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Created and maintained by Ken
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Very few people have the opportunity to pick the great guitarists they want to play with, but fans do get opportunities to obtain a pick that has been played with by a great guitarist. Below is a reference guide to the various guitar picks used over the years by Bruce
Kulick.
Koolick's is my word play on is last name and the "cool
licks" he lays down on guitar.. |
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Official Tour
Picks |
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KISS: Animalize Tour 1984-1985
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KISS called upon Bruce just before the
Animalize tour to fill in when guitarist Mark St. John came down with Reitter's Syndrome. Not knowing which guitarist would appear on stage, and since Bruce was
initially just a guest touring musician, his signature did not appear on the picks.
By December, Bruce fit in so well he became the guitarist for KISS for the next 12 years.
And by Spring 1985, he had his first signature pick. |
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KISS: Asylum Tour 1985-1986
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Bruce is now an official member of KISS. The brown version of this pick was only used for a few limited dates on the tour.
It is so rare, he did not even remember it and had to be shown photos 30 years
later to prove their existence. |
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KISS: Crazy Nights Tour 1987-88
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This same design would later be resurrected for the Hot In The Shade tour.
A rare silver version used on some of the last shows of the tour in the UK.
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KISS: Hot In The Shade Tour 1990
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Re-printed design from Crazy Nights tour.
Note the logo sits higher on the pick and is a brighter shade of gold. |
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KISS: Revenge Club Tour 1992 |
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In support of the album, KISS played 20 specially selected club gigs in various cities around the US and UK prior to embarking on their world tour.
This is the first time his natural signature appeared on a pick. |
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KISS: Revenge Tour 1992-1994 |
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Also known as the "arena" tour.
Due to an accidental variation in the color of the white celluloid, a more cream
colored/off-white version exists in addition to the traditional white and
mustard yellow picks. |
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KISS: Conventions & MTV Unplugged 1995
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In reaction to the successful fan-based expos, KISS decided to stage their own conventions, where they stripped down and played their songs purely acoustic. This of course culminated in the now famous MTV Unplugged special.
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UNION 1997-2001
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After leaving KISS, Bruce
teamed up with frontman John Corabi to form Union. Together with Brent Fitz on drums and James Hunting on bass they formed something powerful, magical and unique.
Union toured sporadically, but did not really have tour names or tie their schedule to specific album releases. As far as I can tell, Bruce started with black print and went to silver print. Note that his first picks did not have the Union diamonds in the logo.
Union's first tour kicked was in 1998, with the band going on hiatus after playing Sweden in 2000. Though a few one-off appearances occurred after Sweden, no new picks were made for those limited shows.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2002 (Prototypes)
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The first attempt to use the Grand Funk logo was a little too busy, resulting in the modified, simpler version commissioned below (2002-2004). |
The second attempt used this modified, simpler version of the Grand Funk logo. Ultimately, the logo work would be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise in the final approved version of the tour picks.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2002-2004 |
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Although Bruce joined Grand Funk Railroad at the end of 2000, he did not have custom picks until the beginning of 2002.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2005-2006
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The initial artwork Bruce initially hoped to use back in 2002 was perfected, making these look very sharp! If you notice, Bruce also used a different variation of his signature with these picks compared to his first GFR picks.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2006-2008 |
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New colors and the block print logo in white print this time around.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2008-2009 |
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Two new pick colors in the block print logo with gold print this time.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2010-2012
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Transparent blue replaced white on the pick color palette and silver foil print replaced the gold foil of the previous set.
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Kulick & Gava Live on Tour 2011
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Bruce played a couple of dates on March 11th in Buenos Aires and March 12 in Rosario with his friend, Sebastian Gava.
They played songs from each of their respective solo albums and some KISS classics.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2012-2013
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New graphics featuring The American Band slogan and Uncle Sam "I Want You" hand.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2013-2014
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Grand Funk shortened to GFR on these red, white and blue pearl picks.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2015-2016 |
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Two different logos. The first 3 came out in early 2015. The second much later
in the year. |
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Grand Funk Railroad 2017-2018
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Font changes
to both the GFR logo on the front and the Kulick.net font on the back. These
would be the last of the .net picks, as .com would kick in by 2019. |
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Grand Funk Railroad 2019 |
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First full,
multi-color print picks for Bruce. |
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Grand Funk Railroad 2020 |
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Red font replaced the yellow from previous year and 50th Anniversary replaced by
Some Kind of Wonderful. Also a dedicated Some Kind of Wonderful pick. Both
because the year's tour was named Some Kind of Wonderful after the iconic song.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2021 |
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The pearl pick is an exact re-issue of the 2020 version. The solid white Some Kind of Wonderful pick
had "TOUR 2020" removed. It is also printed in a slightly darker red,
though that was not intentional.
