2023 Gibson BB King Lucille Legacy - Transparent Ebony
Description
No sales tax for US customers outside California.
B.B. King played a semi-hollow Gibson for his entire career, and he modified those guitars to his specific preferences with a consistency that tells you everything about how seriously he took his relationship with his instrument. The most distinctive modification was the removal of the f-holes — King found that they produced feedback at stage volumes he needed to play at, and he had them eliminated. He preferred the TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece for the micro-adjustment control it gave him between songs. He played with a Varitone switch engaged, using the pre-set frequency contours to shape his tone in ways that four standard knobs cannot achieve. The Gibson BB King Lucille Legacy is built to these exact specifications.
The body follows the ES-355 semi-hollow architecture — a 3-ply figured maple and poplar laminate construction with a solid center block, but with the f-holes sealed. The figured maple veneer on the top, back, and sides shows its grain clearly through the Transparent Ebony nitrocellulose lacquer finish — a dark, lustrous, genuinely beautiful result that photographs and presents differently from any other finish in the Gibson catalog. The seven-ply top binding, three-ply back binding, and five-ply headstock binding complete the ES-355-level appointments.
The electronics are the heart of the instrument. The Gibson Custombucker humbuckers with Alnico V magnets. The four 500K CTS audio-taper potentiometers and paper-in-oil Bumblebee capacitors in the hand-wired harness. The 6-position mono Varitone switch provides the pre-sets - each position a different choke-based frequency scoop that changes the tonal character in ways the tone control cannot replicate. The TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece allows micro-adjustment of individual string tuning from the tailpiece.
The frets look pretty much new. The neck is perfect - a SlimTaper mahogany neck at .884" at the first fret and .981" at the twelfth. Action set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. There is room in the truss rod for future neck relief adjustments.
Non-original Gibson case included. All the original paperwork is included.
SPECS:
Color: Transparent Ebony
Weight: 8lbs 11.5oz
Top: 3-ply Figured Maple/Poplar/Maple
Body: 3-ply Figured Maple/Poplar/Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: SlimTaper
Fretboard: Ebony
Inlays: Mother-of-Pearl Split Blocks
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original Corian
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .884"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .981"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 41 3/8"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9 1/4"
Upper bout: 11 1/4"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1 3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Gold
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: Gibson Custombucker
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: Gibson Custombucker
Original?: Yes
Bridge: Gibson ABR-1 + TP-6 fine-tune tailpiece
Tuners: Grover Tulip
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way + 6-position Mono Varitone switch
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: Non original Gibson case
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.
B.B. King played a semi-hollow Gibson for his entire career, and he modified those guitars to his specific preferences with a consistency that tells you everything about how seriously he took his relationship with his instrument. The most distinctive modification was the removal of the f-holes — King found that they produced feedback at stage volumes he needed to play at, and he had them eliminated. He preferred the TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece for the micro-adjustment control it gave him between songs. He played with a Varitone switch engaged, using the pre-set frequency contours to shape his tone in ways that four standard knobs cannot achieve. The Gibson BB King Lucille Legacy is built to these exact specifications.
The body follows the ES-355 semi-hollow architecture — a 3-ply figured maple and poplar laminate construction with a solid center block, but with the f-holes sealed. The figured maple veneer on the top, back, and sides shows its grain clearly through the Transparent Ebony nitrocellulose lacquer finish — a dark, lustrous, genuinely beautiful result that photographs and presents differently from any other finish in the Gibson catalog. The seven-ply top binding, three-ply back binding, and five-ply headstock binding complete the ES-355-level appointments.
The electronics are the heart of the instrument. The Gibson Custombucker humbuckers with Alnico V magnets. The four 500K CTS audio-taper potentiometers and paper-in-oil Bumblebee capacitors in the hand-wired harness. The 6-position mono Varitone switch provides the pre-sets - each position a different choke-based frequency scoop that changes the tonal character in ways the tone control cannot replicate. The TP-6 fine-tuner tailpiece allows micro-adjustment of individual string tuning from the tailpiece.
The frets look pretty much new. The neck is perfect - a SlimTaper mahogany neck at .884" at the first fret and .981" at the twelfth. Action set at 2/32" on both strings at the twelfth fret. There is room in the truss rod for future neck relief adjustments.
Non-original Gibson case included. All the original paperwork is included.
SPECS:
Color: Transparent Ebony
Weight: 8lbs 11.5oz
Top: 3-ply Figured Maple/Poplar/Maple
Body: 3-ply Figured Maple/Poplar/Maple
Neck: Mahogany
Neck Profile: SlimTaper
Fretboard: Ebony
Inlays: Mother-of-Pearl Split Blocks
Frets: Original
Fret Count: 22
Nut: Original Corian
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Radius: 12"
Scale: 24.75"
Neck thickness at 1st Fret: .884"
Neck thickness at 12th Fret: .981"
Action 1st String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Action 6th String at 12th Fret: 2/32"
Overall length: 41 3/8"
Lower bout: 16"
Waist: 9 1/4"
Upper bout: 11 1/4"
Body depth/thickness outside edge: 1 3/4"
String gauge: .010-.046"
Hardware Color: Gold
Pickguard: Original
Bridge Pickup/Brand: Gibson Custombucker
Original?: Yes
Neck Pickup/Brand: Gibson Custombucker
Original?: Yes
Bridge: Gibson ABR-1 + TP-6 fine-tune tailpiece
Tuners: Grover Tulip
Knobs: Original
Switch: 3 Way + 6-position Mono Varitone switch
Pots/Codes: Original
Case: Non original Gibson case
Notes:
Shipping policy:
There are multiple shipping cost options for purchases made on our site. Select Ground, 3 Day, 2 Day, or Next Day Air Saver. For Reverb purchases, there is one cost option for Eastern states - customers from any state that is more than a 3 day UPS ground shipment from our shop will get their shipment via UPS 3 day air. Otherwise, ground shipping will be used. Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to . Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.