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Bruce Kulick talks about the new album, BK3, his vast gear collection, and the thrills of recording and writing with some of his favorite artists.

Few guitarists can boast the career highlights that Bruce Kulick can. Best known for his 11-year stint with Kiss—a resume point that alone would provide lifelong satisfaction for most guitarists—Kulick has put out a body of work that spans so much more that. His first big gig was circling the globe with Meat Loaf on the Bat Out Of Hell tour. And his work with Union, Grand Funk Railroad, and Blackjack has garnered fans the world over. In addition, he has released his own solo material, 2001’s Audio Dog, 2003’s Transformer, and this year’s BK3. His latest outing features an impressive lineup of guests, including Steve Lukather, fellow Kiss personnel Eric Singer and Gene Simmons (as well as Simmons’ son Nick, who covers vocals on one track), Doug Fieger from the Knack, ex-Motley Crue vocalist John Corabi, and singer Tobias Sammet from German metal band Edguy.

Kulick recently spoke to PG about the new album, his vast gear collection, and the thrills of recording and writing with some of his favorite artists.

Tell me about the making of this album and what sparked it?

Well, the song “I’ll Survive” refers to me getting shot on Sunset Boulevard. I feel that I was blessed that day and was very fortunate that I survived despite some guy having a crazed desire to shoot a gun wildly on the street. The bullet went through my leg, and one nicked my head. I was literally an inch away from being crippled or dead. That happened in October of 2003, and I wrote most of the music during my healing process that November. I really love how that track came out, with a little bit of my Beatles, Aerosmith, and Pink Floyd influences—you know, bands that I really, really love. That was the first thing I wrote for the record. Jeremy and I had some other material that didn’t end up on the album, but it was a little more in the pop direction and I wanted it to be heavier. Having Gene and Nick involved really helped bring that out. But the album still has a great variety of songs, from heavy rock tunes to a ballad, and I love that.

What’s the biggest difference between BK3 and your previous solo efforts?

It’s more about collaborating with someone who had a bigger vision, which would be Jeremy Rubolino—the guy who produced it with me. Jeremy always had this vision of me doing the definitive solo record. He wanted to work with me on Transformer, but I was already committed and in the studio at that point. I really liked this compilation CD he gave me with material that he worked on with other bands, so I promised him the opportunity to work with me when I was ready to start the third record so we could see what would happen. Jeremy is a huge Kiss fan and is the cousin of Bob Ezrin. I always saw talent in him with some of the work that I did with him in the past. He worked at my brother’s [Bob Kulick] studio, and I got to hang with him. Eventually, he hired me to be on a record that he produced for Thomas Ian Nicholas [of American Pie fame], and that was when we started writing together. It was great to see what an eccentric, brilliant perfectionist he was, and he was always challenging me.

How did that impact the songs and your playing?

With my previous solo work, money and time played a big part in the recording process. This time, I got to remove those two factors. If a song had to be done three times, it was done three times—meaning in three different sessions. If a song needed a rewrite, it was rewritten. I wasn’t able to do that when I was working by myself on the other two solo records. Jeremy’s tenacity of pushing things until he was really happy helped out the process a lot. He was able to point out when something was magical or not [laughs]. Overall, it was a constant process of not settling for anything and making sure that there were no filler songs.

So working with Jeremy really allowed you to open up creatively.

Oh yeah! For example, this record has the best vocals I’ve ever done, and I know that’s due to him. He’s also very in tune with my guitar style, and he’ll say things like “Let’s stick a little harmony line in there.” He’s very, very good at things like that. So not only does he help with songwriting, but he also helps me arrange the guitars in a very musical yet challenging manner. And that’s the Ezrin factor right there. Bob used to do things like that for Kiss. One of the biggest highlights of my career was doing the Revenge record—it was a very educational time for me. Jeremy hasn’t really worked with his cousin too much, but I do see a very similar creative process in how he does things.

That first track, “Fate,” immediately grabbed me. It’s a barn burner!

