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B.B. King’s ‘Lucille’ Guitar Returns to Gibson Custom Shop

The long-awaited comeback of King's iconic instrument is now available to everyone

By Joshua Kanter

Joshua Kanter

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March 7, 2022

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gibson bb king lucille guitar

Sam Ash

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Gibson has announced the return of one of the world’s most recognizable guitars to its roster: B.B. King’s “Lucille” electric guitar, the iconic instrument that built the blues into what it is today, and was by the singer’s side for the majority of his genre-defining career. 

Available now at Sam Ash Music, Gibson originally introduced this model back in 1980, based on the ES-355 which King frequently performed with. The re-introduced guitar features gorgeous gold hardware, including two Black Top Hat volume and tone knobs, and the name of King himself engraved on the truss rod cover.

A mono Varitone switch, along with four audio taper CTS potentiometers and paper-in-oil Bumblebee capacitors, are wired to Gibson’s Custombucker humbucking pickups to capture the sound of every bend, rake, vibrato and riff you play on the 22-fret ebony fretboard with split-block mother-of-pearl inlays.

The timeless semi-hollowbody has its F-holes removed, just like King wanted, in order to reduce feedback, along with a TP-6 tailpiece with fine tuners in back.

The guitar is crowned with a mother-of-pearl inlay on the headstock proudly displaying the name “Lucille” and a maple veneer on the top, back, and sides, with a glossy “Transparent Ebony” nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

gibson bb king lucille

Buy B.B.King 'Lucille' Guitar $6,999.00

Gibson calls this a “long-standing icon in the Gibson Memphis lineup,” with “high-end appointments that are fit for a King.” B.B. King had an epic career spanning over 60 years — many of which was spent playing this guitar — with the legendary musician landing on Rolling Stone’s list of Top 100 Guitarists of All Time.

“I believe your sound comes from within you,” B.B. told Guitar Player magazine shortly before his death in 2015. “It’s your touch and your soul that makes it sound the way it does.”

The Gibson B. B. King “Lucille” Electric Guitar is available now, and retails for $6,999. A true limited-edition collectors piece, it’s being made available to the public again as a celebration of King’s legacy. See more at SamAsh.com.

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