Ace Frehley

Kiss's Spaceman, who made rock guitar a smoking spectacle

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley grew up in the Bronx and fell for rock guitar as a teenager, teaching himself entirely by ear. He never took formal lessons or learned to read music, instead soaking up the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin and The Who from records and radio. Through the 1960s and early 1970s he drifted through a series of local bands, honing a raw, swaggering style while working odd jobs and waiting for the right opportunity.

In early 1973 he auditioned for a new New York band built by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and won the lead guitar spot in Kiss. Frehley created the band's lightning-bolt logo and adopted the Space Ace persona, complete with silver makeup and science-fiction flair. Through a run of albums and especially the 1975 live breakthrough Alive!, his fat Les Paul tone and catchy, melodic solos became central to the band's sound, and in 1977 he sang lead for the first time on Shock Me.

When all four members released solo albums in 1978, Frehley's was widely seen as the strongest, and his version of New York Groove became a US Top 20 hit. Tensions and substance problems eventually drove him out of Kiss in 1982. He later led Frehley's Comet, whose 1987 debut charted respectably, and continued recording solo. In 1995 and 1996 he rejoined the original Kiss lineup for an MTV Unplugged appearance and a hugely successful reunion tour that ran until he departed again in 2002.

Sober from 2006, Frehley enjoyed a late-career revival. His 2011 memoir No Regrets became a bestseller, albums such as Anomaly and Space Invader found a strong audience, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Kiss in 2014. He kept releasing music, including the Origins cover series and 10,000 Volts in 2024. Frehley died in October 2025 in New Jersey after complications from a fall at his home, mourned by generations of guitarists who first picked up the instrument because of him.

The 10 greatest Ace Frehley solos

1. 1
   Shock Me

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1977
2. 2
   She

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1975
3. 3
   Cold Gin

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1974
4. 4
   Detroit Rock City

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1976
5. 5
   Rocket Ride

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1977
6. 6
   Strutter

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1974
7. 7
   Fractured Mirror

   Ace Frehley · solo by Ace Frehley · 1978
8. 8
   Black Diamond

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1974
9. 9
   Parasite

   Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1974
10. 10
    Love Gun

    Kiss · solo by Ace Frehley · 1977

The sound

Frehley's playing is gloriously direct: pentatonic licks, bold bends and wide, slightly wild vibrato delivered with swagger rather than precision. His solos are catchy enough to sing, often structured as memorable mini-melodies built from blues-rock phrases he learned by ear. He relied on the thick midrange of Gibson Les Pauls through loud Marshall amps, getting a fat, singing tone without complicated effects. Rhythmically he leaned on loose, Stones-style feel, and his playing was inseparable from showmanship, with smoking pickups, light-up guitars and rockets turning each solo into a visual event.

• Gibson Les Paul Custom (guitar) His signature instrument throughout the classic Kiss years, often in three-pickup form.
• Smoking Les Paul (guitar) A modified Les Paul fitted with a smoke device near the pickup so it appeared to burn during his solo.
• Light-up Les Paul (guitar) A custom guitar with lights that pulsed in time with the music during concerts.
• Rocket-firing guitar (guitar) A stage guitar that launched fireworks from the headstock as part of his solo spotlight.
• Gibson Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul (guitar) Gibson honored him with a signature Les Paul Custom in the late 1990s.
• Marshall stacks (amp) The source of his loud, saturated arena tone.

Covers

• New York Groove, originally by Hello He turned a British glam song into a stomping hometown anthem and a Top 20 US hit.
• Then She Kissed Me, originally by The Crystals Kiss flipped the girl-group classic, with Frehley adding muscular guitar to the Spector-era tune.
• Fox on the Run, originally by Sweet A fun, riff-heavy tribute to the glam rock of his youth.
• The Joker, originally by Steve Miller Band A laid-back, hard-rock reading of the 1970s radio favorite.
• Fire and Water, originally by Free Notable for reuniting him on record with Paul Stanley, who handles vocals.
• White Room, originally by Cream A salute to one of the bands that inspired him to pick up guitar.
• Spanish Castle Magic, originally by The Jimi Hendrix Experience His nod to Hendrix, his biggest guitar hero.

Timeline

• 1951 Born in the Bronx, New York City
• 1973 Joins Kiss as lead guitarist and designs the band's logo
• 1975 Alive! becomes Kiss's breakthrough
• 1977 Sings lead for the first time on Shock Me
• 1978 Solo album yields the hit New York Groove
• 1982 Leaves Kiss
• 1987 Frehley's Comet releases its debut album
• 1996 Reunites with Kiss for the Reunion Tour
• 2014 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Kiss
• 2025 Dies in Morristown, New Jersey

Facts

1. Frehley designed Kiss's lightning-bolt logo.
2. He was completely self-taught and never learned to read music.
3. Shock Me was inspired by an incident in which he was electrocuted on stage in Lakeland, Florida.
4. Of the four 1978 Kiss solo albums, his produced the biggest single, New York Groove.
5. His stage personas were known as the Space Ace and the Spaceman.
6. He had a Les Paul rigged to pour smoke from its pickup during his solos.
7. Dimebag Darrell had Frehley's signature tattooed on his chest.
8. His 2011 memoir No Regrets debuted on the New York Times bestseller list.
9. He became sober in 2006 after decades of struggles with alcohol and drugs.
10. His 2016 covers album Origins, Vol. 1 reunited him with Paul Stanley on a recording.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Ace Frehley