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Inside NAMM 2012 - Gibson Ace Frehley 'Budokan' Les Paul Custom

1,559 views · Published 30 January 2012 · 1:33 · Indexed 2 October 2026

Channel: Sam Ash Direct · 2012 · Music

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Chris Steele from Gibson USA chats about the Les Paul Junior, Fireburst finish Les Paul Studio, and the Ace Frehley 'Budokan' Les Paul Custom with Sam Ash at NAMM 2012!

Gibson Custom has recreated one of the most famous guitars in music history -- the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom. The master craftsmen at the Custom Shop have forged this tribute to the KISS guitarist's most famous axe. Frehley nicknamed his Les Paul "Budokan" because it was the very guitar he played when KISS broke The Beatles' sell-out record at Japan's legendary Budokan arena in 1977. It also was Ace's main touring guitar throughout '77 and '78, was his go-to studio guitar after that and was used in the 1996 KISS reunion.

With the Ace Frehley "Budokan" Les Paul Custom, Gibson Custom has painstakingly recreated every single one of the idiosyncrasies of Ace's customized guitar, drawing on digital scanning technology and working closely with Frehley and the guitar's current owner, Matt Swanson. When Frehley recently took one of the guitars for a spin, he was amazed at how much the guitar felt, played and sounded like the real deal.

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