shot at SIR studios but instead makes its "proper" debut in the video for. Apparently, he didnt like Terrys supposed holier-than-thou attitude. Bath It turns out Gene Simmons is no exception, but not many people know the rockstar was once actually a teacher. Looking closely at the pictures the refinished part of the blade is slightly different than the original finish on the edge. . The bass guitar's mahogany body produces crisp tone with plenty of heavy bass for that signature Detroit Rock City sound. For some reason the remaining original knobs also get changed at this time, making all three controls black speed knobs. At least, that is if you want to avoid a moment like Gene Simmons had at one of his live shows. It turned out the bass player wanted to trademark the devil horns sign. In the pic from 76.03.12 it's hard to tell whether the back of the body is just worn or if there is a protective cover, but by the time the band hits European soil for the first time, as shown here from Mannheim 76.05.18, there is a distinct reddish overlay screwed onto the back. The GENE SIMMONS Meet & Greet Bass Signing Includes: - Choice of Gene Simmons Bass, signed & personalized by Gene Simmons. All the latest gene simmons celebrity news, videos, and more. Since this all-black Spector shows up with both sets of replacement knobs it was re-finished early on. Whatever the case, it wasnt long before Gene Simmons had something to say about it all. If one is to believe the quote from Gene above it may just be locked away in storage since it didn't surface for the auction. It also speaks volumes of Gene's "working-bass" concept: as long as it works and looks good enough, it will do. 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. GS Backstage M&G Vampire Bass Pkg = $7495. There is no evidence of the Thunderbird actually being used on stage during the Love Gun tour but for the Alive II tour it shows up in a limited number of pictures. 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. Although he initially apologized for the incident, Gene also accused it of being highly exaggerated and misleading. It seems that we will never know the truth about what happened behind closed doors at the news network. Like many, the rockstar was forced to take any job that came his way, including a role as a deli cashier. Gene? Shannon Tweed - Now Heading to a Kiss concert is about more than listening to some of your favorite tunes. . This feels like a real Thunderbird and being handmade in the USA, it very much is one, with an incredibly resonant mahogany body. Sadly, neither relationship lasted for Gene. This time it looks like a fairly standard Fender bridge (mk V). Pastorious,Wooten,Sheehan,Hamm,Graham,Johnson,Miller,and many other players through the years that had something I liked to form my own style of playing. "I saw a bass he had built hanging on the wall and decided right then that I wanted it. Wicked Lester had their equipment stolen from the loft at Mott St. and Canal St. After this there is a long void of solid photographic evidence on what happens. However, the couple was never in a rush to make it down the aisle. So I kept moving the pickups around and adding a boost on the back, just to make sure that the bass had the sound I wanted., Simmons notes a distinction between bass designs that work well in the studio compared to on stage, Sometimes in the studio, because of the different acoustics and dynamics, I would use basses that I have never used on stage, because live, they dont sound good. While the price tag for the Axe basses might be high, they are often sold as a package deal with other perks. 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. The picture on the far left here clearly shows that the body was beveled where Gene rested his right arm. For the show in London, Ontario 74.12.22 Gene poses with the Grabber backstage but plays the LoBue for the show. It wasnt long before people pointed out the sign actually means I love you in sign language. LoBue custom Fender P-bass. There is a bass resembling the Grabber, based on the headstock, standing offstage in a pic from 76.02.01, in. Since neither of the Gibson basses worked out, even though Gene certainly tried to honor the endorsement for the better part of 1975, I think it's safe to assume that long-scale basses (only the EB-0 and the Triumph were short scale) weren't to Gene's liking at the time. This is the story behind the iconic Axe Bass which has been wielded by Gene Simmons for decades. Would you believe that hes been building a business empire for himself since he was back in college? At first, people thought that Gene was trying to trademark the image itself. Celebrating 50 years in rock (1966-2016) Gene Simmons, multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, co-founder and front man of KISS, America's number one gold record award-winning group of all time in all categories (RIAA), and one of the most recognized performers in the world, recently announced the . In 2012, Madonna fans were in for a treat as the pop star was lined up to star at the Super Bowl halftime show. Instead, roadies would allegedly hand Gene a cup of theater blood at some point in the performance. Just walking through the hotel lobby and hallways chatting with Gene was an unbelievable experience. If there is one thing that many of us have learned, its that Gene Simmons knows a good business opportunity when he sees one. Strings - Lutes - Guitars. The offstage shot shows Gene with the bass and the action on that thing could make a grown man cry. All rights reserved. None of the pre-1974 pics I've found suggest that the body was more than a slab-style with some rounding for the upper horns. Spector #1 is certainly still in the picture but when it comes to relative use their fortunes are reversed with #1 "coming off the bench" here and there and #2 getting more stage time. Not once in the Gene Simmons/Bass Player interview (July 1996) does Simmons ever claim . Kramer Aluminum Gene Simmons Axe Bass KISS 1980 Black & Gray Autographed by Gene Simmons and numbered w/OHSC, Serial No. However, some. "Well, that is very kind of you to say. 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. This is one of first Gene Simmons (KISS) signed Axe Basses made available to the public. In 2108, Sophie told Harpers Bazaar that she knew she wanted to become a musician since she was four years old. If there is one thing that several musicians hate more than most things, its people pirating their music. As Simmons explained, [Cort] started mass producing them and selling them for a cheaper price, obviously, so the wood was cheaper everything was cheaper, and the paint started to crack. . The first G model is a Thunderbird Bass. One person in particular had plenty to say as Ice Cube took to social media, which started a pretty heated feud between the two. 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