It seems KISS had a bit of a resurgence at Winter NAMM 2012 – not only did Paul Stanley have some Signature guitars released, but Ace Frehley also scored a signature Les Paul from Epiphone.
Why is this Ace Frehley Les Paul called “Budokan”? Well, I’m glad you asked…
Budokan is a stadium in Nippon, Japan. It was originally constructed for the 1964 Olympics, but has become better known over the years in the music world as a concert venue – one where many great live recordings have been made.
It was at Budokan, as part of their Alive II Tour in 1977, that KISS played a series of 4 legendary concerts, with sold-out record breaking attendance (The Beatles were the previous record holders), that was captured on film – featured right (see the set list here).
According to Epiphone, it was in part due to the coverage of this concert series that the Les Paul Ace Frehley was playing became his ‘trademark’ axe.
Epiphone say their designers worked closely with Ace and his original “Budokan” Les Paul to create a faithful reproduction of his favorite Les Paul as it is today.
The features include a period correct 3-piece hard Maple top, 3-piece Mahogany neck with volute, Grover tuners with pearloid buttons, and the famous “Eagle” sticker (which is included in the package but not attached to the guitar).
The total package includes a custom hard case with “Budokan” printed on it in white, a numbered certificate, the Eagle sticker, and a presentation binder which also includes a photograph of Ace with his Epiphone “Budokan” Les Paul, that’s one of the new ones – not the original Gibson Les Paul that this is modeled on.
Here is a quick look at the guitar from Winter NAMM 2012:
This is a limited edition and only 1,000 will be produced – my guess is that fans will scoop this one up fairly quickly and it’ll probably be a collector’s piece in years to come.
It’s currently selling for $799.00 at major online guitar stores.
For the full specifications go to Epiphone.
If you’re interested in a more authentic version, Gibson Custom have produced two of their own versions – with MSRPs of $7,529 and $12,235 – for details see Gibson Ace Frehley “Budokan” Les Paul Custom.
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Epiphone Tommy Thayer Spaceman Les Paul Limited Edition
Lee Roy Parnell Signature ’57 Les Paul Goldtop
Paul Kossoff 1959 Les Paul Standard
Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul Custom Plus
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A hole is what we need another “tribute” LP copy like in the head…..