“I've never been a fan of tapping, tricks or whammy bars. There have been a few greats, like Edward Van Halen and Randy Rhoads, but what they did came from somewhere”: Kiss's Paul Stanley names 11 guitarists who shaped his sound

Paul Stanley performs onstage with Kiss in Melbourne, Australia on September 30, 2023.

For 50 years, Paul Stanley has stood beside some of the more idiosyncratic lead guitarists in the classic rock world. But it's Stanley's immense rhythm chops that laid the bedrock for Kiss's sound, and have powered everything they've done since.

“I always wanted the band to have a sound that I've often referred to as, 'One big guitar,'” Stanley tells Guitar World. “In other words, it would be two guitar players, who together would make a singular sound through different yet congruent voicings.