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. Sadly, Gene wasnt impressed with the shows choice as he referred to Madonna as a karaoke singer during an interview with TMZ. [**] In a 2013 interview at G-Club in Tokyo Gene threw another wrinkle to the story of the LoBue's demise, this time suggesting that he used the bass on stage in 1982 when he fell off the front of the stage, cracked the neck and promptly gave the pieces to a member of the audience. The move to Gibsons during 1975 was purely financial. My theory is that all of these (with the exception of the already heavily modified EB-0) were endorsement instruments that were either pure backups or ones that Gene tried to make into his kind of bass. Unfortunately it is exceedingly difficult to try and identify which Spector is which in most photos, even if they are well-lit. What is a guitar but a collection of wood, magnets and metals? The headstock featured Gene's autograph and the pointy shape of the head was mirrored by a bizarre pointed part below the bridge. 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. Diana Ross. As far as video evidence goes it first appears in the opening credits of KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (see below). 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. I made several of these until we hit a design that is pretty much what he uses today." By Roy Kaddosh. Biography reports that Gene actually worked a host of jobs as he tried to raise money to start his own band. In the video clip from In Concert below (shot on 74.02.21) we see the original incarnation of the LoBue in all its glory. Believe it or not, but Gene is quite the entrepreneur when hes not working with the band. Sophie reportedly pestered major streaming sites instead. It appears as if the Fender-style bridge that was previously under the bridge cover is moved back, sans the saddles, and a different bridge used in its stead. There was a reason that so many people tried to live the life of groupies. That was until the scandal that rocked Nicks world in 2010. Like many, the rockstar was forced to take any job that came his way, including a role as a deli cashier. Everybody knows that Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has a long tongue. It has been suggested that it was a series/parallell switch which is feasible. by Jacob Uitti 2 years ago. It looks as though Gene Simmons has plenty of opinions that he wants to share with the world, but not all of them have landed. Wherever the LoBue eventually ended up it is one of the great lost treasures of KISStory, one that deserves enshrinment. For the 1981 TV appearances in Mexico and the sattelite feed to the San Remo festival Gene relied on the Kramer Axe. 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. Gene apparently told Terry that she would have to be willing to get intimate with him if she wanted to be a part of his life. Okay, its hard to deny that one of Gene Simmons most prominent features is his tongue. Instead, roadies would allegedly hand Gene a cup of theater blood at some point in the performance. Actually, whether it was actually custom made for Gene is an issue on which Gene himself seems less than clear (something that is a recurring theme when Gene talks about his gear and makes the history of his basses a little difficult to untangle). According to Gene he met Stuart Spector, then just an upstart luthier working out of a small Brooklyn shop, during the Destroyer sessions. 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. The bassist will bring back the Gene Simmons' Axe MasterClass for fans . 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. The very obvious absence of an Axe during 1990-95, with the possible . "The first project with KISS for me, was when Gene said he wanted a guitar shaped like an executioner's axe. M&G Pkg $4450. That is probably going to be a very big item. The Kramer Axe was fine for playback but for one of very few live TV performances (the first one since 1974?) One of the least used basses in Gene's arsenal, the Gibson Les Paul Triumph doesn't appear in any live photographs from 1976. Then, all he needs to do is let it start trickling from his mouth to up the performance. The theory is that this is a simple piece of tape covering up a hole that used to fit a mini switch and the photo from San Diego 77.08.19 even seem to show that hole. Bath The one pic I've seen from San Antonio 77.11.22 is inconclusive as far as what knobs are on the bass. For me it was also pragmatism, because I already owned the word Axe as it relates to musical instruments, so I hand-designed it, and I still have the original artwork and it looks very much like the Axe thats available today. Genes got some good . See Gibson for more details. Im spectacular, before adding, Oh Im stunning. Yes, it seems that Gene has struggled to find room in his heart for anyone other than himself as the star often loves to talk about his love for himself, even if its left some people wondering if he knows how to be down to Earth. My theory is that this is the third Spector mentioned on the Spector web site (I will more or less ignore the all-black curiosity above for now). First the finish is re-done to be an all-black and Steve Carr makes a headstock inlay of Gene's makeup face. Its said that he would judge peoples intelligence depending on the noise it made. Chances are Gene just took the opportunity afforded him by the Gibson sponsorship the band enjoyed at the time (see the back of any KISS album from the time) but found that the basses weren't to his taste. 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 . For the better part of the Spirit Tour '76 the LoBue retains the mk VI look. In fact, it couldnt be further from the truth. [*] Much later Gene would remember it a little differently: "So he made me a one of a kind natural wood custom made bass, no name, no nothing." Before we move forward we need to take a step back (and get a little ahead of ourselves) and adress a slight "wrinkle" in the photos. In contrast, Spector #2 takes a serious beating throughout (the pics below span the entire tour). Pictures showing the back of the LoBue are very few but over the course of 1976 there were a few. Stuart shaved down the normally bulbous horns of the SB-1 into points." The entrepreneurial bassist recently reaffirmed his belief that "rock is dead . There are, to my knowledge, precious few pictures of Spector #2 in the Love Gun/Alive II costumes. Its difficult for me to walk past a mirror without stopping to say, yo, whats up?. During an October 28 question-and-answer session with fans aboard this year's Kiss Kruise, KISS frontman Paul Stanley was asked what he has learned about himself through his 50-year friendship and . All the latest gene simmons celebrity news, videos, and more. It is generally assumed that the re-finish and the headstock inlay occured at the same time even though the picture evidence can't entirely support that conclusion. Miley Cyrus is one of the many on the list as the musician wanted to break away from her Disney Channel persona in the most memorable way possible. 