Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has partnered with iconic guitar brand Gibson to launch a series of new electric guitars and basses.
Under the name G², the collaboration will introduce new collections of left-handed electric guitars and basses across Gibson’s ‘Gibson’, ‘Epiphone’ and ‘Kramer brands’, as well as develop new entertainment content to be streamed globally.
Kicking things off, G² will release the new G² Thunderbird Bass later this year, which made its worldwide debut on stage with Simmons recently during Kiss’ New Year’s Eve concert in Dubai.
Following the launch of the G² Thunderbird Bass, Simmons and Gibson have plans to release a Flying V bass and Flying V guitar.
“I have been designing and trademarking bass guitars for decades, and when I heard Gibson’s vision and learned about their creative process, it just made sense for us to join forces to take things to the next level,” Simmons said in a statement.
“Gibson is an outstanding company and has earned its place as a leading guitar brand with fans around the world. These guitars and basses will all be handmade, with a sound that is off the charts. The design is so beautiful and collectible that they are simply works of art.”
Cesar Gueikian of Gibson Brands added: “Gene is not only one of the most celebrated musicians and rock stars of all time. He is also an entrepreneur, record producer, actor and overall creative person. His brain is always working, and I love that about him.
“When we first connected, we immediately engaged in the most interesting conversations about guitars, entertainment, and business. Our shared vision compelled us to explore a partnership that would include developing instruments and creating a new platform to entertain and inspire new generations of Gibson and Gene Simmons fans to create music. Expect epic things.”
Gene Simmons and Mark Agnesi, Gibson Brand’s director of brand experience, will be discussing G² on January 18 on Gibson TV at 4pm GMT – watch here.
Earlier this month, Simmons doubled down on previous comments he made about the state of rock music.
In 2014, the Kiss bassist accused record labels of failing to adequately support rock artists and declared the rock genre to be “finally dead”.
Simmons doubled down on the claims in a recent interview, saying there are popular bands but that doesn’t mean they’re “iconic and legacy and for all-time”.
