Hard rock and heavy metal icon Bruce Kulick has teamed up with Johnny DiFatta, known as “the sensei of vintage 1980s guitars,” to launch a line of boutique guitars under the new banner, Kulick Guitars.
Kulick expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Meeting Johnny from AXN reignited my passion for M-1 guitars from the 1980s. This collaboration will enable me to create boutique-quality guitars that are worthy of my name on the headstock.”
With a history of 12 years and eight albums with KISS, Kulick’s contributions to the “Asylum” and “Revenge” records are considered essential. He also spent 23 years with GRAND FUNK RAILROAD and has collaborated with artists like Meat Loaf, Billy Squier, UNION, AVANTASIA, LORDI, and Michael Bolton.
DiFatta aims to capture the glamour and grit of a unique period in rock history with his custom guitars at AXN Guitars, a brand that has established itself in the industry.
Fans who have attended recent Bruce Kulick band shows may have noticed him performing with an ESP-styled guitar reminiscent of his “Asylum” album era. The AXN-backed Asylum boutique guitar serves as both a tribute and a mission statement, blending retro elegance with arena-ready flair.
Reflecting on the heavy metal scene of the 1980s, DiFatta aims to keep its spirit alive alongside Kulick, who shares a mutual passion for the era’s iconic instruments.
Johnny recounted how their collaboration began: “Bruce reached out because we shared similar interests, and we started discussing the guitars he used during his time with KISS. We explored early 1980s ESP catalogs showcasing the guitars Bruce played live.” DiFatta noted that ESP Guitars significantly influenced him as a guitar manufacturer, alongside early Charvel guitars.
As KISS’s “Asylum” approaches its 40th anniversary next year, it marks Kulick’s recording debut with the legendary band. This milestone has sparked a retro homage project that began in 2020.
Johnny recalled, “The ESP guitar Bruce played live during the early KISS days was his 1985 ESP M-1 with a Flip-Flop paint job. It’s the same guitar displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in London, next to Eric Clapton’s Stratocaster. I created a replica of that M-1 ESP but with a chunkier neck. Using a caliper tool, we examined Bruce’s favorite ESP guitars and arrived at a slightly thinner neck profile with an R2 nut that reflects the ’80s style.”
To create a guitar inspired by the memorable Beatles-esque headshots on the “Asylum” album cover, Johnny shared his artistic process: “Bruce suggested doing a guitar featuring his face from the ‘Asylum’ cover. I was already making custom guitars with artwork, so I took photos of a blank guitar and designed the art in Photoshop. I sourced a large poster of the ‘Asylum’ artwork, focusing on his face, and adjusted the design for symmetry around the pickups and bridge.”
The outcome is a tribute guitar that showcases the collaboration between two “guitar geeks.”
“Bruce aims to offer boutique guitars because his fans often request more instruments that celebrate his KISS era,” Johnny explained. “We discussed woods, hardware, specifications, and pickups, delving into what makes a guitar exceptional. Bruce has shown a keen interest in understanding this craft, and I’ve been happy to share my expertise as a luthier and musician.”
Key features of a Kulick guitar will include locking bridges, a single humbucker, and a non-reversed headstock adorned with the Kulick logo, alongside the AXN logo on the back. Johnny emphasizes that these guitars will be handcrafted and “period correct.”
With their commitment to authentic ’80s designs, Kulick and DiFatta are poised to create guitars that resonate with fans and collectors alike.
DiFatta, who began manufacturing guitars in 2018, has built a reputation for high-quality instruments and is recognized as a leading vintage ESP and Charvel historian in the U.S. He often has around 200 guitars in his collection and has sold over 1,400 vintage guitars online, demonstrating his deep-rooted passion for the ’80s guitar scene.
“I’m thrilled that Bruce and I have been able to explore and refine the technical details of the guitars he used during his KISS era,” Johnny shared about their collaboration. “Over the past four years, I’ve integrated many of Bruce’s suggestions into my AXN Guitars.”
In summary, Johnny remarked, “This endeavor isn’t driven by profit but by the demand from fans. Bruce and I share a deep love for these guitars, and as a KISS fan myself, it’s about our mutual obsession with era-accurate instruments from the ’80s.”
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