Gene Simmons LoBue Tribute Build

[Englishman]

Well crap, I was unable to get the circuit to work and I just ran out of time, I'm sure I could have got it going if I had more time to work out kinks.

Anyway, it's shipped with a dummy knob in #3, I've offered to pay return shipping so I can retrofit the boost.

This is the customer's preferred headstock shape by the way, I wasn't just ignoring the original.

 

[Blazer]

Nice work. Another bass ready for somebody who wants to Rock N Roll all night and Party everyday.

Sorry for the derail I'm about to do but seeing your bass made me want to check out the Gene Simmons Punisher site and they had some SWEET looking variations on the theme going.

This "primitive" Axe is bar none one of the coolest looking variations of the Axe bass I ever saw.

But this tuxedo Punisher is all Suave. I would love to rock that one on stage.

 

[Jaymi]

Well crap, I was unable to get the circuit to work and I just ran out of time, I'm sure I could have got it going if I had more time to work out kinks.

Anyway, it's shipped with a dummy knob in #3, I've offered to pay return shipping so I can retrofit the boost.

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This is the customer's preferred headstock shape by the way, I wasn't just ignoring the original.

View attachment 3252763

Looking pretty good!

 

[kissfan1977]

i love this bass it looks so menacing

 

[kissfan1977]

that ace frehley boot looks amazing

 

[Bassist59]

I learned last night why you set your neck BEFORE mounting the bridge and pickups.
My buddy made this guitar from a Jackson V. I guess this was the guitar Ace used briefly during Frehley's comet.
View attachment 2094697

He added body pieces, and bondo'd the joints. I guess the neck was a bolt on that he converted to set neck. This was done to copy the original guitar, and gave greater access to higher frets once the heel was shaved.

Well... When the neck was glued and clamped, the neck shifted slightly. This forced him to move the bridge and pickup down an 1/8th of an inch.

It's not badly noticeable, but it does suck. Lesson learned.

I know this is an old thread - I don’t care. I owned one of the AF-40s. Your buddy did a good job replicating the original. The bolt was white and the paint was more satin on the original. Good job! They offer copies of the guitar on AliExpress nowadays.

 

[Blazer]

I know this is an old thread - I don’t care. I owned one of the AF-40s. Your buddy did a good job replicating the original. The bolt was white and the paint was more satin on the original. Good job! They offer copies of the guitar on AliExpress nowadays.

Ace himself took one on tour during the "Trouble Walkin'" days but after a few songs he told his tech "Get me my Les Paul, I can't deal with this!"

Seeing as how differently the guitar was constructed from a Les Paul that's hardly spurpring

 

[Bassist59]

Ace himself took one on tour during the "Trouble Walkin'" days but after a few songs he told his tech "Get me my Les Paul, I can't deal with this!"

Seeing as how differently the guitar was constructed from a Les Paul that's hardly spurpring

As a serious player, you could do more with the Washburn because it had 100% unhindered access to all 24 frets. It stayed in perfect tune, the Wonderbar tremolo was superior. Obviously there is only one guitar for Ace and that’s a Les Paul.

He didn’t give it a chance, it was a good instrument.

I might buy one of the Chinese replicas....I don’t know. I like the body shape, but I don’t like the bolt graphic. Buying one and customizing it would be awesome.

 

[Blazer]

As a serious player, you could do more with the Washburn because it had 100% unhindered access to all 24 frets. It stayed in perfect tune, the Wonderbar tremolo was superior. Obviously there is only one guitar for Ace and that’s a Les Paul.

He didn’t give it a chance, it was a good instrument.

I might buy one of the Chinese replicas....I don’t know. I like the body shape, but I don’t like the bolt graphic. Buying one and customizing it would be awesome.

The fact remains that the Washburn was an ash body with a bolt on neck and a Fender Scale length.
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If hey had made it all mahogany, with a Gibson scale length and fitted a Dimarzio Super distortion (another key point to Ace's sound) things might have turned out differently.

 

[Bassist59]

The fact remains that the Washburn was an ash body with a bolt on neck and a Fender Scale length.
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If hey had made it all mahogany, with a Gibson scale length and fitted a Dimarzio Super distortion (another key point to Ace's sound) things might have turned out differently.

Yes, that’s all true. It was not a Les Paul, that’s for sure. I remember calling Washburn or seeing in a brochure or something that the body was basswood. I remember that because at the time I’d never heard of basswood!

I was a real Ace Frehley fan back then. Some friends had a band and I played Ace’s Alive II solo with them - the crowd loved it. I had a Les Paul copy guitar that I’d installed DiMarzio Super Distortions in myself. That creation was something back in ‘81 and ‘82!!! I made my own cherry Sunburst DiMarzio loaded Les Paul! KISS was over by then and everybody still thought my unique guitar was cool. I eventually put 3 pickups in it but the 3rd pickup really got in the way of picking and added nothing sound-wise. That was when I knew the 3 pickup thing was just for looks.

