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A Gibson Lucille model semi-acoustic guitar, unique for having no f-holes. Lucille is the name American blues musician B. B. King (1925–2015) gave to his guitars. They were usually black Gibson guitars similar to the ES-330 or ES-355, and Gibson introduced a B.B. King custom model in 1980, based upon the latter.
B. B. King used many different Gibson models, including an ES-5 and an ES-175 early in his career; later he began using thinline hollow-body (ES-330) and semi-hollow (aka "semi-acoustic") models (ES-335 and ES-345.) King's Signature ES-355, nicknamed Lucille, was his main guitar for many years.
The Gibson ES series of semi-acoustic guitars (hollow body electric guitars) are manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. The letters ES stand for Electric Spanish, to distinguish them from Hawaiian-style lap steel guitars which are played flat on the lap. Many of the original numbers referred to the price, in dollars, of the model.
The varitone circuit which was on the majority of 355s was not desired. Gibson ended production of the 355 in 1982. Gibson does produce a B.B. King Lucille model 355 and in 2008 produced an Alex Lifeson ES-355. In 2018 Gibson began producing an ES-355 with a Bigsby, an ES-355 in Walnut finish with a Maestro vibrola and an ES-355 Black Beauty. [4]
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending , shimmering vibrato , and staccato picking that influenced many later electric guitar blues players.
The first versions had one single-coil P-90 pickup which was set close to the neck: there were two controls for volume and tone. In 1957 the ES-175 was offered with a choice of one or two of Gibson’s new Humbucker pickups. [6] It was the first of Gibson's electric Spanish guitars to be outfitted with Gibson's new PAF humbucker. [7]
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1958 saw the introduction of Gibson's new thinline series of guitars. The ES-335, 345 and 355, all came with a semi-hollow body: the wood of the top and back was maple and there was a maple center block inside the guitars which ran the length of the body all the way to the mahogany neck, with a rosewood fingerboard.