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When rumors started flying around back in 1982 that Ace Frehley had left the band, it was the beginning of a downhill track for Ace. When he had another car accident (there had been others in the late 1970s) his name made it into the press in a quite moderate way. Soon afterwards papers had stronger stuff to write about: Ace taking drugs, Ace breaking into a chemist's shop, Ace being arrested and so on. For a long time there was hardly anything positive to report about Ace Frehley.
In 1984 his name was mentioned again. This time it wasn't negative press he got: musician's magazines began to talk about a guitar with his name. The american company Washburn designed a guitar especially for Ace, and of course it had to look outrageous! According to German hard rock magazine Metal Hammer, Ace had very much been involved in the design. The instrument was called AF-40V, and it was really exciting in terms of design as well as playability and technical specifications.
The AF-40V had a basswood body, a maple neck and a two-octave carbonite (Phenolic Special) fingerboard. It had the shape of a star and was available in black, either with a white or a red bolt painted on it as well as Ace's autograph below it. The guitar had a humbucker pick-up from the Washburn Eliminator-series, which could be switched either to single or double-coil mode. The tremolo system was a special one designed by Washburn called Wonderbar. It took advantage of a special torsion system, instead of the springs usual systems are equipped with. This means no additional wood (except for the pick-up, the switch and the controllers) had to be cut out of the body for the tremolo.
In January of 1986, Ace presented the guitar to the public. As a custom guitar, it was build in a limited edition only, and of course Ace got his personal guitar(s). Professionals and journalists reviewed the guitar and to cut a long story short: they thought it was great!
Stefan Kerzel of German magazine Metal Hammer wrote: "The completely new design and its shape result in a real cosmic look. It's obvious how much Ace Frehley has been involved in its development. On the other hand, it offers a great balance and fits wonderful to its players body. (...) The Ace Frehley guitar is a true comet in guitar heaven. Its shape, playability, and design have been worked out to an optimum. If you feel the need for a special guitar you should take a look at this instrument. (...) Of course, it's not cheap (DM 1,975 / $987.50), but if you hold it in your hands and turn up the amp, you'll feel that this guitar is worth it."
Washburn placed some adverts and distributed a poster for the guitar, showing Ace with the black and white version of the guitar in front of some Laney amps (see top picture). The guitar shown in this advert (and in the video for Into The Night) is supposed to be a prototype, as it has a different pick-up than the guitars publicly sold. This pick-up looks like two single-coil pick-ups combined to one and has two silver lines on each pick-up part. This model also lacks the guitars' name (AF-40V) which should be engraved into a small plaque on the head. Instead, only the flat plaque is mounted to the guitars' head.
Rumors have it that Ace didn't like the guitar very much, and he may have sold it to someone. Different sources claim it is owned (and offered!) by a guy from the US who usually visits all the KISS Expos around the world and displays this beautiful instrument. If you are a guitar player and ever get the chance to own one of the AF-40V guitars, don't hesitate to buy it. It's a true collectors' item now and, when in good condition, an instrument of great quality.
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