Gibson Custom Shop

"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; he’s 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. He’s done it all, and at over 80 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.