Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

[waltschwarzkopf]

Hi guys,

The opportunity to acquire a Gibson Lucille from 1990 has presented to me. I might be able to trade it for another guitar that I have and don't play. I've never had a guitar with mono/stereo output, nor with a varitone or with fine tuners on the stop tail.

I've read that one of the output jacks is mono like a normal guitar and the other is stereo, for which you need a "Y" cable to connect to two amps at once, correct? The varitone is some kind of signal-frequency booster, right? Is it active/passive and does it need batteries? I assume the fine tuners work like they would on a Floyd Rose. Although the screws are missing, I doubt I'll use this feature much.

I'd really appreciate comments on the pros and cons of this guitar, I plan to keep it for myself, so resale value is not very important. I do care that it is legit and not a copy. I like the fact that it has double couts AND no holes.

Here are some pics.









Cheers,
Walter


EDIT:

I’m sorry guys, but the seller backed out, he doesn’t want to trade as que initially offered.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

Oh no
It's lost all the thumb wheels for the Tp6

I like it though
Love the red in a 335 shape
It's just , right

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

If you've never owned a guitar with a varitone, it's something to try at least once. It basically switches different value caps into to the circuit. It works in a similar fashion to a tone control, except it doesn't fade in a large cap, it switches between caps from small to large. It requires no batteries.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I've had a couple Varitone guitars, and while I'm into all kinds of mods & alternative wirings, I don't think Varitones are worth it; I think the sounds are weak & lousy. There's much better tones available from other mods. Most of the guitarists I know despise Varitones. If the concept was viable, they'd be commonly seen on most manufacturer's guitars. Gibson came up with a couple ideas in the 1950's that looked good on paper but flopped in real life: one was HHH guitars (which other manufacturers have pretty much avoided like the plague), and Varitones (also suffering from an almost complete lack of interest in the music community).

I never used the stereo jack, and probably few other players have either. I get the impression that BB wanted a 335 but wanted it to be different than any other, so he had Gibson combine odds and ends features from other models.

Because they have no F holes, Lucille's have a back panel for electronics, which is jammed full with the Varitone. I've heard the PU's are 490's, which are pretty lackluster. If you've listened to Live at the Regal (1964, long before he had a signature model), he had gorgeous woody tones. The best I've ever heard from him. I haven't heard any of his tones with Lucille's that came close to equaling those.

If you're a big BB fan, get the Lucille. If you're wanting a guitar with great tones, there's other 335/345/355's that are better choices.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I don't know about that particular guitar...strong or weak points. I owned a 1968 Gibson 345 TDC that seems very similar. It had stereo wiring and the Varitone. I don't know if the current Varitones are wired the same as my 345 was, but I actually loved it. It had two or three settings that I used a lot. They didn't just sound like different cap values however, the tonal differences were very distinct and different from each other. Back then I was a big fan of Jefferson Airplane and HAD to have the guitar that Jorma played. It was a fantastic playing, sounding, and looking guitar and I hate that I no longer have it.

Just an interesting trivial sidenote: before they were the Airplane, they were "The Great Society" and recorded in the same studio (Golden Gate Recorders) with the same producer (Leo De Garkulka) as my first band ("The Rapid Transit") in 1968.

(Yes, I really am that old). It was a fun time back in the 60s and we rubbed shoulders with lots of Bay Area groups: Airplane, Greatful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Steppenwolf, etc.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I don't know about that particular guitar...strong or weak points. I owned a 1968 Gibson 345 TDC that seems very similar. It had stereo wiring and the Varitone. I don't know if the current Varitones are wired the same as my 345 was, but I actually loved it. It had two or three settings that I used a lot. They didn't just sound like different cap values however, the tonal differences were very distinct and different from each other. Back then I was a big fan of Jefferson Airplane and HAD to have the guitar that Jorma played. It was a fantastic playing, sounding, and looking guitar and I hate that I no longer have it.

Just an interesting trivial sidenote: before they were the Airplane, they were "The Great Society" and recorded in the same studio (Golden Gate Recorders) with the same producer (Leo De Garkulka) as my first band ("The Rapid Transit") in 1968.

(Yes, I really am that old). It was a fun time back in the 60s and we rubbed shoulders with lots of Bay Area groups: Airplane, Greatful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Steppenwolf, etc.

Doc, what great memories to have, and some cool info too. I would love to have lived during that era as a 20 year old, as opposed to having been born then (66).

