When Bruce Kulick joined Kiss in 1984, it was clear his playing style was Hendrix-meets-Van Halen – but that doesn’t mean he wasn't impacted by Ace Frehley.
“Ace based his playing on blues and pentatonic riffs with some twists and turns, of course,” Kulick says.
“I admired his vocabulary of riffs. It blended with Kiss songs. Every solo became a song within the song. I always strive for that approach too.”
Like many around the world, he was struck by Frehley’s death in October 2025.
“I’m compiling a file of photos with him,” he reports. “And I’m thinking of all the times we performed together, from MTV Unplugged in 1995 to Creatures Fest in Nashville in 2022. All great memories.”
Few know better than Kulick what it means to follow Frehley, let alone replicate his licks. “He defined what it means to be a rock star in many ways. He was not easily definable – and like Ace once said, he was really a plumber!”
During his 12-year run with Kiss, Kulick had a mission in mind: “Ace influenced so many guitarists, and I wanted to learn what it was about his playing that connected with them. He made me think of a primal Jimmy Page style of playing.”
A Hendrix devotee, Kulick was drawn to the elements of Frehley’s swagger-laced tone which drew from Hendrix’s well. It was difficult to harness.
“He loved Hendrix and Page. But his tone, his pick technique, and choice of notes were uniquely Ace. For me, he was not easy to emulate.
“His solos and playing on 100,000 Years were difficult. It has wildly syncopated riffs with interval jumps that were so special – truly in my mind it defined Ace’s approach. In my Kiss era I wanted to perform it. I kept shaking my head in awe as I recreated the riffs!”
Kulick adds: “His picking technique was unique; fingers were large and wide. The way he held his pick was special to his playing as well. Tone, I always say, is in the player’s hands. Ace had his special tone that I’d never be able to copy.”
Regardless of the expectation laid upon him, Kulick understood the assignment went far beyond even that.
“The responsibility of being the lead guitarist in Kiss was enormous. My era of the band firmly had one foot in the past but one in the future.
“That meant I was to be competitive with the new styles of guitar playing of the ‘80s. There was freedom for me to be ‘me,’ and come up with flashy but memorable solos. The tools of playing also changed from the iconic ‘70s. I had a Floyd Rose tremolo and more gain and distortion, for example.”
From 1984 to 1996 he did far more than just keep Frehley’s seat warm until his return in the ‘90s. Which is why he understands the impact of the Spaceman’s death better than many.
“I knew it would rock the music world. I remember thinking, ‘This is like Eddie Van Halen’s death.’ He influenced so many, and he was one of a kind. His legacy is monumental.”
