Bruce Kulick has entered the world of luthiery by teaming up with Johnny DiFatta’s AXN Guitars for ‘80s-style Super Strats that pay homage to his days in Kiss.
Together, they will craft boutique, vintage-inspired instruments under the brand name Kulick Guitars, as the guitarist seeks to establish himself off the stage as much as he has on it.
Kulick enjoyed a 12-year stint in Kiss that produced eight studio albums. Last year he wrapped up a 23-year run with Grand Funk Railroad.
Upon leaving the band, he told Guitar World he wanted to return to the “powerful instruments” that weren’t appropriate in the band. To do so, he noted he had “jumped down the rabbit hole of discovery” to learn “what made my Kiss guitars so great.”
He subsequently forged a partnership with DiFatta, whose USA-made AXN guitars — and diehard passion for Kiss — made them a perfect match. The duo have already crafted re-creations of Kulick’s unmissable banana ESP M-1 and an M-1 style guitar inspired by the cover of Kiss’s 1985 album, Asylum, that features Kulick’s face. Kulick has been test-driving the guitar on the road.
“Johnny’s knowledge of these instruments is tremendous, and matches my experience as a guitar slinger of the time, inspiring many spirited conversations,” Kulick says. “My early Kiss Super Strats were Charvels with the gold decal and angle headstock, loaded with EMGs. But, after [1985’s] Animalize, I was introduced to ESP. The early M-1 models had necks that were better in my hand.”
Ultimately, he says he wants to create instruments worthy of having his name on the headstock. In addition to Kiss and Grand Funk, the guitarist has toured with Meat Loaf and Michael Bolton, and recorded with Paul Stanley and Billy Squier.