Gibson B.B. King Lucille Electric Guitar (Cherry, SN:10943748)

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.

While King played many different guitars throughout the early part of his career, the King of the Blues has played a varied mix of Gibson guitars since the late 1940s, including the ES-175, ES-330, ES-335 and ES-345. He finally made the Gibson ES-355 semi-hollowbody guitar his trademark instrument in the early 1960s, usually stuffing the sound holes to eliminate any chance of feedback.

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