Bb King Casino Alabama
View the menu for BB King's Blues Club and restaurants in Montgomery, AL. See restaurant menus, reviews, hours, photos, maps and directions. Our amenities include a AAA Four-Diamond-rated luxury hotel, world-class Spa, gourmet culinary studio, infinity pool, outdoor amphitheater, movie theaters, arcade, yogurt shop, multiple dining venues including the top-rated steakhouse in Alabama, and an RV Park.
We’ve already talked about “Lucille”, how she got her name and a little about what kind of guitar she was. Now we’re going to get into some detail on the guitar specs and let you know which guitars were used on which tracks. I think this is important because you need to know which guitar you need to get the sound that you want. B. B. King’s tones varied some depending on what era of his music you are listening to. You have to remember that B. B. King would sound like B. B. King no matter what gear he might be using. The only way I can explain it is that his style is engrained in him and only he can truly sound like him. We are just giving you tips to get a tone close to his.
Bb King Casino
In the early years, like many of us, B. B. King used what he had and just like to play. It took him years to be satisfied with his gear and make the Gibson ES-355 and Lab Series L5 his go to rig. You can tell a huge difference in the sound of the early years from his sound after he settled into his signature rig.
Here is a list of the guitars that B. B. King used throughout his career. The guitar models with a link will take you to an example of B. B. King playing that guitar, so you can hear what it sounds like.
- Gibson L-30 (The Original “Lucille”) – 1935-1943 – Acoustic guitar fitted with a DeArmond pickup.
- Gibson ES-5 – 1949-1955 – The ES-5 was the first in the ES (Electric Spanish) series to use 3 pickups (P-90 pickups). There were 3 separate volume knobs, 1 for each separate pickup and 1 master tone knob. This, in my opinion, gives better control over the tones that it can produce over guitars with a pickup selector.
- Gibson ES-125 – 1941-1942 then 1946-1950 – The ES-125 featured 1 P-90 pickup with 1 volume and 1 tone control.
- Gibson Byrdland – 1955-1975, 1977, 1978 and 1992 – This was the first in Gibson’s “Thinline” series. The Byrdland was stock with 2 Alnico pickups from 1955-1958 and Gibson Humbuckers from 1959 and later. The controls are the same as a Les Paul, 1 3-way pickup selector switch, 2 volume and 2 tone controls.
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- Gibson ES-175 – 1949-Present – The ES-175 replaced the ES-150 and took over the jazz world like the Les Paul took over the blues and rock and roll world. Originally it only had 1 single coil pickup. In 1953 they added a second single coil pickup and then in 1957 they changed it to 2 humbuckers. It is available now in all 3 configurations. The controls are set up the same as a Les Paul, 2 volumes, 2 tones and 1 three-way switch at the top.
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- Gibson ES-335 – 1958-Present – This was Gibson’s answer to getting a warmer tone than a solid body while limiting feedback. The ES-335 is semi hollow, it’s like a hollow body with wood baffles down the middle to reduce the feedback. The controls are almost the same as the ES-175 except that the three-way switch is at the bottom by the volume and tone controls. The dual humbuckers give a warm tone while suppressing any buzz.
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- Gibson ES-345 – 1958-1981 – The ES-345 was an updated version of the ES-335. The 345 features a multi-position “varitone” switch which was used to change the frequencies of the pickups to add depth and “color” to the sound. The “varitone” is a big part of the B. B. King sound.
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- Gibson ES-355 – 1958-1982 – Look no further than this, this is the top of the line when it comes to the ES series, however not as popular as the 335 or 345. This is due to the stereo limitations of the “varitone” and a mono/stereo input jack. Other differences in the 355 were the high-end aesthetics and ebony fretboard which was used for a smoother sound.
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- Gibson “Lucille” – 1980-2015 – Gibson produced its B. B. King signature model, the “Lucille,” with input from B. B. King himself. This is an ES-355 with some differences. The F holes are removed, as requested by B. B. King, to remove feedback. The standard model features a maple neck, dot inlays and chrome hardware. The custom models include gold hardware and block inlays.
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- Gibson “Lucille” 80th Birthday – 2005 – Only 80 of these were ever made! This is a collector guitar. If you find one and can afford it, you are doing better than me! You can buy one used for upwards of $20,000, unless it is one of the prototypes then it would be worth more!
- Fender Esquire – 1950 (first run), 1951-1969 (second run) – This is the early telecaster and came in single and dual pickup models. B. B. King played a 1950’s Fender Esquire on his album “The Modern Records 1950-1951”.
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Bb King Casino Alabama Atmore
I met BB king in Augusta, Georgia.Every year after he would tell his people to put me up front stage.I had so many things n swag he gave me it was stolen.Ieven asked him about his guitars and amplifiers and had offered him my lab 5amps to use if he needed to uset them.Out there in this world there is a pick guard written in black with his signature I had gotten from him signed.i have l5. Back to BB's Menu Music Gallery Calendar Specials Contact Reservations Book An Event.
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If you want to capture the sound of B. B. King, the guitar to have is a Gibson “Lucille”, ES-335 or ES-355. I know they are expensive as are all of the guitars on this list. One thing that I want you to remember is that you can always buy an Epiphone version of most of these guitars. There are comparable knock off brands that can help. This list is a guide for you know what guitars gave B. B. King his sound. This journey is a guide, and you are in control of the sound that you get. I urge you to do some research to help you choose. Most of all enjoy yourself, that’s the important part!