Ace Frehley’s Custom “Smoker” Guitar From His Final Kiss Tour Heads to Auction
One of Ace Frehley’s most recognizable stage-used instruments, a custom sunburst Gibson Les Paul known as a “Smoker” guitar, is going up for sale. The instrument, which became synonymous with Frehley’s pyrotechnic-heavy solos, will be auctioned through GottaHaveRockandRoll.com beginning Nov. 19 and closing on Dec. 5. The site confirmed that the guitar comes directly from Frehley’s personal collection, accompanied by photos and a signed certificate of authenticity.
The Les Paul in question was heavily featured during Kiss’s Psycho Circus World Tour in 1999 and again on the 2000–2001 Farewell Tour, the last major run Frehley performed with the group. The guitarist, who died last month at age 74, had long been known not only for his tone and phrasing but for his willingness to modify instruments in ways that blurred the line between musical performance and visual spectacle. Among those innovations, the “Smoker” guitar became his most enduring hallmark.
Frehley began experimenting with smoke effects as early as the mid-1970s. In previous interviews, he described initially attempting rudimentary methods, including inserting smoke bombs into a cavity of his Les Paul and trying to ignite them manually, a process that quickly proved destructive to the instrument’s electronics. Working alongside an engineer, Frehley developed a safer and more consistent system: removing the neck pickup (which he rarely used), installing smoke cartridges and a halogen bulb inside the cavity, and wiring the components to a dedicated power source operated remotely by a technician. That setup eventually evolved into a compact fog machine to address venue safety concerns.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the “Smoker” effect was a staple of Kiss concerts, usually appearing during Frehley’s solo segment. The visual became inseparable from his stage identity, helping cement his influence not only on guitarists but on generations of performers drawn to theatrical rock.
Frehley’s technical creativity was something he openly acknowledged in a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone. He noted that musicians often credited him as the reason they picked up the guitar, and he emphasized that his role extended beyond musicianship into design and innovation. “I was such an innovator from the very beginning with special effects on the guitar,” he said. “First my smoking guitar, then my light guitar, then my rocket guitar. Nobody had ever done that in the history of rock & roll.”
The guitar now headed to auction reflects that legacy. It is a working artifact of the era when Kiss was at full commercial scale, performing to arenas and stadiums around the world. It also marks a personal milestone for collectors: one of the last stage-used “Smoker” guitars Frehley employed before his departure from the band in 2002 and before his death in 2025.
Frehley remained a popular figure within the Kiss community in the decades following his exit. His signature model Gibson guitars continued to sell, and his memoirs and solo tours drew strong audiences. The sale of the “Smoker” guitar is expected to attract significant attention from collectors of rock memorabilia, not only due to its rarity but because it represents one of the most visually distinctive performance tools in Kiss’s history.
