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Hatsubai « Ace Frehley sig on the cheap »
Published on 06/22/11 at 23:22Ace Frehley of Kiss has been one of the most famous guitarists to ever play a Les Paul guitar. It was only natural that he would get a signature model considering his popularity. For those who could not afford his Gibson counterpart, Epiphone stepped up to make their own version. In a way, it's very similar. It has the same mahogany body with a flame mape top, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets with lightning bolt inlays, 3 DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers, a three way switch, two volumes and two tone knobs.
UTILIZATION
Epiphone did a pretty good job with this. Their fretwork can be hit or miss at times, but this model wasn't too bad. The nut wasn't cut quite as nicely as I would like, but even Gibson seems to have issues with that now-a-days. Access to the upper frets is still a pain, just like in all Les Paul style guitars. Aside from the three humbuckers and unique inlays, there's really nothing unique going on about this model. One thing worth mentioning is that the middle pickup can get in the way of picking, so keep that in mind if you decide to buy one of these.
SOUNDS
The DiMarzio Super Distortions really help set this guitar apart from the rest of the Epiphone line out there. It sounds absolutely massive. Epiphone's quality of wood usually isn't the best, but it's pretty damn good considering the price you get. The Super Distortion in the bridge is extremely hot and fat. It gives that vintage overdriven tone in spades. The middle pickup is totally useless, so I have no clue why he has that in there. The neck pickup sounds a bit overwhelming considering how hot it is, but it can lead to some really unique tones.
OVERALL OPINION
The biggest selling point for this guitar is the pickup configuration and the fact that it comes with real DiMarzio pickups. Aside from that, you might be better off getting a different Epiphone, especially since the middle pickup can seriously get in the way of picking.
UTILIZATION
Epiphone did a pretty good job with this. Their fretwork can be hit or miss at times, but this model wasn't too bad. The nut wasn't cut quite as nicely as I would like, but even Gibson seems to have issues with that now-a-days. Access to the upper frets is still a pain, just like in all Les Paul style guitars. Aside from the three humbuckers and unique inlays, there's really nothing unique going on about this model. One thing worth mentioning is that the middle pickup can get in the way of picking, so keep that in mind if you decide to buy one of these.
SOUNDS
The DiMarzio Super Distortions really help set this guitar apart from the rest of the Epiphone line out there. It sounds absolutely massive. Epiphone's quality of wood usually isn't the best, but it's pretty damn good considering the price you get. The Super Distortion in the bridge is extremely hot and fat. It gives that vintage overdriven tone in spades. The middle pickup is totally useless, so I have no clue why he has that in there. The neck pickup sounds a bit overwhelming considering how hot it is, but it can lead to some really unique tones.
OVERALL OPINION
The biggest selling point for this guitar is the pickup configuration and the fact that it comes with real DiMarzio pickups. Aside from that, you might be better off getting a different Epiphone, especially since the middle pickup can seriously get in the way of picking.