Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley picked the best KISS guitarist other than himself.
Being a former guitarist of the band himself, the rocker picked the best out of the rest —Bruce Kulick, Tommy Thayer and Vinnie Vincent.
“I would say that Bruce was the best guitar player all around,” he told Guitar Player about Kulick. “He’s technically a better player than I am, in my opinion. He can play stuff that I can’t play. He’s just a technically better musician. I never took a guitar lesson, you know? But when it comes to playing melodic guitar solos, you know that nobody is better than me!”
When it came to Vinnie Vincent, Frehley paid attention to only one thing: “Vinnie Vincent played too fast. I never paid much attention to him as far as anything else. I know that Paul [Stanley] used to complain to me about Vinnie. He said that he was like a loose cannon, and that he doubled the length of the guitar solo, and that he played things too fast, and they couldn’t control him, you know?”
“Tommy played the right notes, but he didn’t have the right swagger,” Frehley continued. He just doesn’t have my same technique. For example, my father was an excellent pianist. He could play Beethoven, Chopin, and everything. He would always say to me, ‘It’s not so much playing the right notes; it’s how hard you hit it and how to use the pedals below the piano. It’s all in the technique!”
Since all these names are former KISS guitarists, Frehley was asked earlier about the possibility of a tour with Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick, as three former KISS guitarists. “I don’t particularly see that happening in the future. I kind of like to run my own show and have my own band,” he responded. “Because think about it – how many solo albums do I have out? And I also do some Kiss favorites when I perform. So, it would be really tough to work with other guitar players who also have songs that they’ve written. There wouldn’t be enough time – it would be a three-hour show.”
Frehley also didn’t want to do the show due to his age. “And at age 72, I don’t feel like doing a three-hour show. I’m much happier being my own boss and working with people that I enjoy working with. There’s no alcohol allowed backstage, and I surround myself with positive people. Any type of negativity… goodbye. They’re vampires – they drain you. I try to surround myself with positive people, and if you’re getting loaded or you’re doing drugs, you’re gone,” he added.
However, the three guitarists did play together at 2022’s Creatures Fest. Frehley’s next solo show is set to take place at Belterra Resort & Casino in Indiana on March 8.