That was actually the last track to be worked on. Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you do a big overview of what you’ve done. With all the Beatles remasters coming out recently, I’ve been reading a lot of articles and things about their recording process and finding out things like, “Oh wow, they recorded stuff for Sgt. Pepper’s that never was actually on the album,” and “Abbey Road wasn’t written chronologically.” I realized every record has that opportunity to be flexible in the writing process. So with “Fate,” I was already pretty pleased with all of the songs, but Jeremy said, “We need one more heavy rocker.” So we reached out to Kevin Churko, who worked with Ozzy Osbourne on his last couple of records. Jeremy basically said, “Hey, do you have some tracks, maybe some material that Bruce and I can jump in on?” He had the original tracks to “Fate,” but Jeremy and I came up with a melody and an arrangement. We loved the vibe and intensity of the song, but I ended up adjusting all of the guitar parts to make it my own. You talk about being diverse, there you go! Kevin also ended up engineering the session that Gene did the bass tracks for, “Ain’t Gonna Die.”

Speaking of Gene, you’ve got a pretty impressive lineup of guest stars all around.

Jeremy pushed me to get Lukather. I had lunch with him and we hit it off, and I was very pleased when he said yes! Eric Singer recommended that I add Gene, and Gene offered his son Nick, as well. I met Doug Fieger at Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp one year, and I knew that he would be great for the power pop tune on the record that wouldn’t fit my vocals so well. Jeremy didn’t know about Tobias Sammet, but I met him through Eric and once we brought him in the studio he was thrilled to death. The guy’s got a great voice! I had worked with John Corabi previously in Union, and we did some really good things. One of Jeremy’s favorite albums is the second Union record, The Blue Room, so he knew just how good John and I could be together. I certainly feel like the song with John is a definitive song on the record.

How did you begin the whole tracking process?

A lot of the songs were demos at first. Then we dumped them into Pro Tools and added real drums, along with any ideas that Jeremy and I had along the way. We’d record ideas on a little tape recorder wherever inspiration struck, sometimes in my living room or somewhere else. Eventually, we’d throw a drum loop or section into Pro Tools and lay the idea out, and then start overdubbing on it. It was actually pretty fun, especially when we were using this little black Gretsch acoustic with a pickup to hash out how the song would go. That was the first guitar used during the recording of the album. Then we’d add bass and arrange it, overdub, redo things as needed, and then see how it turned out.

What were your main amps for the recording sessions?

I don’t own a lot of amps, but I know what a good one should sound like. When you have four or five really good tones, you can really make a lot happen. My old Marshall JCM 900 2100 series head has always been my go-to amp. It has EL34s and it just sounds killer! My tracks on the Kiss Revenge album were recorded with it. The amp doesn’t have a whole lot of versatility, but it sounds great and it gives me that big sound whenever I want it. I also like to run through a 1966 Fender Bassman head coupled with 4x12 Marshall cabs with Vintage 30s. I also have a Rivera 2x12 cabinet with Vintage 30s, and a 4x10 cab. I’d occasionally use a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL, but everything was tracked mainly with a Marshall 4x12 driven by either the Fender or the JCM 900. I love the Orange Tiny Terror for more Class A-esque tones, as well as my early reissue Vox AC30 in red tolex. I normally don’t record leads through it, but it’s great for adding texture. One of the tricks that I learned a long time ago is to not play through the same thing for everything, which really helps with textures. The most recent amp that I’ve acquired is an Egnater Rebel 20, which is really flexible.

How about guitars?

My main guitar is a conversion 1953 Gibson Les Paul. People who know about Les Pauls from that era would think it’s a goldtop, but it’s been in the Kulick family for a very long time. My brother got it in ’74. At the time, it had already been refinished with a sunburst paint job. The neck has been reset, and it has a wonderful shape. It had also been converted from P-90s to humbuckers, and it came with a stop tailpiece and Tune-o-matic bridge. Paul [Stanley]’s solo record had the guitar on it when my brother played with him. My brother didn’t really want it, and he really didn’t use it much. So I bought it from him, and I used it on every Kiss album after that. Tom Murphy repainted it for me in the ’90s, because the sunburst refinish was pretty weak. It’s just beautiful now and has the old brown case. I also have some great Les Paul reissues and a Gibson ES-330 hollowbody. ESP guitars have always treated me well, and I have some really nice ones. In fact, Steve [Lukather] played my bolt-on Vintage Plus from the ’90s on his track. There’s nothing better than a good P bass in a song, so I have some of those as well as some Jazz basses. Gene let us borrow one of his axe basses for a track too. You can find a ton of information on my gear collection on my website, too, because I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot.

