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A Guitar For The Bluesman
Date of Review: Nov 16, 2000
The Bottom Line: A quality instrument offered by a venerable guitar manufacturer
The Gibson Guitar Company began producing the B. B. King Custom guitar in 1980, and renamed it the B. B. King Lucille in 1988. The guitar has pretty much retained its' original design and specifications since its' introduction in 1980, and has become a part of the Gibson Guitar Company's Artist Collection. The specifications for this guitar are as follows, courtesy of Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars:
Thin-line double cutaway body, no f-holes, laminated maple body with maple centerblock, three-piece maple neck, 2 humbucking pickups, Vari-tone rotary tone selector switch, tune-o-matic bridge, TP-6 tailpiece, stereo wiring with 2 jacks, multiple bound top and back, single bound pickguard, ebony fingerboard, large block fingerboard inlay, "Lucille" peghead inlay, gold-plated metal parts, ebony or cherry finish.
Blues is not my preferred playing style--I like to play rock n' roll, but it's easy to see why this guitar has become a favorite of the pure blues guitarist. The stereo wiring with two jacks allow the player to tinker with the sound--you can play the guitar in either mono or stereo. When this guitar is played through an amplifier and miked, then run through a mixing board, the stereo-mono feature can make a big difference on how prominently the player wants the sound to stand out in the mix.
Another unique feature that the B. B. King Lucille has is the six-position Varitone switch. This feature allows the blues guitarist to achieve a wide variety of sounds--you can get the Fender Stratocaster sounds of guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughn, the rock-blues tones of players like Eric Clapton, and of course the crisp Gibson crunch preferred by players like B. B. King. The spectrum of tones is so wide that you can even get the cool, mellow bass tones which the jazz guitarist prefers. This guitar works well as a rhythm instrument also, but its' strength is the wide tonal range made possible by the Varitone system--it's really perfect and versatile for soloists.
The B. B. King Lucille is very similar in design and playability to the classic Gibson ES-335. The neck is neither too big or too small, and the Gibson truss rod system makes it easy for the player to set the guitar up so that the action suits his style. The body joins the neck at the last fret, making even the highest notes easily attainable.
This is really a beautiful instrument. The guitar that I "test drove" had an ebony finish, and the gold hardware provided a beautiful contrast to the finish. Lots of binding and the classic block fingerboard inlay complete the picture--this guitar is a masterpiece in all aspects. It looks great, plays great, and the wide variety of sounds made possible by the Varitone system make it a really special instrument.
