Gibson Custom Shop

BB KING LUCILLE
"It seems that it loves to be petted and played with. There's also a certain way you hold it, the certain noises it makes, the way it excites me ... and Lucille don't want to play anything but the blues ... Lucille is real, when I play her it's almost like hearing words, and of course, naturally I hear cries." B.B. King, liner notes from the album, Lucille, 1968
In the history of all music, there has never been a guitar associated with one musician quite like blues legend B.B. King is linked to his beloved Lucille a custom-built Gibson ES-355 manufactured exclusively for the true King of the Blues since 1980. And B.B. King is not only the most renowned blues musician of our time; hes also one of the most important electric guitarists of all-time. His singular bluesy style has influenced generations of players across genres, and his powerful and distinct songs have appeared on the charts more than 70 times, from blues to R&B to pop. Hes done it all, and at 83 years of age he is still considered the hardest working man in show business, maintaining a pace many younger artists dream of keeping up with.

FEATURES
Body and Finish
In 1980, King joined the Gibson family as a signature artist, and has played a custom-built ebony ES-355 ever since. Todays B.B. King Lucille from Gibson Custom is made to exactly the same specifications as the guitar played by King himself. The most outstanding qualities that make this instrument his own include a body with no F holes and a fine-tuner tailpiece. The body consists of plain laminated maple top, back, and rims, with multi-ply binding on both the top and back. The neck is a three-piece maple neck with Gibsons traditional rounded profile, a scale length of 24-inches, and a 22-fret ebony fingerboard that is outlined with single-ply binding and adorned with genuine pearl block inlays. It is available in Kings traditional Ebony finish and Cherry.
Hardware
Other standard appointments include all gold hardware, metal tulip tuners, a Nashville Tune-o-matic bridge and TP-6 tailpiece. As is customary with the ES-355 there are two volume, two tone knobs, and a three-way selector switch, Vari-tone switch, and both stereo and mono jacks. The B.B. King Lucille comes with the standard Gibson Custom case and certificate of authenticity.