I drove for miles in ‘83 to see Ace in KISS, only to find he wasn’t in the group any more. (That was fraud on the part of G & P - I got to see Vinnie but I didn’t know who Vinnie was at the time and I was mad).

I bought the Washburn AF-40 v guitar before the “Frehley’s Comet” Album came out, then saw Ace with the Comet in concert. I didn’t know he was standing right next to me before that concert until a kid next to us recognized him, and said “hey, Ace” and he walked off...that was pretty cool. I’m about 6’2” and we saw eye to eye - Ace is a tall MF’r and was kind of a bad looking dude back then! He had severe acne scars that I didn’t know about.

I was a little disappointed he never really played the Washburn. I thought it was a great guitar. As the years went by, it started to look silly using it live so I sold it. I regret that. Here’s my second chance to get it back: US $449.0 |IN STOCK,special shape 6 strings electric guitar,spark black electric guitar,washburn ace frehley model,free shipping|Guitar| - AliExpress

Anyway, you’re right. It was totally different from what he plays. I still like Ace Frehley‘s music but I’m not obsessed like I once was...wait - maybe I am, lol!!!

 

[Blazer]

Yes, that’s all true. It was not a Les Paul, that’s for sure. I remember calling Washburn or seeing in a brochure or something that the body was basswood. I remember that because at the time I’d never heard of basswood!

I was a real Ace Frehley fan back then. Some friends had a band and I played Ace’s Alive II solo with them - the crowd loved it. I had a Les Paul copy guitar that I’d installed DiMarzio Super Distortions in myself. That creation was something back in ‘81 and ‘82!!! I made my own cherry Sunburst DiMarzio loaded Les Paul! KISS was over by then and everybody still thought my unique guitar was cool. I eventually put 3 pickups in it but the 3rd pickup really got in the way of picking and added nothing sound-wise. That was when I knew the 3 pickup thing was just for looks.

I drove for miles in ‘83 to see Ace in KISS, only to find he wasn’t in the group any more. (That was fraud on the part of G & P - I got to see Vinnie but I didn’t know who Vinnie was at the time and I was mad).

I bought the Washburn AF-40 v guitar before the “Frehley’s Comet” Album came out, then saw Ace with the Comet in concert. I didn’t know he was standing right next to me before that concert until a kid next to us recognized him, and said “hey, Ace” and he walked off...that was pretty cool. I’m about 6’2” and we saw eye to eye - Ace is a tall MF’r and was kind of a bad looking dude back then! He had severe acne scars that I didn’t know about.

I was a little disappointed he never really played the Washburn. I thought it was a great guitar. As the years went by, it started to look silly using it live so I sold it. I regret that. Here’s my second chance to get it back: US $449.0 |IN STOCK,special shape 6 strings electric guitar,spark black electric guitar,washburn ace frehley model,free shipping|Guitar| - AliExpress

View attachment 3947289

Anyway, you’re right. It was totally different from what he plays. I still like Ace Frehley‘s music but I’m not obsessed like I once was...wait - maybe I am, lol!!!

A few years ago I did this version of "Heaven's on fire" in a Rolling Stones kind of groove, doing my best Ace Frehley. I came to the idea when reading that Paul Wrote it with a Keith Richards 5 string open G tuning and knowing how much of a Rolling Stones freak Ace is, thought to myself that it would be a fun project.


Ace said in several interviews that the first song the band taught him to play at his audition was "Deuce" and that he "Loved it from the get go." Gene has since admitted that he copped the lick for "Deuce" from a Rolling Stones song called "B!tch" so given that, I always wondered if Ace loved "Deuce" because he recognized its origin. "Ah, I get it, you want this to be a Stones song, no problem, I'm completely down with that!"

 

[Bassist59]

A few years ago I did this version of "Heaven's on fire" in a Rolling Stones kind of groove, doing my best Ace Frehley. I came to the idea when reading that Paul Wrote it with a Keith Richards 5 string open G tuning and knowing how much of a Rolling Stones freak Ace is, thought to myself that it would be a fun project.

I just listened to it, outstanding song! I never thought of any of KISS’s material as even being remotely like the Stones even though they said they were influenced by them.

Yeah, you’re right! It’s in the same groove!

You’re way ahead of me, keep up the music!!

 

[Blazer]

I figured that this picture is worth it to bring this thread back to life for.

 

[bassgod76]

I figured that this picture is worth it to bring this thread back to life for.

None of those were created by Charlie LoBue. Those are all replicas that Jim Cara did.

 

[Blazer]

None of those were created by Charlie LoBue. Those are all replicas that Jim Cara did.

Still though, how cool are those?