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History of the LP Budokan Ace Frehley
It is immediately after the “Destroyer” tour of KISS, in 1976, that Ace Frehley appeared with his Les Paul Cherry-burst Custom with 3 pickups that would become a symbol just as important as his famous make-up.
This guitar inspired the “Ace’s Signature Series” model produced in the late 1990s and the 2011 Budokan model, both marketed by Gibson.
Ace reported that he had bought this guitar from Manny’s Music in Manhattan during the summer of 1976. “It was basically a guitar with 2 pickups and I added the middle one because I liked the look of my Les Paul Custom with 3 pickups”.
By making this modification, Ace’s Cherry-Burst Custom would become all as unique and identifiable as he was, because Gibson did not offer any Les Paul Custom with 3 humbuckers in the Heritage Cherry-Burst color.
Japanese copies of the LP Budokan
Several Japanese brands copied the Budokan from 1978 onwards. The best known are certainly the copies of Greco but other famous brands have also copied this model, including Burny (Fernandes) and Aria Pro.
Greco Les Paul Budokan Ace Frehley
I am interested in 3 series of copies of the Budokan model produced by Greco. The 3 series are medium/high quality and I will detail the characteristics of these guitars in this article:
1- Greco EG600PR
The EG600PR was produced from 1978 to 1981-82.
Until mid-1979, the characteristics are the following:
- Body: Mahogany pancake, semi-hollow. Top in plywood of white sycamore.
- Neck: Maple
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Pickups: U-1000 (Alnico 8) x3
| Credits: Many thanks to Lucas Fowler who provided the photos of his 1978 EG600PR. |
From the end of 1979, Greco no longer made pancake and semi-hollow bodies for this model. The body became solid with a solid maple top (2 pieces). Also, Alnico 8 magnets have been replaced by ceramic magnets.
2- Greco EG800PR
The EG800PR was produced during the same period as its little sister. The differences are not very visible, except for the tuners according to the year of production and, of course and the label on the back of the head that identifies the model. However, this model is superior to the previous one for the following characteristics:
- Body: Solid mahogany body. Solid maple top (2 or 3 pcs).
- Neck: Maple
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Pickups: U-2000 x3
- Tuners: depending on the years of production, they may be the same as on EG600PR, Grovers brand or Waffle type on some Super Real.
| Credits: Many thanks to Morten Ottesen for providing the photos of his 1979 EG800PR. |
Greco Catalogs where the models EG600PR and EG800PR are listed: |
1979 Greco EG800PR - Budokan
We wrote a detailed article about a beautiful 1979 Greco EG800PR, Ace Frehley Budokan model. Follow the link to know all about it.
3- Greco AFL60
Then, in 1983 and 1984, we can see that the designation of the copies of the Greco Les Paul Ace Frehley with 3 pickups has changed; the model is now called AFL60. The price of 60,000 Yen and the label on the back of the head show that the characteristics are identical to the EG600PR model produced between the end of 1979 and 1982. See details above. However, the pickups installed on this model are Scream ‘in and the pattern on the head is different.
Greco Catalogs where the AFL60 is listed: |
Fernandes-Burny Les Paul Budokan Ace Frehley
The copies of Burny’s Les Paul Ace Frehley arrived on the market quite late, so there are not yet any “vintage” series of this model.
The RLC-55AF model was introduced on the market in the summer of 2008 (added to Fernandes’ website in August of the same year) and at the very beginning of 2009, it became the RLC-60AF model (name shared with another Burny model, the RLC-60SLSP, equipped with 3 pickups, sparkle, that is a reissue of a model launched in the late 90s). These models RLC-55AF and RLC-60AF are not Made in Japan but Made in China.
Only the LC-75AF model introduced in 1996 is Made in Japan. In fact, the LC-75AF guitar first appeared in the January 1997 issue of Young Guitar magazine, which was available in stores one month earlier, on December, 10th 1996. The LC-75AF model was announced in the review by Watanabe and Music Land Key resellers. Watanabe offered a version equipped with a DiMarzio pickup for those who wanted them. It was mentioned that the LC-75AF model was produced as a tribute to KISS’ tour in Japan from January, 18th to 25th 1997. We can therefore assume with almost certainty that the first copies of the LC-75AF were produced in October/November 1996 so that the guitar could be announced in the review published in early December. The LC-75AF continued to be produced throughout 1997.
Below are the images of the 2 advertisements in the January 1997 issue of Young Guitar magazine, which was available in stores from December 10th 1996.
Burny continues to offer the LP Budokan Ace Frehley Made in China model until this article is written, at the end of 2018.
| Credits: A big thank you to Jon Løvstad for providing information on the Burny Ace Frehley as well as photos of the ads in the 1996/97 Young Guitar magazine. A big thanks to Ludo Di Giusto who provided the pictures of his Burny RLC75-AF, and to Nigel Robinson and his luthier Olley Neale for the picture of the pickups. |
Fernandes-Burny Catalogs where the RLC-60AF is listed: |
3 Responses
Hi There,
I recently came across a Bury Ace Frehley in the UK, it was advertised as an RLC80AF, Made in Japan. The seller apparently bought it at the time of issue and more or less stored it after light use.
It has Gotoh Hardware, 3 x DiMarzio DP100s (Super Distortion) and the Sunburst finish, but with a ‘Flame Maple’ cap. I wondered if there was an RLC80AF or if this is a bit of a ‘one off’ RLC75AF?
Any info appreciated, happy to share pics.
Best ,
Mike.
Hello Mike, Thanks for posting this interesting Burny AF anecdote. A point that seems worth expanding on is the mention that is was described as MIJ and that the owner apparently bought it at time of issue. It would be useful to know when that was. Do you happen to know? Thanking you, regards, Stephen
*Burny (Clumsy Typing…!)