I understand you have a pretty big pedal collection, too.

It’s crazy how many pedals I own, but I have a good instinct on which ones to bring. I used my Creation Audio Labs MK. 4.23 booster a lot. It doesn’t color the sound, and it just pushes the amp when it’s not giving enough. Toward the end, I got turned on to Keeley pedals, and I’m also a huge fan of vintage Boss effects. GeekMacDaddy? made me a nice Univibe clone and a custom wah, which sounded more like my early Vox ones.

What’s your favorite track on the album?

You know, I love them all, but I’m sure that you hear that all of the time! “I’ll Survive” is very personal to me, considering its inspiration. It kills me every time I hear it—I just love it. I also think Gene and I hit a real mark with “Ain’t Gonna Die” and that real Revenge-era vibe. Nick did a great job, too. All in all, I’m proud of every song on there.

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Kauer Guitars launches with offset-body Daylighter line, which includes solidbody, semi-hollow and hollowbody versions.

Elk Grove, CA (February 5, 2010) – Kauer Guitars has introduced the Daylighter, the new flagship guitar from the Elk Grove, California company. With the Daylighter, the company seeks to fuse offset balance and aesthetics with classic set neck construction and carved top appointments for a blend of beauty and great playability.

Kauer is building a variety of Daylighters, from the bare-bones Daylighter Express to the woody and ES-tinged vibe of the Hollowbody Daylighter. Here’s some more information Kauer Guitars and the Daylighter from the company:

Standard Specs:
Body: African Mahogany
Cap: Wormy Maple (except the Express)
Neck: African Mahogany
Fretboard: Wenge, Pau Ferro, Cocobolo
Binding: Wood
Scale: 24 3/4″
Frets: 22
Radius: 12″
Neck Profiles: Vary Open Request, standards are “59LP Fat D” (.92-1.0), Medium C (.89-.99) and Hard V (.92-1.02)
Bridge: TonePros? AVR-2 or ATV2 Wraparound
Tailpiece: TonePros
Tuners: Sperzel SoundLoc
Inlays: Mother of Pearl
Pickups: P-90, Humbuckers

MSRP:
Daylighter Express: $2300
Daylighter STD: $3400
Daylighter Semi Hollow: $3850
Daylighter Hollowbody: $4500

Kauer Guitars is a family run business started by Doug and Rick Kauer. With over 15 years experience in wood-working, Doug was able to capitalize on his experience with CNC machinery to do precision work such as fret slotting, bridge placement, body shape and more. In tandem with the precise work our CNC machines offer, Doug still uses an overall hands-on approach to more delicate matters such as shaping necks, contours, fretwork, finishing and final setup.

Rick Kauer’s extensive 20 year history in the same field allows him to be vital to the machining and quality control for each instrument. Rick’s expertise allows each and every Kauer Guitar to be as consistent as the ones before.

For more information:
kauerguitars.com

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Willie Carter and Eric Poulsen team up for a new line of acoustics.

Santa Cruz, CA (February 5, 2010) – Carter/Poulsen Guitars announced the debut of their new generation models of acoustic guitars by exhibitors at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show at the Anaheim Convention Center January, 14-17, 2010.

By combining the best of traditional building techniques/designs and using modern technology to enhance the overall performance/quality of their instruments, the company’s founders Willie Carter and Eric Poulsen, have been able to take their shared passion for steel string acoustic guitars to create and build next-generation professional instruments with a human connection.

“Our tag line, Modern/Classic speaks to our approach. The use of cutting edge technology is typically reserved for the large production shops, and classic techniques are often reserved for very small production shops.” said Carter, “One of our goals was to mate the two, and create an instrument that has the advantages of modern manufacturing, with the characteristics that attract players to vintage instruments. It’s truly the best of both worlds.”

Eric Poulsen and Willie Carter are not only the faces of the business, but also the actual builders whose collaboration has produced models that have already been embraced by professional touring musicians Richard Julian (Norah Jones and the Little Willies), Justin Young and Lance Konnert, guitarists for Colbie Callait.

