I originally thought that the natural satin finish, introduced in 1975 and seen in this well-known footage from San Fransisco 75.01.31, was Gene's first which was later re-finished but he actually had two Grabbers on the road with him and he used both during the Winterland show. Over the group's 42 . Apparently, the staff were all in a meeting when Gene burst into the room - unannounced. I dont care, it doesnt mean anything to me.. Larry Harris had set up an endorsement deal which apparently specified that the band use Gibsons exclusively on stage in exchange for free instruments (see. 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 1970s rock scene was one that had to be enjoyed to be believed. 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. It's a smart and quick solution since it's not visible for the most part. 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. 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. The pickup cover has been removed and the original Thunderbird humbucker it covered has been replaced with a larger humbucker (probably a DiMarzio since Gene were fond of those and happened to know Larry DiMarzio from school). This mk I version shows the "standard" SB-1 controls with one volume and one tone knob (both in silver) and a front output jack (missing is the mini-switch which was standard on the SB-1). 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. Wherever the LoBue eventually ended up it is one of the great lost treasures of KISStory, one that deserves enshrinment. From there it goes out to an Empress Compressor and one of two Tech 21 VT-Bass 1969 amps. 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. All that twerking and tongue flashing was enough to change peoples minds about the star. Gene has nothing but nice things to say about the stories that have been brought to life and the art thats used throughout each graphic novel. 1980. 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). . Cause & Effects: Are vintage effects pedals always the best examples of their type. 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. According to Simmons' tech at (13:16), "This is the main bass for the show. The prior owner believed this to be a late '90s, and when comparing with other listings on Reverb that appears to hold true. The worlds leading authority and resource for all things guitar. Gene and his bass finally did part ways, though by all accounts he was reluctant to give it up. Fans of the band get to enjoy an entire performance thats been carefully choreographed to be an experience like none other in the world. It has been suggested that it was a series/parallell switch which is feasible. Believe it or not, but Gene Simmons is actually a married man, even though the rockstar has been open about his alleged romances over the years. After all, his stage show is often filled with performances of him showing off his impressive tongue skills and has been argued as one of the most iconic poses of all times. During one interview, the rockstar was asked if he admired anyone else more than himself. We get an excellent close-up of it in the instrument line-up pic from Knoxville but live shots seem to be lacking. 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. "Well, that is very kind of you to say. The shot from Springfield 79.09.05 shows the new inlay. 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. These pics, which found their way into the later versions of the tour book, show the bass with a black blade and black knobs. 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. Why the other two remain unchanged is anyone's guess. Custom Charlie LoBue bass built for Gene Simmons of KISS. This phenomenon can also be spotted at the start of the Return of KISS tour. 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. The Cort Axe Bass reproduces the bass guitar Gene made so famousthe same style of bass that Gene plays onstage. 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. It's not shown in the tour book photos shot at SIR studios but instead makes its "proper" debut in the video for. Later in the year, in Columbus 76.11.30, the cover is very obviously split into two colors, a very sharp delineation that wasn't there in March and May, which suggests that it's been at least partially replaced. 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). The Les Paul Triumph bass, actually designed by Les Paul himself, had been introduced in 1971 as a successor to the Les Paul bass. Though he speaks measuredly . I have a very large ego, dont wonder about that! The bass lines Gene plays on Kiss songs aren't terribly technically difficult to learn if you have the tabs or sheet music, but to write the bass lines Gene writes and hold down those grooves in the pocket, really requires a good understanding of what the bass is supposed to be used for. I don't often have a lot of good things to say about . This is one of first Gene Simmons (KISS) signed Axe Basses made available to the public. . As one of the founding members of KISS, Gene Simmons is certainly one of the most recognizable faces in rock music. After having used a few different basses during the time in Wicked Lester, an Epiphone that was stolen and a Fender P-bass with a Gibson EB-0 pickup, Gene finally found his weapon of choice in the shape of a Charlie LoBue custom bass. What happens when you want to put on one of the best stage shows the world has ever seen? Gene Simmons inspects the folder with the documents about his mother's persecution. Under the hood, in the 70s and 80s the Axe featured a boost, but the current models feature only EMG pickups and a preamp. There was once a time that Gene Simmons appeared to be on Fox News at every waking moment. Of course, it could also be so simple that the band and management felt that the new, more serious concept album KISS weren't properly represented by an instrument that looked like an Axe. The line-up shot from Knoxville with the slim lower horn has led me to believe that this is a re-finish rather than the re-appearance of the all-black from the Alive II tour. 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. In contrast, Spector #2 takes a serious beating throughout (the pics below span the entire tour). . For this tour Gene also mysteriously starts sporting a cable from the output jack. Below are a few early shots of Gene using the LoBue in 1972-73 starting with the loft rehearsals as a three piece, a shot from one of the shows at the Daisy, and . Most of his notable work comes from his time in Genes reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels.. Designed to meet the musical needs of modern bassists, it features the classic Reverse Thunderbird body and headstock shape. Sophie reportedly pestered major streaming sites instead. Gibson havent let themselves down here at all, with this review model feeling lighter than it looks. The rockstar replied Ice Cube should get in touch when Jimi Hendrix gets into the hip hop hall of fame.. 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. However, being so popular means there have been plenty of conspiracy theories about Genes tongue. It was probably added to help the intonation problems inherent in any set bridge like the original, but this one proved problematic as the few surviving pictures show that the strings had a tendency to skip out of position. In 2017, Gene Simmons hit the headlines for something pretty controversial among the rock world. It looked as though he was all set to reach the big time as it wasnt long before his work gained plenty of fans worldwide. The pair have been together since 1983, with Gene telling People that theyve been happily unmarried most of that time. Rock fans everywhere might disagree as Gene Simmons believes its time to give up on the genre. This feels like a real Thunderbird and being handmade in the USA, it very much is one, with an incredibly resonant mahogany body. The bass icon on bass rigs, riches and 50 years of music. Apparently, Gene didnt want to break his mothers heart after her family survived World War II. Tuning stability and intonation also feel impeccable: This is definitely aset and forget kind of bass that allows the player to focus on their performance, undistracted and with confidence. 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 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. 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