BB King Playing Gibson Lucille
BB King Playing Gibson Lucille – B.B. King is perhaps best known for his use of the Gibson Lucille. Several other great guitar players have used the Lucille. We will discuss the L-30, the ES-355, and the BB King Lucille in this article. If you are looking for an excellent guitar made by an iconic guitar player, B.B. King’s Lucille may be the one for you.
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BB King Lucille
The guitar played by B.B. King was called Lucille, and it’s no surprise that he named all of his guitars Lucille. The legendary blues singer’s Gibson ES-335 is the guitar of choice on most of his recordings with RPM Records. But his guitar-naming tradition continues today, and he still uses the same guitar to this day. It’s not the only guitar that King named Lucille – his Fender Telecaster was also named Lucille.
Although there are several different models of the guitar, the Lucille Legacy comes with a certificate of authenticity and a custom shop hard shell case. The guitars were named Lucille after the women who were part of the house party when B.B. King was performing. He was unable to stay at the show, so he ran back into the burning house to get his guitar and name it Lucille. This story was the inspiration for the naming of his guitars.
The BB King Lucille guitar has no f-holes and is maple instead of mahogany. Its electronics are also quite sophisticated. It’s equipped with a six-position Varitone switch, Alnico Classic PRO(TM) humbucking pickups, a stereo output jack, and Epiphone’s signature EpiLite case. But if you want a more affordable alternative, you can choose an Epiphone Lucille.
The Lucille is a classic instrument that helped B.B. King shape the face of blues music in the United States. His Lucille guitar, named Lucille, was his main instrument for over three decades. Unfortunately, it was stolen in the summer of 2009, and a guitar collector named Eric Dahl discovered it at a pawn shop in Las Vegas. Dahl recognized it immediately as a special piece of art, but he had no idea that it belonged to B.B. King.
While the Lucille is a great instrument, it lacks the f-holes that were present on the original Gibson ES-335 model. The missing f-holes were requested by B.B. King in the early ’80s, and Gibson obliged. It was a great choice, but it’s important to note that B.B. King preferred the semi-hollow guitars over the solid ones. The greater volume, however, came with some feedback. As such, King stuffed the f-holes with a towel to reduce feedback.
BB King L-30
The story of B.B. King playing the Gibson L-30 is one of the most famous in the history of blues guitars. It was a cheap guitar that King had been playing for years before he was rescued from a burning building by Lucille Ball. King later traded her for a Lucille guitar, which he called Lucille, which was named after the woman. The story goes that Lucille was the first electric guitar that King ever played.
King used the Gibson L-30 for most of his career and always preferred the semi-hollow models. The guitars were usually in stock, and BB King never had to order one of them. Throughout his career, King played many different guitars, but his Gibson ES-335 was his favorite. This semi-hollow Gibson guitar was the epitome of the blues sound. It was also a popular choice with other rock and blues stars, such as The Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley.
BB King’s infamous Lucille guitar was stolen from his home in 2009, but fortunately, it was not lost forever. In the summer of 2009, King’s Lucille guitar was stolen. In November 2009, a man named Eric Dahl bought the guitar from a Las Vegas pawn shop for $2200. He recognized the guitar as a special treasure but did not know it had been stolen.
The original Lucille guitar was not one guitar, but a series of Gibson L-30s. King purchased the Lucille guitar after an incident at a bar. He later named the entire guitar Lucille, which was his main instrument. And now the Lucille L-30 is one of the most iconic guitars in history. And, as it turns out, he’s still playing it!
The guitar was not only the star of the show, it played an important role in shaping the history of blues music. BB King played the Gibson L-30 for over three decades and influenced generations of artists. The BB King playing Lucille guitar is one of the most important guitars in the history of music. It’s also the guitar that King gave to Pope John Paul II in 1997. But how did King end up using such a beautiful guitar?
BB King ES-355
BB King ES-355 is a semi-hollow body guitar with a unique look. The ES-355 is designed with a custom-built body that features dual humbuckers. King’s Lucille guitar featured a Varitone switch for filtering out certain frequencies in each position. The Varitone tailpiece allows for precise intonation and tone selection. It was also fitted with a custom-designed, six-position Varitone tone network switch.
BB King acquired two stereo ES-355s during the mid-1960s. King’s guitars are equipped with a Gibson Maestro vibrato and a Bigsby tremolo. Other features include Grover tuning machines, a black plastic surround under the toggle switch grommet, and inverted neck pickup poles. King was accompanied by his guitarist Michael Lydon during a tour in late 1968 when he noted that his guitar had a serial number and Lucille’s neck was number seven.