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. One of the Viewmaster pics show the thickness of the body to be almost double that of a regular bass. [] I had two of them on the road with me, but I liked the sound of the off-red one." This time it looks like a fairly standard Fender bridge (mk V). Here we get to see it with a studded cover of some sort, probably leather. "Kiss was born on 23rd Street. Although the world learned that things werent always smooth on their ride to the altar, the pair have been married ever since. 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. Personal messages from members of The Gene Simmons Bass Collectors Club. As Simmons explains, "because I owned the name and the design, it qualifies as an invention in the library of congress. Unlike the EMG PJ set typically found in Simmons Punisher and Axe, however, these high-output humbuckers arent active, so theres no need to worry about battery power. Theres a lot to like about this costly Thunderbird, from its searing hot tones to that striking mirror-on-black aesthetic. Considering that the mkI version had a single coil pickup (possibly a stacked humbucker) the third knob is somewhat of a mystery. Still, it was captured on film, meaning Gene wont forget the moment anytime soon. Some of the modifications included a special gloss black paint job with white binding along the sides of the body. That one night he dropped it and the neck broke in half." "I saw a bass he had built hanging on the wall and decided right then that I wanted it. I think that when it comes to Bass ( Which I play Bass and Guitar among other instruments! ) If I wanted to learn something from Gene Simmons it would be how to run a business and make money. Perhaps most importantly of all, it's a bass that's tailor-made for conjuring this larger-than-life character's earth-conquering tones. To make sure no one thought that she was using her dad, Sophie would write her own music and send songs to record labels all off her own back. Introduced in 1973, the Grabber was Gibson's first bolt-on neck bass and featured a sliding pickup (you "grabbed" it to change the pickup position, hence the name). It's not immedeately obvious but if one looks closely at the pics below there are pieces of tape that are there to hold it in place. 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 application claimed that Gene first used the gesture in 1974 while posing for a photo with the legend that is Dave Grohl. 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. A customized electric bass guitar - the "Gene Simmons Axe Bass" - was especially created for him by South Korean giant Cort. They have one album and a handful of collaborations, but thats not all. Kramer Aluminum Gene Simmons Axe Bass KISS 1980 Black & Gray Autographed by Gene Simmons and numbered w/OHSC, Serial No. 15155. Apparently, Gene wanted to sue everyone who shared copyrighted files, something that saw his site get taken down by Anonymous. 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? LoBue custom Gibson Grabber Gibson Ripper. Sadly, that all changed in 2017 when the rockstar made a bit too much of a lasting impression at the new network after a meeting gone wrong. . The pickup is still the original one as we can see from the lovely closeups. 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 axe-shape body has the same style and flare as the demon's own, complete with a painted silver blade on a shiny black . Kiss is currently out on the road for their final tour, dubbed End Of The Road. G, from Gene to Gibson, will introduce new collections of right and left-handed electric guitars and basses across . 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. Princes cause of passing was ultimately ruled as an accidental overdose. Apparently, Gene didnt want to break his mothers heart after her family survived World War II. The one below from Cleveland 79.07.19 is the only one I've found that is actually from 1979. So I ended that relationship and continued to make them on my own.. Several fans have spoken about how both were taken from us too soon and the tragedies that have been linked to their passing. They cover the classic Kiss tones, from the walking lines of Strutter through to heavier hits likeCreatures Of The Night and beyond. The earliest known date for this is from Uniondale 79.09.01. Once we move into 1978 and the Alive II tour the second Spector (henceforth known as Spector #2) makes its first appearance. Stage Played Experience = $14,995. One person in particular had plenty to say as Ice Cube took to social media, which started a pretty heated feud between the two. The inception of the Axe Bass came from the adage of referring to a guitar as an axe. The photo shoot at Stuart Air Force base during the rehearsals on 77.11.09 and shots from opening night in Oklahoma City on 77.11.15 show the original silver knobs but by the time the band hits St. Louis on 77.12.02 the new knobs are in place. here, he blamed the politically correct climate across the nation from stopping Americans saying what they really feel. Two or three years ago, Gibson and I connected and decided to do a joint venture - the G2: Gene and Gibson, or Gibson and Gene. It can be easy to think that any of Gene Simmons children would have tried to walk in his footsteps after seeing the success their dad has enjoyed over the years. Gene was walking backward when he took the fall, and it wasnt long before someone rushed in to help the star back to his feet. After the re-finish (more info below) the coverup disappears, most likely because the hole was filled before the finish was applied. There was once a time that Gene Simmons appeared to be on Fox News at every waking moment. - Hard Shell Gene Simmons fitted bass case signed by Gene Simmons. I don't often have a lot of good things to say about . 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. Once the band starts making personell changes at the turn of the decade Gene moves to Spector #2 as his main bass. But, during the Convention Tour of 1995 this bass was part of the museum and was labeled as a prototype Gene Simmons Axe (see pic and video below). 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. (My guess is that the P-bass pickup was added when it was painted black.) Newer Than: Search this thread only; Search this forum only. The clip is an outtake from the 2012 documentary Sample This. 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. "The first instruments are the Thunderbird basses, which will come in a few different colors. Ron Wood is very under-appreciated. 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. [*] The shape of the bass was indeed completely original in that it was custom shaped but it wasn't an original design. So what is the Axe Bass, then? See the latest gene simmons celebrity trends and reviews on PremierGuitar.com, the world's foremost authority on all things guitar and bass. It also arrives with a low enough action for more technically ambitious styles of playing, as well as basic root-noted rock, making bends, stretches and hammer-ons more comfortable than expected. It seems thats what some people think, especially when looking at old footage of The Demon of Kiss. 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.). The friend in question? In fact, many years ago, the rockstar told Off The Record with Michael Landsberg that hed been intimate with 4,500 women. Over the course of 1976 there were a few different colors karaoke singer an. 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