Paul Stanley

According to Official Ernie Ball page Paul Stanley uses Earthwood Medium 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Strings 13-56

"Spent the morning at @martinguitar touring their amazing museum and seeing true craftsman and women at work. I COULDN’T leave without this D-42 Purple Flamed Myrtle. An incredible guitar. There’s a reason Martins are the standard by which others are judged. Great people too!"

In this post on Ernie Ball’s official Instagram, Paul Stanley says he uses 10-52 and 11-52 strings and always Ernie Ball.

In this post on Ernie Ball’s official Instagram, Paul Stanley says he uses 10-52 and 11-52 strings and always Ernie Ball.

This article talks about Paul Stanly's signature PS120.

In an interview with Guitar Player magazine from 1979 Paul was asked “What kinds of picks and strings do you usually use?

I used to use Ernie Ball strings with a .010 first E [Regular Slinky set] and a .052 bottom, but lately—especially in the studio—I’ve been using the set that starts with a .009 [Super Slinky], just for fills and things I’ve been playing, because there’s a lot more going on. For picks, I always use mediums.”

The Source URL is a rig rundown by PremierGuitar Magazine. PG caught up with current guitarist Tommy Thayer, along with techs Francis and Michael Berger, to dig into all the axes (in some cases, literally), effects, and amps that the band brought out on their 2014 tour with Def Leppard.

"Sitting outside and ready to play for the coyotes, deer, birds, squirrels and YOU! Pulled out this Eastman AC922CE I love and it's the perfect day. What do you want to hear?"

"Spent time at the warehouse pulling out some of my favorite guitars including my Guild F50 that I bought in 1984 in New York. Spruce top and maple sides and back. A KILLER guitar".

"KISS Warehouse Today. Playing an awesome 1954 Gibson J200 with Fran looking over my shoulder".

In this YouTube video recorded in Paul’s home, Paul can be seen playing through this amp starting at the 1:58 mark.

Paul can be seen using several B.C. Rich and Hamer guitars with these pickups in the early to mid 80s. In this interview with Vintage Guitar Magazine from 1997 Paul was asked,

When did you switch your allegiance to EMG pickups? That happened late in the game. I was always willing to try anything. I’ve never been one of those guys who says, ‘Give me free gear and I’ll endorse you.’ My attitude’s always been, ‘I don’t need your free gear, you need me.’ So, let’s not have the cart leading the horse!

When I tried some EMGs out, they really sounded good in the guitars I was using at that point, so I switched. I think the time I started using EMGs were in some Hamer guitars I had made, I’d say in the early ’80s.

There’s a lot of mixed feelings about active electronics. What did you like about the EMG actives? Well, the technical end means nothing to me! Initially, the idea of a pickup with a 9-volt battery attached to it was something I had an aversion to, but it sounded good!

In this Guitar Player interview from 1979, Paul mentions using the Ebow on his 1978 solo album titled Paul Stanley. Paul was asked, “Did you use special effects on the solo record?”

“I used the E Bow [Heet Sound Products, 611 Ducommun St., Los Angeles, CA 90012] on quite a few. I really found it incredibly useful. I don’t know how practical it is for live performing, because you can only utilize it on one string at a time, which really makes it a little difficult. Most of the time on Paul Stanley; when there was an E Bow there was really between three and six of them over-dubbed. They were on “Tonight You Belong To Me”; on the melodic line from the front of the heavy section, it’s not a keyboard, it’s the E Bows. On “Move On,” the next song, they come in around halfway through the solo; there’s about six of them there. And then on “Ain’t Quite Right,” they tend to give a certain kind of mood, like a haunting kind of sound. To me it’s something like an oboe, or a synthesizer crossed with an oboe, and I’ve been fascinated with sounds like that ever since I can remember.”

In this guitar player interview from 1979 Paul was asked, “What kind of amp are you using?”

“Marshall, a hundred-watt head. The people at Marshall have been really good to us for the most part. I think the days of equipment being given to you have passed. They don’t give us any stuff, but they service our equipment for us, and they keep everything in really good shape. Last year on tour I was using two stacks—two heads through either two bottoms or four bottoms, depending on the situation. For the biggest places I may have 10 or 15 hundred watt Marshalls with 20 Marshall speaker cabinets—four 12s in each.

“Are they stock?”

“Yes. They’re just really well kept. I’ve used the new Marshall heads, which have two inputs as opposed to four. I was using those on my new solo album. They sound very good.”

In this music video you can see Paul Stanley uses Guild 12-String Acoustic Guitar, the same one that was used in the studio for the recording. Also used during recording Kiss song "I Will Be There".

"Back in 1987, on March 15th, Paul and I performed at The Ritz in Dallas after a large guitar show. We did it to support BC Rich Guitars, who worked closely at the time with Paul and me. We did a short set along with Vivian Campbell too! I chose a Yellow ST-III (homage to my Banana), Paul a green one! Amazing pix, and thanks to Jesse Cortez, photographer and Mike Brunn. Any one here see this set??" - Bruce Kulick.

In a YouTube video of KISS performing "Black Diamond" live on the Midnight Special in 1975, the Marshall Plexi 1959SLP amplifier can be seen behind Paul Stanley at the 0:48 mark, confirming its use by the artist during the performance.

In the official music video for "Every Time I Look at You" by KISS, Paul Stanley is seen playing the Guild F-512 12-String Acoustic Guitar throughout the entire song, as evidenced by the video uploaded by KissVEVO on YouTube.

In an Instagram post by axeologyextended, it is evident that Paul Stanley uses a Conn ST-11 Strobotuner, as the photo from the summer of 1975 shows the tuner on top of a Fender Musicmaster Bass.

Paul Stanley has been using the Red Monkey Love Gun Guitar Strap since 2008 as part of his live setup with KISS. These straps are designed to meet the demands of arena-scale shows, providing a secure and balanced feel during extended sets, constant movement, and multiple guitar changes. They are integral to his performances and have been consistently seen on stage during global tours and in official performance content. This relationship is documented in a photograph available through Red Monkey Designs, confirming the long-term use and reliability of these straps in one of rock's most iconic live productions.