🎸 Bruce Kulick: “I went down the rabbit hole to understand what made my KISS guitars so special”

Bruce Kulick launches his own brand of period-correct guitars inspired by his KISS era

Created in partnership with 1980s guitar specialist Johnny DiFatta of AXN Guitars, the instruments will serve as boutique tributes to Bruce Kulick’s years with KISS.

Bruce Kulick has officially stepped into the world of guitar building by teaming up with Johnny DiFatta of AXN Guitars to create Super Strats inspired by his 1980s tenure with KISS.

Together, they will produce boutique, vintage-influenced instruments under the Kulick Guitars banner, marking a new chapter for the guitarist as he seeks to establish himself as a creator off the stage as much as he has on it.

Bruce Kulick spent 12 years with KISS, contributing to eight studio albums, and last year concluded a 23-year run with Grand Funk Railroad.

After leaving the band, he told Guitar World that he wanted to return to the “powerful instruments” that were not always suitable for his band commitments. To achieve that, he explained that he had “gone down the rabbit hole of discovery” to understand “what made my KISS guitars so great.”

That journey led him to partner with DiFatta, whose USA-built AXN guitars — combined with his deep passion for KISS — made the collaboration a natural fit. The pair have already recreated Bruce Kulick’s iconic banana ESP M-1, as well as an M-1-style guitar inspired by the cover of KISS’s 1985 album Asylum, which famously features Kulick’s face. The guitarist has been road-testing the instrument during live performances.

“Johnny’s knowledge of these instruments is incredible and perfectly aligns with my own experience as a guitarist from that era, which sparks countless energetic discussions,” says Bruce Kulick.
“My early KISS Super Strats were Charvels with gold logos and angled headstocks, loaded with EMGs. But after Animalize in 1985, I was introduced to ESP. The early M-1 models simply had necks that felt better in my hands.”

Ultimately, he explains, his goal is to create instruments worthy of carrying his name on the headstock. Beyond KISS and Grand Funk Railroad, Bruce Kulick has toured with Meat Loaf and Michael Bolton, and recorded with Paul Stanley and Billy Squier.

Kulick’s first M-1 from 1985 featured what DiFatta describes as a “flip-flop paint job.” Today, the guitar hangs on the wall of London’s Hard Rock Cafe alongside one of Eric Clapton’s Stratocasters.

“I later produced a replica of that ESP M-1, but it had a chunkier neck,” DiFatta explains.
“We applied some guitar math and used calipers to analyze Bruce’s favorite ESP guitars. He ultimately settled on a slightly thinner, very 1980s-style neck profile with an R2 nut.”

Kulick and DiFatta felt it was fitting to feature the guitarist’s face on the body, especially with Asylum turning 40 in 2025. The signature flip-flop finish has also made its return.

The Asylum guitar features a two-piece alder body, a rosewood fingerboard with a quartersawn maple back, and a 25.5-inch scale length. Hardware includes a German Floyd Rose tremolo with AXN’s SuperWide sustain block and an AXN / Seymour Duncan JB Custom humbucker.

 

“Bruce Kulick wants to offer boutique guitars,” says DiFatta.
“Fans constantly ask for instruments that celebrate his KISS era. We discussed the tonewoods, the hardware, every specification, and the pickups in detail.”

DiFatta, who builds only a handful of guitars each year, says he has no intention of increasing production with the new Kulick Guitars line.
“AXN will continue to prioritize uniqueness and individuality over quantity and mass production,” he notes.

He adds that the collaboration “is not about money”:
“I’m a KISS fan first and foremost, and we also share an obsession with era-correct 1980s guitars.”

Bruce Kulick echoes the sentiment:
“Over the past five years, I’ve seen a revival of my KISS era. I’m always grateful that it wasn’t just the music that resonated with people — the guitars I played mattered too.”

“I can’t say exactly when there will be stock available. Anyone who knows me knows how much attention I pay to detail. That aligns perfectly with how Johnny works. This collaboration will allow me to create boutique-quality guitars truly worthy of my name on the headstock.”