Artists

Paul Stanley born Jan 20,1952, one of the original founding members and driving force behind the rock band KISS. Formed in early 1972, with Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, you'd be hard pressed to find any guitarist who doesn't have KISS in their past somewhere. The Alive album put them over the top and they soon became the biggest band in the world. 40 plus years later, they're still going strong, with a European tour starting in May across 12 countries and then returning to the American Stages shortly there after. Paul will be wearing painstakingly designed custom straps with exacting specifications made just for him in a couple of different styles. In the pic shown he's wearing one of them, his most seen and worn design. He's also using the Carlino Impulse, possibly my most aggressive design and he said it, like I designed it..."This guitar has a bit of most every guitar I've played all in one". Called the Impulse, I drew it on an impulse one night. Perfectly balanced and sits on your body at 2 oclock, as you see here. No neck dive, perfect balance and belts out an enormous tone. Classic construction with a sapele mahogany body and neck, a 5/16" solid maple top and an ebony fingerboard.

This is probably something I'll be proud of for the rest of my life. Just goes to prove, if you work hard for things, keep your chin up an don't let others who are jealous of you, try to bring you down, and the fact that you excelled in areas that they failed in, your dreams really do come true. Special thanks to Evan Stanley, Pauls son and Fran Stueber, Paul's guitar tech for the past 12 years for making this happen in all respects. More good stuff to come, stay tuned....

<<<Update 04/21/2017: Just finished doing a Rhinestone job on one fo Paul's Stage guitars. Came out excellent with a perfect pattern. He's playing it tonight with my straps I made him at a Vegas Casino Show.

Covered with authentic Swarovski Austrian Crystal Rhinestones, it was very carefully routed to accept about 2600 stones in a pleasing looking pattern. special attention to the hardware, pickups, knob placement etc, had to be carefully planned out for a lasting and eventful look. Coming soon, another special guitar coming as well. There are also three different guitar straps Paul will be using on tour that I made and they are made to his exacting specifications. These are available as well.  Kiss is touring Europe beginning of May and joining them will be his son Evan's band The Dives in all of the UK shows. Great opportunity for them and only fitting that he open for his dad's band.

Step Forward into 2019, the End of the Road Tour with KISS, I now supply Paul with his Rhinestone guitars, guitar straps, Costume, Belt and boots, Tommy Thayers Top of Costume Cowl area and belt and Guitar straps and Gene Simmons bass straps as well. A hell of a jump if you ask me. Saw them at the Boston Garden March 26, 2019 and the show was phenominal, spent about 4 hours back stage, got to see Paul and Tommy and Eric, no Gene though, :(.

 The newest guitar is the Gold Rhinestone and it looks phenominal live and you can purchase on of these from Paul at www.paulstanleyguitars.com

Rick Nielsen has been a friend and a supporter of mine for the past 10 years and the first major artist to put me on the map. Rick was the one who put me on the Tonight Show, American Pickers, and set me up to create some soon to be available guitars, for some of his most famous Guitar hero/icons themselves as well as the guitar playing public. This shot was taken on 8/11/18 at Fenway Park in front of thousands of fans and shows Rick debuting my single humbucker Korina relic model. Saying he loved it couldn't be enough to describe the thrill of him using this very new, untested model live in front of all those people. Rick usually uses a guitar for one song and then immediately switches to another guitar. That's been his MO for 40 years. This day he used it right through to the second song and that says alot. Kudos to this Icon and friend. Rick Nielsen.

Tommy Thayer,  was born Nov 7, 1960 Portland, Oregon and after growing up found himself forming the band Black  N  Blue in the Portland area.  With some success and a couple of albums Tommy Moved to LA and over some time, met Gene and Paul and pretty much with no intention or inclination of ever being in Kiss, Tommy edited vidoes, made sure remixes and album content was accurate and complete for re-masters, to helping Paul paint his bedroom and cleaning out Gene's gutters. It just goes to prove, that hard work never killed anyone and you never know what it will lead to.  As Doc says , stay in your own lane and you will succeed.  Well look where it led...Tommy has now been in Kiss for 17 years and is by far the backbone of the group for guitar work so Paul can lead the crowd as frontman. Tommy is using a custom made strap that I designed for him that includes mirrors, abalone conchos and nickle plated studs, the design is like a ladder of metal and exotic materials leading to the higher ground. It certainly fits the new costume that i actually made parts for as well that he wears on this End of the Road Tour. Check KISS out and Tommy here:

