Finally got my Ace Frehley Budokan signed this past weekend at the Canyon Club in Agora, CA!

IconicTalisman

IconicTalisman

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I hope this is the right section of the Tone Room, where I can show off some autographs. I love chasing my idols and getting them to graph my guitars. What I hate is over paying for an autograph on a :poo:ty guitar. So sometimes you just have to wait for the right time and hope they are cool enough and generous enough to graph your guitar. Its tough being that guy, you know life long fan in line with Autographs hounds.

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This is the full frontal. Its a Gibson Custom Shop Ace Frehley "Budokan" Aged Series Les Paul.

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Here's the Back. It was already autographed on the back of the headstock by Ace when he sold it to the guy I bought it from. The seller sold it to me with the story that he bought it from Ace but had no paperwork or Provenance that Ace ever owned it. I had to take it on faith and the fact that typically #1's go to the artist. But the Aged & Signed #1 went the current owner of the actual Budokan Matt Swanson. Something that a lot of Ace Fans already knew.

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So I showed Ace the COA and the guitar, asked him if he remembered it and he said, "Yes I do, that was mine. I had a few of them and I let that one go". They all didn't play the same and sometimes you have to let some go.... So I asked him if he would sign the control cavity for me. This is how he signed it. "From The Personal Collection Of Ace Frehley"

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Some picks I caught that night and my VIP pass to get in after the show.
 
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Thank you Guys! As you may all know ACE's Budokan Les Paul was used Live during the Rock & Roll Over and KISS ALIVE II Tours through 1978.

My story with Kiss is a personal one. I was born in Spain but moved to the US when I was 6 months old. In our house flamenco and Spanish music could be heard from a very early age. I remember playing an air guitar solo of Detroit Rock City for my grandmother when I was like 8 years old. She was visiting from Madrid and during the solo she got very excited and pointed out to me that the solo was a quote from a very old well know Spanish musical theme, I want to say it was "La Malagueña", but I will have to go and dust of my composition chops to find exactly what is being quoted. To think my Spanish Grandma would approve of my KISS fanaticism!

KISS posters soon covered every square inch of my bedroom from 1976 to 1978. So when they came to town, my first concert ever like a miracle would be January 28, 1978 at the New Haven Coliseum. The Rockets were opening for KISS during the KISS Alive II Tour. And this lucky 9 1/2 years old I had 13th row on the floor, in the center section with my seats right on the isle that went right up to the stage below Gene. My Baby Sitter who was 13 at the time was my chaperon and an older high school neighbor who traded me the tickets for a brick of fireworks drove us. As a parent myself now, all of this sounds absurd but is 100% the truth. The flash bombs, the old school weed floating in the air and the volume should have never been exposed to a 9 year old never mind a band that spit fire and blood. But Ace at the time was my hero. I had purchased KISS Alive II and I had taken out the tattoos from the double album and had the bands logo on my forehead, ACE and Gene on each of my cheeks and Paul and Peter on the backs of my hands. I looked ridiculous but thought I was the coolest kid ever. And I wanted KISS to see how devoted a fan I was. So during Gene's Fire spitting blood routine, (which I had never seen before) I thought would be my chance to walk up the Isle to get closer to the band so they could see my tattoos on my face and hands.

Once I got to the front of the stage and looked up, Gene looked down at me and started shaking his face and the blood started pouring out of his mouth all down his chin, neck and chest and of course he locked eyes on me, like a psycho demon. Which of course, at this point what does a 9 year old do? I ran back to my 13 year old baby sitter and crouched down behind the seat in front of me terrified at the feet of my baby sitter. Everyone stood on their seats in this section. It was a perfect place to hide. I didnt hide for long. I mean look at this set list....

1977/1978 shows
  1. "I Stole Your Love"
  2. "King of the Night Time World"
  3. "Ladies Room"
  4. "Firehouse"
  5. "Love Gun"
  6. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"
  7. "Makin' Love"
  8. "Christine Sixteen"
  9. "Shock Me"
  10. "I Want You"
  11. "Calling Dr. Love"
  12. "Shout It Out Loud"
  13. "God of Thunder"
  14. "Rock and Roll All Nite"
Encore
  1. "Detroit Rock City"
  2. "Beth"
  3. "Black Diamond"

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My signed KISS Alive era Boots, Signed Leather Strap and now signed x2 Gibson Custom Shop Ace Frehley "Budokan" #001 AGED, OWNED & PLAYED Les Paul.



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Does it ever really stop?

Thanks for all the kind replies guys. I don't get to share this stuff much. I know I've shared my Slash autograph story and I've shared links to some of my other signed guitars but not sure which ones I've shared in the ToneRooms. Not all my stories have happy endings and in fact my Angus Young is an autograph obtained then lost. So Angus's rumors to be prepping for another tour is definitely next on the list. I got him once and he was great. I'll share that story soon enough, but getting him again is a must do because.... It's Angus.
 
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eSGEe said:
So......I.T......................
What is the NEXT "Holy Grail" of Signatures?
Click to expand...

Well all of these projects have been years in the assembling. The Slash signed Max built Kris Derrig is awaiting the holy grail of capacitors, my the tragic end to my Angus graph needs resurrection, and of course there are the impossibles ( David Gilmore, Jack White, Eric Clapton ) but the Holy Grail (at least my Holy Grail) is Jimmy Page on a Dragon Tele. The Dragon Telecaster project at Fender was good but had its flaws and Page’s autograph has become a highly conserved by him item. Notice how he signed the white mirror guitar but Not the Dragon. I have my love affair with the Dragon artwork that will take up a book not a webpage.
 
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