Tommy Thayer
Tommy Thayer |
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Tommy Thayer (born November 7, 1960 in Portland, Oregon) is the current lead guitarist of the rock group Kiss.
Thayer was a fan of such bands as Alice Cooper, Kiss, Rory Gallagher and Deep Purple, which inspired him to pick up a guitar in the early 1970s. In High School, Thayer met drummer Jaime St. James. After playing guitar in several rock groups, Thayer and St. James formed the band Movie Star, which morphed into the band Black N' Blue in late 1981. By that time, St. James had given up his drumsticks for a microphone, and became the lead singer of Black N' Blue. "Woop" Warner on guitar, Patrick Young on bass, Pete Holmes on drums, and Thayer on lead guitar rounded out Black N' Blue's lineup.
After Black N' Blue disbanded in 1989, Thayer and St. James later were reunited in a Kiss tribute band called Cold Gin, with Thayer playing Ace Frehley, and St. James playing Peter Criss. The band didn't go unnoticed by Kiss themselves, and they were invited to play at Kiss rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley's birthday party.
When Ace Frehley left Kiss (it is a frequent topic of debate among fans whether Ace left on his own, was fired, or was convinced by Gene that the Farewell Tour really was the end of Kiss), Thayer was the choice for replacement. He had assisted Ace in relearning some Kiss guitar licks for the Farewell tour. Kiss, who wanted to retain the classic look of the original lineup, chose Thayer to don Frehley's makeup (a move that put many fans in an uproar, comparable to when Eric Singer donned Peter Criss' Catman makeup for the farewell tour.) In March 2002, Tommy played his first Kiss show, at a private function in Jamaica. The next month, he appeared at the 50th anniversary show of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, playing the Spaceman. Since then, Thayer has played for Kiss in the Kiss Symphony show at Melbourne, Australia, a mini tour of Japan, a tour with Aerosmith, a tour with Poison, the Rock The Nation World Tour and several other single shows.
Tommy has also been involved in the production of various video and CD products related to Kiss including the Kiss Symphony: Alive IV DVD, the Second Coming DVD, and the main title sequence for the film "Detroit Rock City".
Thayer was elected to the board of trustees of Forest Grove, Oregon's Pacific University in 2005.[1]
Equipment
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Tommy currently uses Gibson Les Paul guitars. He has 9 or 10 with the following on tour with him:
Gibson Les Paul Sunburst 1960 Re-issue (2003) TT#1
Gibson Les Paul Silver Sparkle (2006) TT#2
Gibson Les Paul Honeyburst 1958 Re-issue (2000) TT#3
Gibson Les Paul Sunburst 1960 Re-issue (2003) TT#4
Gibson Les Paul Black 1960 Re-issue (2003) TT#5
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (1972) TT#6
Gibson Les Paul Black Custom (1976) TT#7
Gibson Les Paul Standard (1975) TT#8
Gibson Chet Atkins Acoustic Guitar plugged direct into the soundboard
He uses Ernie Ball strings in 11-52 gauge.
His amplification setup is four Marshall JCM900 series 100 watt amplifier heads driving 4 custom 4X12 cabs with Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers. The sole effects pedal in his rig is a BOSS OC-2 Octave Pedal