Congratulations to Mark Slaughter of the legendary rock band  Slaughter. Originally fronting Xcursion, Mark left to explore new options and became lead singer of the Vinnie Vincent Invasion and with his vocals, led the band .Mark then left on his own to start the widely popular band Slaughter, aptly named after himself, spawning 4 Top 30 hits and an American Music Award to boot, with his original band mate Dan Strum.  He then added guitarist Tim Kelly who sadly passed away in accident and for past 20 years with Jeff Blando another Carlino Guitar and strap artist. Mark has been an amazing supporter and has added 8 models to his growing arsenal, two Impulses, an Icarus and an Illuminati, An Identity, A Rick Nielsen Korina, and 2 Immortals.,  Aside from being a very good honest and true friend Mark is as capable guitarist as any and lays down blistering riffs that would shake up anyone's repertoire.
Check out Slaughter on the road soon, start mid May 2021

Orianthi, (Orianthi Panagaris) was born Jan 22, 1985 of Greek descent in Adelaide, Australia and is a guitarist, singer, songwriter who burst onto the scene with her first album in 2005 and quickly became voted the best female guitarist voted in 2009. She's toured with Michael Jackson, Alico Cooper, Carrie Underwood and many others. She currently fronts her own solo band and is currently recording her next album. Orianthi owns a custom made turquoise based strap designed just for her and it supplies the momentous energy level she needs on stage with turquoise being a magical stone for her. Check out her Instagram page you will not be disappointed.

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She is supported by Scarlett her cat who makes cameo appearances with the strap on Instagram, lol.

Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook was born on 12/19/1969 and is 49 years old.

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 Ryan previously with Hair of the Dog and now with The Rock and Roll Residency with Jeremy Asbrock and Phil Shouse also have been the pro touring band for both Gene Simmons and Ace Frahley.  Ryan also has immense studio experience and has been the go to guy for many of Rock's biggest acts. Ryan has been using our straps for about a year now and has recently aquired two Carlino Impulse models for touring. And he Loves them. He has energy that is unsurpassed with anyone on teh rock scene today and his name comes up repeatedly in many factions. Keep an eye out for this, guy he bites... these guys are the nicest guys on the planet if you ever get the honor of meeting them.

Phil Shouse,  Born in Decatur, Alabama, Phil Shouse's  obsession for the guitar began in high school with listening to bands like Aerosmith and Van Halen. He moved to Nashville in 2004 and in no time, was touring with Chris Cagle, Bo Bice, David Lee Murphy and Mindy McCready. Phil is in abnd called The Rock ‘N’ Roll Residency’, has become a major weekly event in Nashville where he and a revolving group of famous rockers, including Ryan Cook and Jeremy Asbrock. He is currently touring in Gene Simmons solo band, and with Ace Frehley as well. Phil is a Carlino strap endorser anbd has recently acquired a Carlino Icarus model to play live .

Wolf Hoffman, ) was born Dec 10, 1959 of German descent in Mainz, West Germany and is a guitarist, singer, songwriter of the band ACCEPT since 1976 and is the only original member. The band is currently touring in Europe (April 2019), with Gene Simmons solo band guitarist Phil Shouse (also a Carlino Strap endorser, seen screaming in the pic to the left). Wolf received two straps for the tour, our flat stud mpodel and our exclusive Alien Vertebrae model made exclusively to his specs. So get your Balls to the Walls and check out Wolf on tour with ACCEPT.

Britt Lightning, was born Feb 2, 1987 and is the lead guitarist for the band Vixen. From 2004 to 2011, Lightning performed in Jaded, an all-female hard rock based out of Boston and then has played with Alejandro Sanz, Chix6, Rachel Platten, and Jason Derulo.

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Britt also frequents the Kiss expos as a regular so make sure you catch her there as well.

Britt is also a strap endorser with us and will be debuting some of my new guitar models at the Kiss Expo as well. She's a lightning fast player, (no pun) and she's been around the music scene longer than most people her age.  check her out  here.

