Custom/Aria pro II Les Paul 1970’s

Ha, an Ace Frehley signature guitar, but unique and just a little different, and not €8000….

This Custom rolled out of the Matsumoku factory in the 70s as an average Les Paul Custom!

However, this guitar lent itself perfectly to being turned into an Ace Frehley “Budokan”! So that is exactly what was done: the middle humbucker was routed in, and there is a 70s DiMarzio DP100 in the bridge. Perhaps the exact same year as Ace Frehley’s own DP100?

The guitar is also wired just like the “Budokan”—the neck and middle pickups are dummies, and only the DiMarzio pickup at the bridge is connected. This means you can use the pickup selector as a “kill switch”, just like the Spaceman. Only the smoke machine is missing!

By the way, the case is covered in Kiss stickers. Pretty awesome with this guitar!

Now for a bit about the guitar itself: it is a Japanese Matsumoku guitar from the 70s, sold under the brand name “Custom”. The guitar is actually identical to an Aria Pro II Les Paul from that era, just with a different name.

High quality, with truly endless sustain! Beautiful mahogany body with a stunning maple top! Quite thick frets for that era, which is nice for faster playing!

All in all, a highly sought-after guitar in its own right, and perhaps even more so in this configuration!

There are minor traces of the modification, such as a screw hole that doesn't quite align, and a small piece of binding is missing on the left side of the body. This is a 50-year-old instrument that is beautifully weathered, but still has a lot of rock & roll left in it!

No fret wear or neck cracks, and it has been nicely set up. Ready for an awesome Kiss tribute band?