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Grand Funk Railroad 2022 |
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The classic logo over the US flag.
Printed on white pearl, this pick screams "We're an American Band'!
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Grand Funk Railroad 2023 |
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Go see Bruce on tour with Grand Funk Railroad and you just may catch one of these brand new designs!
This design makes you want to do the Locomotion. Note
the change in signature midway through the year. The one furthest left used the first half
of the year and the rest the second half of the year. |
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The Holy Grail!
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If you've made it this far down the page, you must be a serious pick collector! Although Bruce certainly has used many of the picks shown above, THIS is what Bruce plays with most...a generic .73MM Dunlop nylon pick.
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Novelty and Promotional Picks |
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Please visit
BruceKulick.com for all the latest news on Bruce and
check out his
Shop to see which of these items are still available. |
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Musicade Promotional Picks |
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These picks were sold through magazines in the mid-1980s. The signatures are upside down from the logos on the other side.
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Dutch Fan Club Pick |
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This pick is from a Dutch fan club in the mid to late 1980s called Kiss Army Explorer.
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ESP Guitars
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These picks were made for handouts at the annual NAMM conventions (with the exception of the green one, which started off as an accident. The pick company used the ESP Guitars logo instead of the Eric Singer Project logo. Since Bruce endorses ESP guitars, they just let him have the picks). There are different plastics, different size picks and different size logos used over the years. Also, the E in ESP is different on the Japanese versions from the American versions due to a copyright in Japan on the speaker in the E by Electrovoice. |
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Return of the Comet |
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Promotional pick for the 1997 tribute album to Ace Frehley.
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Eric Singer Project
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Promotional pick for the 1998 "Lost and Spaced" album. Incidentally, this is the pick they were supposed to be making when the green ESP Guitars pick mentioned above was made.
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Unholy Down Under |
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Oversized promotional pick (5" x 3") from 1996
to commemorate the Unholy Down Under featuring Bruce and Eric Singer. It was a
series of clinics and jams in Australia in the wake of the KISS make-up reunion
of the original 4 members.
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I Walk Alone |
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Oversized promotional picks (5" x 3") from 1998 to commemorate the release of the Carnival of Souls album featuring Bruce on vocals on "I Walk Alone".
The black one is silver foil print. Both are blank on the back. |
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Audiodog |
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Promotional pick for Bruce's 2001 solo album, Audiodog. The dog reference is to Bruce's dog, Joe.
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Transformer
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Promotional picks for Bruce's 2003 solo album, Transformer.
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KKB 1974 |
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Promotional picks for Bruce's 2008 release of KKB, which features music recorded back in 1974!
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BK3 |
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Promotional picks for Bruce's 2009 solo album, BK3.
Style 1 came out in 2009 in 18 different colors. Some were printed in gold, some on silver and some in black. The inspiration for the logo work on this one is drawn from the Australian EP pre-release.
Style 2 came out in 2010 in 6 different colors, all with gold print. These utilize the font from the full BK3 release on both sides of the picks.
Style 3 came out in 2011 in the same 6 colors as style 2, but this time with silver foil print. These utilize the cool font from the full BK3 release on both sides of the picks.
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Joe the Audiodog 16th Birthday Party 2011
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Bruce had very limited quantity special picks made to celebrate the 16th birthday of the one and only "Joe the Audiodog." Due to overwhelming popularity the extras were sold, with part of the proceeds from each sale donated to the Pet Adoption Fund in California, where Bruce adopted Joe.
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Bruce & Lisa's Wedding Picks |
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Given out as table favors and in gift bags at Bruce and Lisa's reception on January 4, 2014.
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Bruce Kulick Model Guitar - Rock N' Roll Relics |
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These were available with Bruce's BK Model guitar produced by Rock N' Roll Relics, which was sold exclusively online by Rebel Guitars (2014 debut).
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BK3 Vinyl |
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Promotional picks for the 2015 vinyl release of BK3. One random color included in each album.
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KKB Got To Get Back |
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Promotional pick for the 2015 Got To Get Back re-mastered
release from KKB, Bruce's first band. One pick included in each CD.
