From PAULSTANLEY.com
10/31/07

On the Road with KISS: Paul Stanley Guitar Tech Francis Stueber Talks to Gibson.
By Sean McDevitt
Francis Stueber speaks in-depth about the maintenance of guitars for such heavyweights as Paul Stanley and Kevin Cronin.
If Paul goes out of tune, its not his fault, its my fault, says Francis Stueber, referring matter-of-factly to one of his many responsibilities as guitar technician for KISSs Paul Stanley, with whom hes worked closely since 2002. Usually I change his guitar every four to five songs so he doesnt have to worry about going out of tune. Its pretty straightforward with KISS; Paul only plays one tuning and he plays no more than six guitars. Really the only reason I change guitars is for aesthetics.
Stuebers also worked behind the scenes for Heart, the Offspring, and REO Speedwagons Kevin Cronin--gigs that have established him as one of the most in-demand guitar techs in the U.S. But its his work with KISS thats brought him the most recognition. Stuebers relationship with Stanley, which began back in 2002, continues to this day. Hes worked on all subsequent tours and one-off shows, on behalf of KISS as well as Stanleys solo efforts. He even took the stage with Gene and Tommy Thayer during the Gene Simmons Family Jewels episode where they performed for the troops, and was on hand when Stanley cut his 2006 solo album Live to Win. And, of course, he maintains Stanleys personal guitar stash, which includes a number of Les Pauls and SGs.
Because KISS tours infrequently, these days the 38-year-old Stueber works most often with Grammy-winning producer John Shanks, the mastermind behind many of the No. 1 hits of Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, and Fleetwood Mac. Also the accomplished guitarist who formerly backed Melissa Etheridge on albums such as 1995s Your Little Secret, 1999s Angels Would Fall and Breakdown, and 2004s Lucky, Shanks happens to be a guitar fanatic with a staggering collection of vintage instruments. Thats where Francis Stueber comes in.
John just loves guitars, explains Stueber, a New York native who works with Shanks at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Records Studios) in Los Angeles, Shanks home base. If he has one of something, hes got to have two of them, three of them, or as many as he can get his hands on. And he uses all of them on his recording projects so I basically maintain them constantly.
Its the job of Stueber, himself an accomplished player, to keep everything in working orderno easy task when youre charged with maintaining some 180 vintage guitars, including an array of classic Gibsons: a sunburst 1959 Les Paul; 1983 Joe Satriani Flying V; 1976 Explorer; 64 Firebird V; 63 Hummingbird; 69 Les Paul Deluxe; 61 ES-335 Dot Neck; 65 Pelham Blue SG; 61 SG Standard; 92 Custom Shop Les Paul; 57 Les Paul Goldtop; and a 57 Junior, among many others.
Besides keeping Stanleys guitars in perfect working order and changing their strings daily during tours or periods of heavy use, Stueber maintains their beauty with a cleaning ritual that includes his two secret weaponsa conditioning cloth that he says can be found at any dollar store and a nut and bridge lubricant.
The sweat and corrosion of a live show makes strings pretty dead and nasty so I change them every day, Stueber says. I also clean the fingerboard and the frets with this amazing stuff called Gorgomyte. Its this abrasive cloth that has lemon oil, and it cleans the frets great. It comes in sheets and I cut it into little squares. I also use Big Bends Nut Sauce. For years I used graphite to lubricate the nut but this is an awesome lubricant. I use it on everything.
Its the little things that tend to matter in Stuebers day-to-day routine.
Id say the biggest challenge with an artist of Pauls stature is just attention to detail, Stueber explains. And that goes for gear as well as him performing. When youre at that level, you expect things to be right, and they should be. My job is to make things right.
10/31/07

On the Road with KISS: Paul Stanley Guitar Tech Francis Stueber Talks to Gibson.
By Sean McDevitt
Francis Stueber speaks in-depth about the maintenance of guitars for such heavyweights as Paul Stanley and Kevin Cronin.
If Paul goes out of tune, its not his fault, its my fault, says Francis Stueber, referring matter-of-factly to one of his many responsibilities as guitar technician for KISSs Paul Stanley, with whom hes worked closely since 2002. Usually I change his guitar every four to five songs so he doesnt have to worry about going out of tune. Its pretty straightforward with KISS; Paul only plays one tuning and he plays no more than six guitars. Really the only reason I change guitars is for aesthetics.
Stuebers also worked behind the scenes for Heart, the Offspring, and REO Speedwagons Kevin Cronin--gigs that have established him as one of the most in-demand guitar techs in the U.S. But its his work with KISS thats brought him the most recognition. Stuebers relationship with Stanley, which began back in 2002, continues to this day. Hes worked on all subsequent tours and one-off shows, on behalf of KISS as well as Stanleys solo efforts. He even took the stage with Gene and Tommy Thayer during the Gene Simmons Family Jewels episode where they performed for the troops, and was on hand when Stanley cut his 2006 solo album Live to Win. And, of course, he maintains Stanleys personal guitar stash, which includes a number of Les Pauls and SGs.
Because KISS tours infrequently, these days the 38-year-old Stueber works most often with Grammy-winning producer John Shanks, the mastermind behind many of the No. 1 hits of Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, and Fleetwood Mac. Also the accomplished guitarist who formerly backed Melissa Etheridge on albums such as 1995s Your Little Secret, 1999s Angels Would Fall and Breakdown, and 2004s Lucky, Shanks happens to be a guitar fanatic with a staggering collection of vintage instruments. Thats where Francis Stueber comes in.
John just loves guitars, explains Stueber, a New York native who works with Shanks at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Records Studios) in Los Angeles, Shanks home base. If he has one of something, hes got to have two of them, three of them, or as many as he can get his hands on. And he uses all of them on his recording projects so I basically maintain them constantly.
Its the job of Stueber, himself an accomplished player, to keep everything in working orderno easy task when youre charged with maintaining some 180 vintage guitars, including an array of classic Gibsons: a sunburst 1959 Les Paul; 1983 Joe Satriani Flying V; 1976 Explorer; 64 Firebird V; 63 Hummingbird; 69 Les Paul Deluxe; 61 ES-335 Dot Neck; 65 Pelham Blue SG; 61 SG Standard; 92 Custom Shop Les Paul; 57 Les Paul Goldtop; and a 57 Junior, among many others.
Besides keeping Stanleys guitars in perfect working order and changing their strings daily during tours or periods of heavy use, Stueber maintains their beauty with a cleaning ritual that includes his two secret weaponsa conditioning cloth that he says can be found at any dollar store and a nut and bridge lubricant.
The sweat and corrosion of a live show makes strings pretty dead and nasty so I change them every day, Stueber says. I also clean the fingerboard and the frets with this amazing stuff called Gorgomyte. Its this abrasive cloth that has lemon oil, and it cleans the frets great. It comes in sheets and I cut it into little squares. I also use Big Bends Nut Sauce. For years I used graphite to lubricate the nut but this is an awesome lubricant. I use it on everything.
Its the little things that tend to matter in Stuebers day-to-day routine.
Id say the biggest challenge with an artist of Pauls stature is just attention to detail, Stueber explains. And that goes for gear as well as him performing. When youre at that level, you expect things to be right, and they should be. My job is to make things right.