Alee, (Alexandra Adamoski) was born July 18, 1992 in Edmonton, Alberta and is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter. Alee released her debut album, This Road Goes Everywhere, on July 18, 2013. Her 2013 single "Don't Say You Love Me" reached the top 25 on the Billboard Canada Country chart. In August 2013, she won the Canadian Country Music Association's Best New Artist Award. Catch her on tour this summer with Miranda Lambert, it is sure to be a great show.

I've been making Justin Timberlake's guitar straps for the past two years now and I have to say, he promotes me like no other artist. He wears the straps everywhere...from a simple, actually not that simple...lasered caramel strap to full out custom black and red Louboutin inspired straps to blazing white and completely custom Boston Strong/JT straps made for the Legends of Summer tour. You've seen these on the Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon to the Grammy Awards to the Ellen show and even Saturday Night Live, I'm so honored to help make him what he likes to use while playing his guitars. click on the Read more tab to go to Justin's site and catch him on tour this summer.

Evan Shane Stanley is a very talented young guitarist and has been playing guitar since his early teens and encompasses a different more classic/rock guitar style but with an edge you just can't forget.

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His main axes are a very early 90's 59 Gibson LP reissue and an LP Junior that looks and sounds rad and powerful. 

Recently he was a starring accompanment his previous band The Dives on the KISS cruise VII, only fitting since he's Paul Stanley's oldest son and talented he is. Evan uses a multitude of our straps, a custom white crocodile stars strap (pictured), a metallic silver star strap and a white and black checkerboard model. All of these are available as Evan Stanley designs. Stayed tuned for updates on Evan's new solo project due to hit this 2018. Word is his new music is amazing and sure to be a hit.

They say your band is only as good as the sum of its parts within. That goes without saying when The Dives hit the stage and the Current Fab Four are in perfect harmony. Sergio Ortega (Checo) lays down the low end and harmony vocals that provides the driving force with the drummer for this band. Relying on a Classic Fender P Bass, the driving staccato runs only enhance the grip on the music these four guys will have on you. Mike Lefton aka (Ninja Mike) a, just-as-able rhythm and lead guitarist, and vocalist is the right wing man to Evan in the vocals dept  and only enhances the magic behind this project. His solos ring out loud and true and remind you of a clear thought of 80's with an edge you wish would never end, but always in the pocket. His variety of 335/ SG and Les Paul choices make you wonder how he gets the solid consitent tone every time. Its all in the fingers my man. 

Sergio uses his signature stunning Half and half studded black and white model and Mike is using the incredible Rose / Vine strap that we made for him.

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Check out these guys as soon as possible before they get too big... :)

Jimmy currently uses our new all leather drum stick bag available as well.

Anthony Crescente is a jazz guitarist, composer, and music educator from the Boston area. His style incorporates blues, bebop, and jazz while being heavily influenced by such greats as Wes montgomery, Pat Martino and Grant Green. Anthony will be attending our Namm booth Jan 2019. Anthony is an endorser of Carlino guitar straps and soon to be Carlino Guitar endorsee as well.

Lauren is a 16yr old Canadian, Singer/guitarist currently on tour with Alee. She also happens to be her sister and just played her biggest audience ever in front of Canada's Big Valley Jam, 2014 and shared the stage with other big counry artists, Hunter Hayes and Miranda Lambert. Her spunk and professionalism at such a young age really showed throughout her performace at the venue. She currently owns a custom Carlino Light Rose Swarovski Rhinestone strap and an interview with her can be see here as well

Sporting the Carlino Joe Stump Model Iron Cross Strap

Leo just became a Carlino Guitars Artist and currently slings two of our Axes, The Identity Floyd  and The newly acquired Roswell Silver Icarus Model.

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Leo Attended the Umass Lowell Music and Theater school and is an accomplished actor. musician.

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Check out his band which will currently be on tour playing local dates right now

 check out Crimson Wing on Instagram and Facebook

Sporting the white and gold Carlino PS swirl, goes great with his new Warmoth Custom Quilt Floyd.

 Current project is with New England Drummer Hirsh Gardner in his solo project as lead guitarist, touring as we speak