Here’s what Eric and Willie had to say about the new models:

G-Model
The Carter/Poulsen g-model was inspired by the great vintage 00 14-fret guitars. The g-model is not a copy but a creation of the Carter/Poulsen Guitars’ collaboration. We designed the g-model from the ground up to be a modern musical instrument with a nod to the classic steel string guitars of the past.


T-Model
The Carter/Poulsen t-Model has the benefit of close to ten years of refinement. We designed the t-Model to combine the comfort and balance associated with small bodied guitars with the richness and volume expected of larger instruments. This modern/classic instrument is influenced by guitars of the past and executed with an eye towards the future.


J-Model
The Carter/Poulsen j-model is the largest bodied instrument in our line and a contemporary synthesis of several proven traditional designs. It occupies a unique position with a distinct voice and character, combined with balance and comfort. The j-model is an expression of the future of modern steel string guitars planted in classic tradition.

Carter/Poulsen Guitars was founded in 2009 in Santa Cruz, CA, by Willie Carter and Eric Poulsen. Their partnership embodies a shared passion for the steel string acoustic guitar and the result is a culmination of many years of experience in various aspects of the music industry, guitar building and fine woodworking. With a client/ player focused approach, their goal is to merge proven traditions with promising innovations in design and construction, a process that is both modern and classic.

For more information:
Carter/Poulsen Guitars

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Gibson is kicking off 2010 by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the last year of “Holy Grail” Les Pauls, 1960, with new Custom Shop recreations.

Nashville, TN (February 3, 2010) – Gibson is kicking off 2010 by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the last year of “Holy Grail” Les Pauls, 1960, with new Custom Shop recreations.


There are three versions of the guitar being released with slightly different features to represent the production variation from that year.

Version 1 features a 1-piece mahogany neck with “1959 rounded” profile, Gold Top Hat knobs, Vintage Tulip tuners and either Heritage Cherry Sunburst or Heritage Dark Burst finish.

Version 2 features a 1-piece mahogany neck with 1960s (.8/.925) profile, Gold Top Hat knobs, Vintage Tulip tuners and either Sunset Tea Burst or Light Iced Tea Burst finish.

Version 3 features a 1-piece mahogany neck with a 1960 Thin Taper (.790, .865) profile, Gold Top Hat knobs with silver inserts, Vintage Tulip (Double Band) tuners and Cherry Burst finish.

All versions have a non-chambered mahogany body with carved maple top, rosewood fingerboard with aged acrylic trapezoid inlay, Burstbucker 1 (neck) and Burstbucker 2 (bridge) pickups mounted with slotted screws, and a Tune-o-Matic ABR-1 bridge and stopbar tailpiece. The guitar comes with a black/maroon hardshell case and Custom Shop certificate of authenticity.

All of the models carry an MSRP of $8504.

For more information:
Gibson

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Dean recreates the Buddy Blaze-altered ML Dimebag Darrell made famous.

Dean Guitars began producing instruments over thirty years ago in Chicago, IL under the supervision of owner Dean Zelinsky, and was founded on the idea of modernizing the classic designs like the Flying V and Explorer guitars. Aiming to produce a more original design, Dean combined the shape of the two guitars—half V and half Explorer—and named the new guitar the ML (after Matt Lynn, a friend of Zelinsky who passed away from cancer). The forward half of the body is the Explorer and the rear half is a V. Among the greatest admirers of this guitar was a luthier from Arlington, TX named Buddy Blaze. He acquired a used Dean ML that had once belonged to Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott and made quite a few alterations to the instrument, including sculpting a V-shaped neck profile, adding hotter pickups, a Floyd Rose tremolo and a snazzy graphic paintjob. Blaze gave the guitar to Abbott and the rest is history: Abbott took that guitar into the annals of rock with his groundbreaking metal band Pantera.

Blaze went on to design a guitar for Kramer named the NightSwan? in the ‘80s that featured a Strat-influenced body. Along with other trendsetting standards of the time—low-action necks and Floyd Rose tremolos— Blaze designed this guitar to have two humbuckers, one at the bridge and the other in the middle position rather than the neck position, which is more typical of a two-humbucker design. Another distinguishing Blaze feature was the offset fretboard position markers that swoop diagonally along the length of the neck. The new Dean Buddy Blaze ML wraps all of these design elements into one guitar similar to his original Dean, painted blue with a striking chrome flame graphic. This guitar was definitely designed for speed, volume and visual appeal.

