Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar (Used)
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- Product #515743
The ultimate refinement of B.B. King's original ES-345.
Own the Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar and you'll own one of the smoothest, sweetest blues axes out there. The guitar features a laminated maple top for total sustain, a solid maple center block, special laminated maple neck and ebony fingerboard. Stereo/mono jacks require no special cords; TP-6 tailpiece allows precise tuning. Also includes the name "Lucille" scripted in mother-of-pearl on the headstock and gold-plated hardware. Includes Gibson hardshell case.
Check the drop-down menu to the right to select colors and/or other options.
Features
- Laminated maple top and neck
- Solid maple center block
- Stereo/mono jacks
- TP-6 tailpiece
- "Lucille" inlaid in mother-of-pearl on the headstock
- Gold hardware
If you want to play the blues, you gotta pay your dues. Order now.
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by PowerReviews(based on 11 reviews)
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Reviewed by 11 customers
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Pros
- Fun To Play
- Good Feel
- Good for everything
- Good Pick Up
- Good Tone
- Solid Electronics
Cons
Best Uses
- Good Hearted Playing
- Jamming
- Practicing
- Recording
- School Bands
- Small Venues
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
Im not a blues man, I am a DEVO fan but, was on 1996, i got one of this as a gift from a store, BB was touring in my country, i got near the man, and i asked.. "please dear sir, could you sign it?, well he kindly did it and added a "for my friend.. my name" , the signed part are on the part that scratches when you play, i just can spoil it, its hanging since, a beauty, get one. its clearly not a metal guitar, its something made with love. and intended to be treated respectfully
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
While I have given many 9s here, this guitar comes closer to a 10. It's got great tone, has a lot of tonal versatility, plays well, is a thing of beauty, and as I have said before, it is one of my favorite guitars. While I find the varitone switch to be a touch cumbersome, I have gotten used to it and find the tonal variations to be of value. In general, Lucille gives you the tone, quality, and playability that you would expect from Gibson. I highly recommend this guitar!
TONE: The Gibson Lucille starts with a lot of things you'd expect on a quality Gibson and then goes beyond. The semi-hollow body design, humbucker pickups, and the removal of the "f" holes that are normally found on a 345 give this puppy the tone that BB King made famous. While tone selection can be as simple as the traditional, 3-way pickup selector those famously warm blues tones are only the starting point for this guitar that, thanks to the 6-position varitone switch, has multiple, favorable personalities. While the varitone know gives you amazing diversity in tones, it also takes a bit of getting used to at first, but once you have explored its tonal options you will. This is much more than just a "Blues" guitar and can handle everything from Blues, Classic Rock, Country, and Jazz. While the guitar has "stereo" fucntionality, I rarely use it as it simply sends each pickup to a separate output.
PLAYABILITY: I own ten guitars that include Les Pauls, Strats, an L6S, and more, and the Lucille, with its double cutaways and bound neck is one of my favorites. The action and neck are comfortable and smooth and playing in the upper registers is a breeze. Like other Gibson "ES" style guitars, this is a big box that produces great tones. Despite its size, it is well balanced and won't drag your left shoulder like some heavy solid bodies.
AESTHETICS: With its black finish, gold hardware, and body and neck bindings, this guitar has classic, simple elegance. The custom inlay in the headstock has always been one of my favorites in the Gibson line.
SUMMARY: Lucille is one of may all time favorite guitars. It plays well, sounds great, and its simple beauty puts a smile on my face everytime I pick it up.
I have bought some guitars that needed intonation and action adjustments upon delivery, but my Lucille played and sounded great right from day one. I have always been amazed at the precision wood-work that is required for a set-neck, bound, hollow (or semi hollow) body guitar and the Lucille is no exception. The neck was finished to perfection, the inlays fit perfectly in the headstock and fretboard, and the neck bindings make moving up and down the neck a pleasingly smooth experience. My only minor complaint is that in this day and age of digital electronics, I would replace the varitone switch with some digital alternative that made tone selection quicker and more precise. Also, I have a slight preference to the bridges and tailpieces of other brands of guitars. My particilar Lucille has a typical ABR bridge and stop tailpiece. Not bad. The TP6 version offers more versatility. Otherwise, this is a great guitar.
