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“At that point, they were making better Les Pauls than Gibson was”: Kiss' Paul Stanley broke new ground by trading his Gibsons for Ibanez guitars – and by teaming up with the iconic Japanese brand for an early signature model
Stanley Eisen, who you may know as Kiss' Paul Stanley, may have wielded a Gibson guitar or two during the band's game-changing Alive! era, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
“I grew up in a time where, on almost any weekend, I would go for three, four, and five dollars, and see Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, the Yardbirds, or Derek and the Dominos. And most of the bands I saw were Gibson players,” he explains in an upcoming tête-à-tête with Guitar World.
However, it seems Stanley had a change of heart in the late ’70s, when he broke with tradition and opted to source his axes from the Japanese guitar behemoth Ibanez – a brand he still endorses to this day.
“When I was in Japan and met with Hoshino, the Ibanez people, I saw quality,” he says matter-of-factly. “I saw real, quality instruments. Whether it was Greco or Tokai Love Rocks ‘Les Pauls,’ they, at that point, were making better Les Pauls than Gibson was.
(Image credit: Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“So, the Japanese knew how to make a great guitar. I’m not sure they understood why they did certain things; I think they were just emulating and copying, but I sat with them, and they were very open to a real collaboration, as opposed to an endorsement.”
And at a time when signature guitars definitely weren't as common as they are now, Stanley teamed up with Ibanez on his first signature model, the PS10.
“I was looking for a guitar that I would love,” he asserts. “And the PS10, when you close your eyes and play it, it’s basically, in the best ways, and as a compliment, it’s based on the templates, a lot of which came from some of my old Gibson guitars.”
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In more recent Kiss news, the band that keeps on giving will be delivering a one-off unmasked show in November to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kiss Army fan club.
Guitar World's full interview with Paul Stanley will be published in the coming weeks.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology and how it is shaping the future of the music industry, and has a special interest in shining a spotlight on traditionally underrepresented artists and global guitar sounds. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Auf der Maur, Yvette Young, Danielle Haim, Fanny, and Karan Katiyar from Bloodywood, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her Anglo-Maltese, art-rock band ĠENN.