Construction
The Dean Buddy Blaze ML is a set-neck design featuring a mahogany neck and body. Despite its size, the body is a mere 1.5″ thick, unlike the 1.75–2″ thickness of most guitars of this type. The size of the body makes up for it in the guitar’s overall mass, although it isn’t really that heavy when you strap it on. The weight feels evenly distributed and well balanced. The scale length is 24.75″, with a two-octave neck and 24 medium-height frets on a rosewood fingerboard.

The pickups are made by Dean’s DMT division (Dean Magnetic Technologies). In the bridge position is a Blaze Bucker, codesigned with Buddy Blaze. It has an Alnico 8 magnet with a hot output of 15.7k. The middle pickup is an old-style humbucker called the Nostalgia that has a low output of 8.1k. Like some other classic guitars, offsetting the outputs of paired pickups can offer some tonal benefits. A single Volume knob controls the output of this guitar. It’s positioned quite a distance away from the right-hand playing position, way past the bridge, which could be a good thing if you’re an arm-swinging windmill strummer, but a bad thing if you need to do volume swells with your pinky. It in the same location as the bridge Volume knob on most all Dean MLs, and Blaze says that he chose to keep it there for the benefit of ML fans and players. He also notes that he kept the full, traditional control cavity of the ML so that an additional Volume or Tone control could be easily added if the owner desired.

Rounding out the construction features is the all-black hardware. Grover Rotomatic tuners are standard on all Dean high-end guitars. An original Floyd Rose tremolo is top-mounted and non-recessed—like all the classic hot-rodded guitars—with a 37 mm sustain block inside the body.

Performance
Because of the V-shaped spine along the lower fretted area of the neck, chording is palpably easy, as is accenting single notes. An innovation from ‘50s-era strats, it has a very vintage feeling. In the upper register, the neck gets rounder and fades to a comfortable U-shape where the neck joins the body at the 22nd fret. Even with these attributes, though, playability becomes somewhat cumbersome because of the use of medium-height frets. Bigger, taller frets are more common on a modern “shreddable” guitar and would increase speed and agility on the fingerboard. Wretching out single-note bends is a little more effort-ful than effortless. According to Blaze, however, the aim was not to simply modernize the Dean classic, even through there are many design improvements in the Buddy Blaze ML. The fretwire he chose is similar to that found on the original Dean from Hell, and other Dean MLs of that era. “Darrell and I both loved the feel of that fretwire,” he explained.

What is a breath of fresh air to guitars of this type is the non-recessed Floyd Rose. With the neck-to-body angle pitched properly, the Floyd is aligned parallel to the surface of the body with enough clearance to pull up or down. This is the way the Floyd was originally intended to be mounted on a guitar, and recessing it into the body is somewhat unnecessary. This also means the Blaze ML’s Floyd Rose is so much easier to maintain because of top mounting vs. recessed mounting.

Matched with the mass of the guitar, the Blaze Bucker bridge-position pickup is quite a screamer with its super high output, without any chimey peal to the tone. Plugged into a gain-enhanced amp, the sound of this pickup by itself is full-metal-jacketed, high-octane metal. When coupled with the middle- position pickup, the tone is chug city. Thrash metal never had it so good. All of this is great, except when the middle pickup is selected to perform on its own: where this pickup is positioned, the physical, vibrationary movement of the strings just seems to be too unusable in a high-gain application. It lacks clarity when playing rhythm lines and treble definition when soloing. Its main benefit is in adding lower midrange to the bridge pickup when both pickups are on. This is perhaps the most distinguishing thing about this version of the ML against all the other ML models in Dean’s product line.

The Final Mojo
The Korean-built Dean Buddy Blaze ML is a well-made guitar, and the design elements are well thought out with a particular kind of guitarist in mind. It seems that this reviewer would be the old-school metal instead of modern metal type, but with the advances in guitar technique, even the old-school metalists have matured, and for ease of playing this beast would be better suited with bigger frets (the fabled Dunlop 6100s). Altogether, this is a great demonstration of Dean’s gift for modernizing a classic guitar design—in this case their own.

Buy if…
you’re looking for a visually striking guitar with the tone to match.
Skip if…
you’re into more ordinary guitars with less output and inconspicuous looks.