Gold-plated Grover "waffle back" tulip tuners.
After the LoBue Doublecut was stolen Paul got himself a 1972 or ‘73 Gibson Les Paul Custom 54 Reissue. (It was most likely a 1973. Gibson only shipped 60 guitars of this model in 1972.) This was actually Gibson’s first true reissue model, a faithful replica of the original 1954 “fretless wonder” Les Paul. It had a solid mahogany body – no maple cap – and a mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard. The bridge pickup was a P-90 and the neck position featured an Alnico V “staple” pickup. The Grover “waffle back” tulip tuners and the tune-o-matic bridge were gold plated.
It might not be immediately obvious to most eyes but the Les Paul Custom 54 Reissue debuted at the June 16 show at The Daisy. Look closely at the photo and you'll notice the binding on the back of the body and the gold plated tuners. The photo from July 13 at Hotel Diplomat is unequivocal. You can see the block inlays and the split diamond headstock inlay. As far as Paul is concerned, this guitar is the guitar in early KISStory. After it was acquired in May 1973 it was present for almost all the major events of that year.
Case in point. Below we have two photos from two vital events. First, August 10 at Hotel Diplomat, the first time Bill Aucoin saw KISS. Second, the showcase at Le Tang's in late August or early September which convinced Neil Bogart to make KISS the first act signed to his new label Casablanca.
And to cap it all off the Les Paul Custom '54 Reissue was used to record the eponymous first KISS album at Bell Sound. Below are three photos. One from basic tracking and two from two separate overdub sessions. Next time you put on the album version of Strutter or Black Diamond, remember that they were recorded using this guitar (and that Ace used his Ovation Breadwinner).
Once the band got the advance money from Casablanca they all bought new instruments. Paul decided to have Charlie LoBue build him a custom V and when he received it the Les Paul Custom '54 Reissue was relegated to backup duty. It can be seen standing next to Ace's Ovation Breadwinner in the photos from the last shows at The Coventry.
As the LoBue Custom V carried the touring load for the first half of 1974, the Gibson Les Paul Custom '54 Reissue was always present in the role as a backup. In the rare instances that KISS played venues large enough to have their backup instruments on stage, and photographers captured a very specific angle, it can be seen standing on Ace's side of the stage next to the backup Melody Maker.
This guitar would get stolen along with the Custom LoBue V and, most likely, Ace's backup Melody Maker. Otherwise it seems highly likely that it would have been brought in for the shows in September. It was, after all, a guitar that had been good enough to record the first album, surely it could have been a stand-in for a few shows. (That's what a backup is for.) Instead Paul showed up with a Dan Armstrong once they started playing live after the Village Recorder sessions.
