What Guitar Does BB King Use?
Every guitar BB King has ever played has been named "Lucille." The name comes from a 1949 incident at a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas — a fire broke out during a performance, and King ran back into the burning building to retrieve his guitar. He later discovered the fire had been started by two men fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named the guitar Lucille as a reminder never to do something so foolish again.
What Is Lucille?
From approximately the 1960s onward, Lucille has been a customised version of the Gibson ES-355 semi-hollow body guitar. The key modification that makes it "Lucille" rather than a standard ES-355:
No f-holes. The ES-355's standard semi-hollow body has two decorative f-holes (sound holes in the top). King had these removed to prevent acoustic feedback at the high volumes he played. The f-holes allow sound to enter the hollow body cavity — at stage volume, this creates a feedback loop. Blocking them maintains the semi-hollow body's acoustic resonance characteristics while eliminating the feedback path.
Core Specifications: Gibson BB King Lucille
Body: Laminated maple, semi-hollow construction, no f-holes
Scale: 24.75" (standard Gibson)
Neck: Mahogany, slim-taper C profile
Fingerboard: Ebony, 20 frets
Pickups: Dual humbuckers (Gibson '57 Classic or similar)
Electronics: Varitone circuit + standard volume/tone controls
Hardware: Gold hardware, ebony nut, Bigsby B7 vibrato
Finish: Ebony (standard production)
The Varitone Circuit
The Gibson ES-355 Varitone is a notch filter built into the guitar's electronics. It has 6 positions:
- Position 1: Bypass (no filtering)
- Positions 2–6: Progressive notch filters, each cutting different frequency ranges
BB King used the Varitone to adjust his guitar's tonal character for different rooms, different songs, and different contexts. The Varitone at position 3–4 produces the characteristic slightly scooped, warm tone associated with his "The Thrill Is Gone" recordings.
The "Lucille" Name Through Versions
King replaced his guitar many times throughout his career — each one was given the name Lucille. Estimated versions over his 60-year career:
- Late 1940s–1950s: Various semi-hollow Gibson and Epiphone guitars (ES-125, ES-335 types)
- 1960s: Gibson ES-335, ES-355 (non-Lucille-specific)
- 1970s–1980s: Customised ES-355 with no f-holes, Varitone retained — the definitive Lucille spec
- 1980–2016 (death): Gibson BB King Signature Lucille (production version of his spec)
Gibson BB King Signature Lucille
Gibson offered a production version of King's specification as the Gibson BB King Lucille:
- Semi-hollow, no f-holes
- Dual '57 Classic humbuckers
- Varitone circuit (6-position)
- Stereo/mono output jacks (the ES-355 was originally designed for stereo recording)
- Bigsby vibrato
- Gold hardware
- Price: ~$3,000–$4,000 (discontinued; used market only now)
The signature model was discontinued after King's death in 2015.
BB King's Vibrato Technique
BB King was famous for his left-hand vibrato — a rapid, wide vibrato created by rocking the fretting finger back and forth rather than bending the string conventionally. He claimed he used vibrato because he could not bend strings well early in his career (some attribute this to the heavy gauge strings on early guitars).
The Bigsby B7 vibrato on Lucille is rarely used — his vibrato is almost entirely a left-hand technique.
Strings and Picks
Strings: Gibson BB King Signature Strings (.010–.054) — custom gauged strings associated with his playing
Pick: None — BB King played with his thumb, creating a warm, rounded attack character
Budget Alternatives
- Epiphone ES-339 (~$400): Semi-hollow Gibson-style without Varitone — closest budget body type
- Epiphone Casino (~$600): Full hollow body, closer acoustic character
- Modifier approach: Add an aftermarket Varitone circuit to any humbucker guitar (parts available for ~$30)
Why "No F-Holes" Is a Genuinely Clever Engineering Solution
The f-hole removal on Lucille solves a real physics problem that most semi-hollow guitar players simply live with rather than fix. F-holes exist specifically to let a hollow body's internal air cavity resonate acoustically — that's what gives semi-hollow and full-hollow guitars their characteristic warmth and openness compared to a solid body. But that same open cavity is also the path through which sound from a nearby speaker cabinet re-enters the guitar and feeds back, a problem that gets worse as stage volume increases. Blocking the f-holes closes that feedback path while leaving the internal chamber intact, preserving most of the semi-hollow resonance while dramatically raising the volume threshold before uncontrolled feedback sets in.
This is why Lucille specifically suits players who need semi-hollow warmth at genuine stage volume — a standard ES-355 with open f-holes becomes progressively harder to control as volume increases, which matters for anyone choosing between a stock ES-355 and a Lucille-spec instrument.
Common Mistakes
Assuming any Gibson ES-355 is functionally identical to Lucille. As explained above, the no-f-holes modification is a genuine functional change, not a cosmetic detail — a stock ES-355 at BB King's typical stage volume would be considerably more feedback-prone than the actual Lucille.
Treating the Varitone as a set-once tone control. As the Varitone section explains, King used its six positions actively across different songs and venues rather than settling on one fixed position — treating it as a single "correct" setting misses how it was actually used as a real-time tonal tool.
Underestimating how central the left-hand vibrato technique is to the tone. As the guide notes, the Bigsby vibrato arm on Lucille was rarely used — the instantly recognizable BB King vibrato comes almost entirely from a specific fretting-hand technique, meaning gear alone won't replicate the sound without developing that same technique.
Assuming a pick is needed to approximate his attack character. As the strings and picks section states, King played exclusively with his thumb, producing a warmer, rounder attack than a standard pick — this detail matters as much as any hardware choice for players chasing his specific touch.
ToneStakr's Take
For players chasing this tone without an original or discontinued signature Lucille, an Epiphone ES-339 or similar semi-hollow with real attention to genuine thumb-picking technique and left-hand vibrato gets meaningfully closer to the sound than a spec-accurate but technique-mismatched setup. The no-f-holes modification matters specifically for players who need stage-volume feedback resistance — for home and studio use at controlled volume, a standard semi-hollow with open f-holes performs closer to identically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is BB King's guitar called Lucille?
After a 1949 incident in Twist, Arkansas, where a fire broke out during a performance and King ran back into the burning building to retrieve his guitar. He later learned the fire started from a fight over a woman named Lucille, and named the guitar as a permanent reminder never to risk his life for an instrument again — a name he then gave to every subsequent guitar he owned.
What is the Varitone on Lucille?
A six-position notch filter circuit built into the Gibson ES-355 — position 1 bypasses filtering entirely, while positions 2 through 6 apply progressively different frequency cuts. King used it actively to reshape his tone for different songs and room acoustics rather than settling on one fixed setting.
Why does Lucille have no f-holes?
To prevent acoustic feedback at stage volume. The f-holes on a standard semi-hollow guitar let sound from a nearby amp re-enter the body's air cavity and create a feedback loop; removing them closes that path while preserving most of the semi-hollow tone.
Can I buy a Lucille today?
Gibson discontinued the BB King Signature Lucille after his death in 2015. Used examples appear occasionally on the market at roughly $2,500-4,000, and Epiphone has offered various budget-tier alternatives over the years, though not always under the Lucille name specifically.
Does BB King's vibrato technique require a specific guitar, or can it be learned on any instrument?
It can be learned on any guitar — the rapid, wide left-hand vibrato comes from rocking the fretting finger back and forth rather than bending the string, a technique independent of any specific hardware. It's genuinely difficult to master, but not gear-dependent.
Is the Epiphone ES-339 a good starting point for BB King's tone?
Yes, as a practical budget entry point — it shares the general semi-hollow Gibson-style body type, though it lacks the Varitone circuit and the no-f-holes modification. For players focused on general tone character rather than exact spec replication, it's a sensible and affordable starting instrument.