Gibson BB King Lucille 2003

The 2003 Gibson BB King Lucille bears the name of the legendary guitar of the King of the Blues.

This semi-hollow signature guitar combines the warm, resonant tone of an ES-355 with practical features such as a fully enclosed body without f-holes and a TP-6 tailpiece with fine tuners, designed to minimize feedback and maximize tuning stability during intense performances.

BB King named all his guitars Lucille after a famous incident in 1949, when he ran into a burning building to save his guitar. Gibson developed the Lucille signature model as a tribute to King's years of loyalty to the brand, with specific modifications at his request. The fully enclosed body without f-holes was essential for King, who played at high volume and wanted to avoid feedback. The iconic Varitone switch offers six different tone options through various capacitor combinations, a feature King often used to shape his sound.

The three-ply maple/poplar/maple construction provides the warm, balanced sound of a semi-hollow guitar, while the Gibson 490R and 490T humbuckers deliver a classic PAF-style tone with sufficient output for expressive bends and that characteristic sustain. The Slim Taper neck profile and the ebony fingerboard with block inlays make this Lucille not only a tribute to a blues legend but also a fantastically playable instrument.

Over the years, the guitar has accumulated light playwear on the body and pickguard, and has some damage to the lacquer on both sides of the fingerboard at the 20th fret. Of these, the lacquer chips on the bass side are the most prominent, but naturally, these do not hinder playability.

This instrument has been carefully inspected for originality, condition and playability, then set up to our Gold Standard by a luthier. We make sure it arrives in your hands exactly as it should: sounding its best, playing effortlessly and ready to be enjoyed from the very first note.

Consignment.