Let's put this in perspective. The first guitar I bought was a brand-new Les Paul Deluxe. It came with a Gibson hard shell case, and my out-the-door cost was a great. This may give you a clue as to my age But, when you put this guitar's tone, playability, and looks togehter with today's economics, I am certain that you will be forever happy with the purchase of a Lucille. The guitar is a keeper. I just wish that high quality guitars weren't as expensive as they are.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
I've had this guitar for maybe 10 years now and love it. This is the only guitar I own and that's okay owing to the vast variety of tones you can get out of it. I didn't give it a 5 for quality as my nut needed some filing and ultimately had to be reset. The entire neck also needed some adjustment. Maybe Gibson's QC is better now than it was back then? Nonetheless, as much as it's expensive, this guitar is worth every penny to me. It is heavy, though, and can really drag on your shoulder after about an hour.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
I have had the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Guitar for about five years and needless to say, my love for her is still going strong. This guitar can play anything. It may not "sing" quite like a Strat, but it has so much raunchiness that any Fender can not hold a candle to. Believe me, I do believe Strats have their place, but as for versatility and raw power, this guitar takes the cake. It is a beautiful, finely crafted instrument. I play mine through a Vox classic plus. I play in a classic rock tribute band and with this guitar I can get early Beatles full body clean tones, Jimmy Page balls-out shredding tones, or Pete Townshend's intricate chord structures, with enough dirt to make it rough, but without compromising the value of each note in the chord. The only time I switch to a Strat is for R. Robertson, Dave Gilmour or Hendrix. When crafting original songs, I only use this guitar. I have been through many adventures with this axe thus-far and can only fathom those that lay ahead. Pick one up if you really want to rock.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
Fits me like a glove. I have a 67 Gretsch Country Gentleman, and a 76 Les Paul Deluxe which are great insrtuments for certain style songs, but overall Lucille, with it's Varitone switch is far more versatile. The 490 humbuckers can get raw or mellow. Overall I'm glad I bought it.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
very nice guitar...one to be proud of...plays like a dream and looks great and the tone is about as sweet as it gets..the only cons i have found it is heavy and will make your shoulder sore after a hour or so...also if you pull it out of another room with a different temperature it take it a while before you can even get it close to in tune..better wait 30 minutes before you even try! lol...the case is also a work of art in itself great guitar!!! i will keep it for life
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
I agree with the other reviewer who said you don;t need to play blues on this. This guitar sounds nothing like an ES-335 - the only thing similar is its shape. All maple makes it a LOUD, DENSE, DARK sounding axe perfect for jazz. Don't even think about laid back rhythm on this beast.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
Amazing axe i bought it two weeks ago and its by far the best guitar ive heard and touched. just to put it in your arms you feel like the king of blues!
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
Lucille is my primary guitar for shows. It's such a remarkably well made instrument that it can rise to just about any occasion within the basic rock spectrum.It seems a little counter productive to pay big bucks for Lucille and then not play the blues, but you really don't have to. Think of it like a really nice ES that you can run as hot as you'd like without any danger of feedback.That's been my approach for about five years and it's worked for my playing style - essentially a power pop and 60s rock fusion.There is one thing: I still use a Strat and Jazzmaster to get good, gnarly, fuzzy garage rock sound on some songs. Lucille just isn't really good at sounding bad. For blues musicians, and most people really, that's not the slightest problem.The only thing I can say negatively about this guitar is that there are a lot of choices out there, and most of them cost less. You don't HAVE to have a guitar this nice to get good tone and playability. But if you're ready to really treat yourself, Lucille is the guitar equivalent of a really nice sports car or a trip to Southern France.
Comments about Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar:
I have had "Lucille" for 2+ years. It took me about 6 mos. to get to know her by playing almost everyday for an hour. Today our relationship is a full-time committed relationship, no regrets. It's all about producing beautiful music every Sunday from here on out.
