Epiphone recently conducted an interview with KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer. In the interview Thayer talked about the new Limited Edition Tommy Thayer “Spaceman” Les Paul Standard which will be released this month via Epiphone. He also discussed joining KISS, and his first trip to Hollywood in the early '80s. Excerpts from the interview are below:

Epiphone: A lot of KISS fans may not know that you've been part of the KISS family since the early '80s as a writing, singer, and aide-de-camp. How did you first meet Gene Simmons?

Tommy Thayer: “Fast forward about two years. As a struggling up and coming band, we had just released our second album and somehow we landed the opening slot on the KISS Asylum tour. That's when I got to know Gene, Paul, Bruce, and Eric Carr. They knew we were fans and they took interest and gave us some help, especially Gene. He was interested in producing bands and eventually began working with us producing our third and fourth albums. Things evolved and soon I began working for KISS first behind the scenes, then later directly with the band, and then ascended to the coveted KISS lead guitar spot in 2002.”

Epiphone: Was working with KISS a dream-come-true right away or did you still want to pursue a career with BLACK N' BLUE?

Tommy Thayer: “Actually, being the lead guitarist in KISS was unimaginable, but I think Paul and Gene had almost made me the heir apparent for several years before it happened. Because of the volatility in the band from 1998 on, I was literally on 'stand-by' backstage for several tours to take over on guitar if necessary. Behind the scenes, I had my own KISS outfit, boots and makeup kit in case of an emergency situation. By the time they asked me to be the new KISS lead guitarist over 10 years ago, the writing had been on the wall for a long while."

Epiphone: When you took over as the Spaceman, how did that change KISS musically?

Tommy Thayer: “Very slowly at first. With 30 years of KISStory preceding me in the band, you needed to be faithful and support where the band had come from and what made it so powerful in the first place. It wasn't the time to reinvent the wheel with a new style of guitar playing or a new character or personality."

Epiphone: It seems like KISS has been on a steady upswing since you joined the band.

Tommy Thayer: “Over the course of the last 10 or 11 years KISS has slowly built to new heights. The success of our tours, particularly since 2008, have been astounding. Going back into the studio in 2009 to record Sonic Boom and then again with Monster this year has been an incredible growing experience. With the support and encouragement of Paul, Gene, and Eric I've been able to take my guitar playing to a whole other level. It's a great feeling."

To read the entire interview visit this location.

A demo video for the new guitar can be seen below: