Ace Frehley’s Top 20 (plus a few more) BEST Guitar Solos

Ace Frehley’s Top 20 (plus a few more) BEST Guitar Solos

The inspirational impact that Ace Frehley’s lead guitar playing has had on generations of guitar players should really be of no surprise to anyone with a set of ears.

Always melodic and simultaneously explosive, he doesn’t waste a single note and plays with pure emotion. And, just when you might think that he’s more about feel than technique, you’ll hear something that makes you ask yourself, “How is he doing that?”.

To think that Paul, Gene and Peter started off as a trio and then THIS GUY shows up at an audition - wow! That was, beyond a doubt, a life-changing moment for all four of them.

The following is a list of Ace’s most memorable moments in no particular order. See if you agree with our comments.

FIREHOUSE (ALIVE!)
Extended longer than the studio version, this solo begins with that signature “Frehley stutter”. Ace had a way of getting some cool percussive sounds from the guitar pick clicking against the strings, exposing a lot of us to our first introduction to “pinch harmonics”.

100,000 YEARS (ALIVE!)
Ace describes this solo as one of the “nuttiest” things that he’s ever written. Maybe so. But those syncopated parts are so cool - nobody else could have come up with anything this unique.

BLACK DIAMOND
Epic! Cinematic! Classic! This solo has it all. And Jimmy Page would certainly approve.

TWO TIMER
The message is always the same - play for the song. If the tune calls for Keith Richards, become Keef.

ROCK BOTTOM (ALIVE!)
Next time you’re listening to this one, imagine a saxophone playing those lines, and then it all makes sense - phrasing, breathing and melody are what make it so good.

ALL THE WAY
Showing us once again that you can do a lot within the framework of the pentatonic scale, this solo is the perfect combination of blues licks and phrasing.

WATCHIN’ YOU (ALIVE!)
First, opening with some very cool 3-note open string pull offs, and then it’s call-and-response between the main riff and the lead guitar with some cool syncopation between Ace and Peter Criss on drums.

MAINLINE
Let’s just say that if this performance was credited to Lindsay Buckingham, no one would think twice about it.

PARASITE
This one employs a little bit of call-and-response phrasing while taking you on a mini journey.

SHOCK ME
This was Ace’s debut as a lead vocalist, so a special song like this deserves a special solo and that’s exactly what he delivered here. It’s a long piece which suggests that it was worked out in advance, but with Ace you never know.

SHOUT IT OUT LOUD
Short and sweet. Text book pop rock. If Ace was a hired studio cat, he’d have a gig for life.

LOVE ‘EM LEAVE ‘EM
The recording light goes on and Ace goes off … into space! Pure attitude and spontaneity. Nice ending too, featuring the toggle “kill-switch” trick.

MR. SPEED
You really have to wonder, had KISS not happened, if Ace would have become a successful studio musician, getting hired to play on everyone else’s records. Perhaps some of those Steely Dan classics might have turned out a bit differently.

MAKIN’ LOVE
We get the feeling that Eddie Kramer hit the record button and Ace just went for it. Total “freight train” mode.

I WANT YOU
This is one of the few times that Paul Stanley and Ace took turns playing a solo within the same song. Paul, no slouch on lead guitar, goes first, laying down a tasty performance. Then Ace steps in and takes it up a notch while complimenting Stanley’s statement.

LOVE HER ALL I CAN
The first part of this solo would certainly have been worked out in advance, but after that it’s clearly a case of just going for it. Unfortunately this tune never made it into the band’s live set.

I STOLE YOUR LOVE
Another one where Paul goes first and then Ace has a “hold my beer” moment. (Really. Ace very likely had a beer in his hand).

CALLING DR. LOVE
We want to call it “a classic” but they’re ALL classics. This one is all about setting a mood with some nice wide bends and open string pull-offs. Ace reminds us again that he’s always playing to compliment the song.

GOT TO CHOOSE
“Cinematic” is the first word that comes to mind. It’s a story being told; a song within a song. Not too many people can write solos like this.

GOIN’ BLIND
Vibrato. Intonation. Feeling. Tone. Perfection.

STRAGE WAYS
Definitely a fan favourite, the performance here makes it sound like the guitar is talking to you, with a human-like phonetic articulation.

DEUCE
The first song Ace played with the band when he went to that fateful audition at the age of 23. Lots of smooth vibrato and a great arrangement. Definitely a stream-of-consciousness thing happening here - the notes just seem to come out of nowhere.

Now, pick up your guitar and PRACTICE!

We are pretty sure that Mr. Frehley would approve of the EC-256FM. It's "more Ace" and "less Paul".

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