Throughout his career, B.B. King played various models of Fender, Gretsch, and Silvertone guitars before discovering the ES-355. He once compared finding a Gibson guitar to finding his wife forever. In 1967, B.B. King began using the ES-355 guitar and collaborated with Gibson on the Lucille model in 1980. Despite his long-term commitment to playing a Gibson, he still used it to play many of his hits.
BB King’s Lucille ES-355 guitar was a personal one that he used in virtually every concert. The Lucille guitar had his name inlaid on its fretboard, and he used it in most of his concerts between 1980 and 2006. In 1993, Gibson surprised BB King with an ES-345 as a birthday gift. It was very similar to the primary Lucille but featured elaborate design work.
The ES-355 guitar is one of the most popular electric guitars ever made. The ES-355’s dual outputs allow it to be used in full stereo mode. King needed surround sound during his early career, and the ES-355 served that purpose. By the end of the decade, the ES-355 became King’s primary player and continued to be so through the rest of his career.
BB King Lucille ES-355
During the late 1940s, B.B. King played an ES-355 model which was named after Lucille by King himself. This guitar was one of a collection of Gibsons that King purchased over the years. The guitarist named all of his guitars Lucille, including the ES-335s and the ES-355TDSV. The guitar was sold for $280,000 after King’s death in May of 2015.
Despite the fact that King’s ES-355 had a semi-hollow body, it had a solid center block. This meant that the guitar could be played at higher volumes without worrying about feedback. To counteract this problem, King stuffed rags in the F holes. Later, Gibson produced a production model of the Lucille, which eliminated the f-holes. The guitar featured a six-position Varitone rotary dial and maple neck.
While the ES-355 is an excellent guitar for many guitarists, King’s signature model is particularly special. It was made exclusively for the artist and features a personalized “Lucille” headstock. Despite its unusual design, the guitar’s sound was one of the most iconic in rock music. BB King’s Lucille ES-355 has the same rich tone as the original.
BB King had a string of guitars in his collection, but the most famous of them was the ES-355. King named every guitar Lucille he owned after the winter of 1949. His guitars developed an affinity for the musician and, in turn, the guitar became an extension of him. In the end, he was able to find the right guitar for every performance and recording session.
BB King Live at the Regal ES-335 Review. This Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab ES-335 in Argentina Grey Sunburst pays homage to blues legend Robert Johnson’s 1964 live album with an authentic ’59 Medium C-shape neck,
As part of the generations-long partnership with BB King, Gibson continues to produce the Lucille guitar. The Lucille Legacy model of the ES-355 is currently on the market for $6,999. It features gold hardware and high-end appointments. A beautiful Transparent Ebony nitrocellulose finish with gold hardware is among its highlights. And because it was manufactured for B.B. King, it’s sure to be an iconic instrument for generations to come.
BB King played a Gibson Lucille ES-355 during his heyday. He was a prolific guitarist, and he used to improvise his style. This guitar was known as the Lucille, and it is an excellent instrument for jazz. BB King played it live on TV, and he still has it today. The Lucille model also featured split block inlays and a figured maple center block. A Mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard were standard for the Lucille guitar. It also features an ABR-1 bridge. Moreover, it had Grover tuners, which provided smooth and precise operation.
Why did B.B. King call his guitar Lucille?
B.B. King’s guitar got its name, Lucille, from an incident that occurred in 1949. King was playing a show at a small club in Arkansas when a fight broke out between two men who knocked over a kerosene stove that had been used to heat the building. The club caught on fire, and everyone rushed out, including King. However, he realized that he had left his prized $30 Gibson guitar inside the burning building.
King ran back into the club to retrieve his guitar, risking his life in the process. After the incident, King learned that the fight had been over a woman named Lucille. From that day forward, he named his guitar Lucille as a reminder not to engage in senseless acts of violence and to value the things that were important to him.
King went on to have a long and successful career as a blues musician, and Lucille became his signature guitar, appearing on countless recordings and performances.
What year did B.B. King record Lucille?
B.B. King did not record a song called “Lucille.” However, he did name his guitar Lucille, which became a famous and beloved instrument associated with him. He started using the name for his guitar after an incident in 1949, and it remained his guitar’s name until his death in 2015.
How much did BB Kings Lucille sell for?
It is unclear if B.B. King’s original guitar named “Lucille” was ever sold publicly. However, in 2019, a Gibson ES-345 guitar that was made for King and played by him during the 1980s was sold at auction for $280,000. While this is a significant amount of money, it is important to note that this was not the original Lucille guitar that King famously played throughout his career.