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Personal Appearances 2016-2018 |
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First
personal picks not tied to a
band or specific CD. Used during
personal appearances. |
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Crazy
Nights 30th Anniversary |
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These were packaged in 2017 with full and miniature replicas of his banana ESP M-1
guitar featured in the recording and album artwork for Crazy Nights. |
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Fan designed pick after his famous Radioactive suit from the
tour. Sold in 2018 as part of a pick pack along with a stage photo in that suit. |
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BK3 Red
Vinyl Re-Issue |
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Fan designed pick after his famous Radioactive suit from the
tour. Sold in 2018 as part of a pick pack along with a stage photo in that suit. |
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Asylum
Multi-Swirl |
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These 2019 picks were packaged with full and miniature replicas
of his multi-swirl ESP M-1 guitar featured on
the Asylum tour and in the “Who Wants To Be Lonely” video. |
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2019 Animalize 35th
Anniversary |
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Tin and set of 4 picks to
celebrate the 35th anniversary of Animalize, where Bruce
played on two songs as a ghost musician and toured in place
of Mark St. John to earn a permanent spot in KISS. |
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2020 Asylum 35th
Anniversary |
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Tin and set of 4 picks to
celebrate the 35th anniversary of Asylum, Bruce's official
first full album with KISS. |
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12/31/20 New Year's Eve KLA Auction |
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Bruce held a small online
auction on 12/31/20 of KISS memorabilia he'd collected over
the
years. A fun way to have a COVID-safe socially distant
interaction with the fans and also place some of these
special items in fans' hands to enjoy. |
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2021 Valentine's KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held a small online
auction on 02/14/21 of KISS memorabilia he'd collected over the
years and artwork mde by Lisa. A fun way to have a COVID-safe socially distant
interaction with the fans and also place some of these
special items in fans' hands to enjoy. |
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2021 KISS
Kruise X Merch pack |
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This pick pack of Bruce Kulick and the Vegas Mob was sold at
the merch booth on KISS Kruise X. |
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12/31/21 New Year's Eve KLA Auction |
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Bruce held an online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 12/31/21
consisting of KISS memorabilia he'd collected over
the
years and personalized autographed items. A fun way to have a COVID-safe socially distant
interaction with the fans and also place some of these
special items in fans' hands to enjoy. |
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02/14/2022 Valentine's KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held a fun online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 02/14/22 of KISS memorabilia he'd collected over the
years and artwork made by Lisa. A fun way to have a COVID-safe, socially distant
interaction with the fans and also place some of these
special items in fans' hands to enjoy. |
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2022 Revenge 30th
Anniversary |
Tin and set of 4 picks to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of Revenge, Bruce's favorite album with KISS. |
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2022
Creatures Fest VIP |
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Bruce was a featured guest at the
Memorial Day weekend event featuring the four living
ex-members of KISS. The promoters of the event had a set of
picks made for the buyers of various VIP packages. This was
the one they made of Bruce. |
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07/05/2022 Red, White and Bruce KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held a fun online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 07/05/22
deemed Red, White and Bruce for the 4th of July holiday. |
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2022 Kulick's
Pancake Recipes |
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2022 Kulick's
French Toast Recipes |
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Crazy
Nights 35th
Anniversary 2022 |
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Tin and set of 4 picks to
celebrate the 35th anniversary of
the
Crazy Nights album and tour. The gold and silver on white
picks represent the colors of the tour picks and his
radioactive suit and Eric Carr's iconic chikara drum decals
also represented. |
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12/31/22 New Years Eve Weekend Experience |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, hosted a weekend of
activities to celebrate the new year. These picks were included
in the gift bags given to the attendees. |
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02/14/2023 Valentine's KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held their 3rd
annual Valentine's Day online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 02/14/23. |
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05/29/2023 Memorial Day KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held a Memorial Day online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 05/29/23.
The theme of these picks is to honor the 30th anniversary of
the Alive III tour. These are the first picks to feature his
new stacked two-line signature. |
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12/12/2023 70th Birthday Party Favors |
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Bruce's wife, Lisa, threw a 70th birthday
party dinner for their closest friends. These picks were
given out as party favors. The white pick is very Las Vegas.
The blue pick is a modern take on his 2009 Style 1 BK3 pick. |
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02/14/2024 Valentine's KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held their 4th
annual Valentine's Day online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 02/14/24. |
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2024 Personal Appearances |
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Second
set
of
personal picks not tied to a
band or specific CD. Used during
personal appearances.
The first two with the black
signatures were made in teh
Spring. When those ran out by
October, the red signature was
made. |
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07/04/2024 Red, White and Bruce II KLA Auction |
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Bruce and his wife, Lisa, held a fun online
auction at the KISS Live Auctions Facebook group on 07/04/24
deemed Red, White and Bruce II for the 4th of July holiday. |
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2024 Kulick's
Cookie Recipes |
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2024 Hot In The Shade 35th
Anniversary |
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Tin and set of 4 picks to celebrate the
35th anniversary of the Hot In The Shade album.
The
gold on white picks represent the colors of the tour picks.
Leo the sphinx from the album cover and stage, the tour
shirts sold at merch and the postage cancellation from the
album cover also all symbolized in this set. |
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Please visit
BruceKulick.com for all the latest news on Bruce and
check out his
Shop to see which of these items are still available.
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© 2001-2024 Ken Rodenas
All text and photos posted on this page are the sole property of Ken Rodenas
Any copying, reproduction or use of these images without the
express written consent of Ken Rodenas is prohibited.
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