KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer is featured in a new interview with American Musical Supply. An excerpt is available below:

Q: Coming from your early band BLACK N' BLUE, could you tell us what it was like the first time you donned the Spaceman outfit and got up on stage as an official member of KISS?

Thayer: "It was a whole new world. Being in KISS onstage is a surreal experience guaranteed to be nothing like any other band. I can attest to that because I've been in other bands. It's a commitment physically in terms of the show, the makeup, the outfits and the boots. Unlike other artists, we start getting ready for our concerts hours beforehand. Being on stage is like being in some kind of apocalyptic, rock & roll fantasy land. It's definitely different than your average band experience, that's for sure."

Q: During your time with KISS, is there a favorite city you enjoy playing?

Thayer: "It's always a tough question because no matter where you go in the world KISS fans are insane. I'm serious, it can be Moscow, Tokyo, Sao Paulo or Anchorage, they all go nuts. A really cool thing happened recently. We just completed an amazing tour of South America. In Buenos Aires we rocked River Plate Stadium on November 7th, which was on my birthday. When we came out for the encore they brought out a birthday cake and 55,000 KISS fanatics sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. I don't know many people that that's happened to recently."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Epiphone's new Tommy Thayer Spaceman Les Paul - named after and designed for the longtime KISS guitarist - is available this month.

According to a description, the guitar features a solid mahogany body and a plain maple veneer top that deliver the classic tone and sustain that can only come from a "real" Les Paul. The 1960's SlimTaper "D" profile mahogany neck has a deep-set glued-in neck joint, a 24.75" scale length, 22 medium jumbo frets, and a 1.68" nut. Like all Epiphone Les Paul's (and unlike less costly designs), the Ltd. Ed. Tommy Thayer "Spaceman" Les Paul Standard Outfit features a 14 degree headstock that gives you more pressure at the nut for more sustain with less tuning hang-ups caused by "string-tree" gadgets. A rosewood fingerboard with a 12" radius and pearloid trapezoid inlays completes the classic Les Paul Standard look and feel. The hand set-neck delivers outstanding string-to-body resonance while the medium-jumbo frets add to the smooth and sustained tone. The top features a beautiful Silver Flake color finish and a black gloss finish on the back, sides, and neck. The body features single ply white binding on the top and on the fingerboard. A cool black pickguard completes the modern look.

A promo video featuring Thayer can be viewed below: