Guitar Greats-BB King

BB King was one one the most legendary blues guitarists of all time. King was a black guitarist born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi way back in 1925. He had a remarkable career, passing away at the age of 89 in 2015.

His playing style is very lyrical and musical. He sings his guitar lines to create a vocal like expression. This often makes his playing very melodic.

King claims that he nearly lost his life to Lucille. The story goes, that after a show, the building set on fire, and King, not wanting to lose his beloved Lucille, went in to the burning building and saved it from the blaze!

His guitar which he named Lucille and is also a Gibson custom model, is based on a Gibson ES 335, but the difference is that unlike the standard ES 335 it has stereo switching options and f holes removed to help stop feedback on stage. See pictures below to see an example of a 335 style guitar, very similar to Lucille. Note the f holes on this one, which add acoustic qualities to the guitar.