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Paul Stanley rocks December 2023 cover of GUITAR PLAYER Magazine.

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By Andrew Daly / GuitarWorld.com
(Image credit: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

The stalwart rhythm guitarist gets back to the roots of his brand of hard-rock showmanship: why AC/DC and Kiss share a similar guitar mentality, how Mitch Mitchell elevated Jimi Hendrix, and what makes Jimmy Page the Beethoven of guitarists

For 50 years, Paul Stanley has stood beside some of the more idiosyncratic lead guitarists in the classic rock world. But it's Stanley's immense rhythm chops that laid the bedrock for Kiss's sound, and have powered everything they've done since.

“I always wanted the band to have a sound that I've often referred to as, 'One big guitar,'” Stanley tells Guitar World. “In other words, it would be two guitar players, who together would make a singular sound through different yet congruent voicings.

“I saw bands like The Who and Humble Pie, and they inspired me. Those were guitar-propelled bands and were forces to be reckoned with. But it was the rhythm guitar that, when done properly, wasn't a knock on somebody who wasn't a lead guitarist, but the work of a person comfortable with the idea of working to be proficient at that specific skill.”

Stanley's viewpoint on guitar isn't only logical but downright illuminating. It's no secret that guitar is a competitive space, which is often more about keeping up with the guitarist beside you, rather than doing what you're best at. But Stanley, ever workmanlike, never saw it that way. 

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