Even though I didn't live through it, I do know that there is only one band (mentioned above) to have a top 10 hit in 3 different decades under 3 different names.

***Sorry for the OT response. I think that if you like the way the Lucille plays and feels, you should get it. It can always be rewired.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I don't know about that particular guitar...strong or weak points. I owned a 1968 Gibson 345 TDC that seems very similar. It had stereo wiring and the Varitone. I don't know if the current Varitones are wired the same as my 345 was, but I actually loved it. It had two or three settings that I used a lot. They didn't just sound like different cap values however, the tonal differences were very distinct and different from each other. Back then I was a big fan of Jefferson Airplane and HAD to have the guitar that Jorma played. It was a fantastic playing, sounding, and looking guitar and I hate that I no longer have it.

Just an interesting trivial sidenote: before they were the Airplane, they were "The Great Society" and recorded in the same studio (Golden Gate Recorders) with the same producer (Leo De Garkulka) as my first band ("The Rapid Transit") in 1968.

(Yes, I really am that old). It was a fun time back in the 60s and we rubbed shoulders with lots of Bay Area groups: Airplane, Greatful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Steppenwolf, etc.

How many people know that their original female vocalist was Signe Anderson on the first album, not Grace Slick?

I never cared for Jorma's lead tones. That cocked wah he insisted on using sounded weak and out of tune. Especially compared to the heavy bands coming on the scene then: Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, Blue Cheer, etc.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

How many people know that their original female vocalist was Signe Anderson on the first album, not Grace Slick?

I never cared for Jorma's lead tones. That cocked wah he insisted on using sounded weak and out of tune. Especially compared to the heavy bands coming on the scene then: Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, Blue Cheer, etc.

Ah, you just took me on a walk down memory lane. I loved Ten Years After. Another one of my favorites that couldn't take the pressure of all the hype they got was Moby Grape, a 3 guitar group that was amazingly talented. And for great vocal arrangements you couldn't do much better than CSNY or the Mamas And The Papas. The Beatles and the Stone were churning out one hit right after the other, and the whole English invasion was going on.

Man, that was the greatest musical era to live through.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I have 335s, and I love my 335s. I have nearly bought Lucilles three times and wasn't able to pull the trigger on any of them.

Those "Live At The Regal" tones were almost certainly done on a guitar with true, vintage PAFs. Hard to beat.

As ehdwuld noted above, the screws for the TP are missing. Those could be hard to come by. But I personally would swap out the TP unit for a gold-plated lightweight aluminum tailpiece. It'll sound better.

Some like the Vari-Tone and some hate it. I'm torn. Most use the MONO jack.

The advantage of the Lucille is that it is a closed hollowbody, without the f-holes, and thus more resistant to feedback. The times I saw B.B., he was using a Gibson LAB Series 212 combo...on TEN...and once with a Twin Reverb...also maxed.

One of the best ways I've found to suss out a fake is by the smell. The USA-made Gibsons have a delightful woody smell, whle the Asian-made fakes always seem to have this odd, chemical smell. Take the back off, or a pickup out.

So here's the biggest reasons I passed on the Lucilles I've played. They have a maple, not mahogany neck...which does affect the tone. I like the 335s '57 Classics better than the 490s. And finally, maple neck+ebony board+closed body+varitone hardware+TP-6 tailpiece equals a VERY heavy guitar. None of my Les Pauls weigh as much as the Lucilles I've tried. I'm no wimp when it comes to the weight of a guitar, but these are heavy.

But they are cool guitars. If it fits a need and you're getting it for a good price...why not?

And it's RED!

Bill

 

[Mincer]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I've heard these were good years for the Lucilles. You know, Steve Howe used an ES-Artist from the 80s which had no F Holes. They make good rock guitars, too.

 

[waltschwarzkopf]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I’m sorry guys, but the seller backed out, he doesn’t want to trade as que initially offered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jacew]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

If you've never owned a guitar with a varitone, it's something to try at least once. It basically switches different value caps into to the circuit. It works in a similar fashion to a tone control, except it doesn't fade in a large cap, it switches between caps from small to large. It requires no batteries.

It doesn't just change caps. Varitone wiring has inductor coil as well.

Waltschwartzcopf: Sorry to hear. Would have been awesome guitar!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I love BB. There’s no guitarist I admire more.

But I don’t like Varitones or out of phase pickups.

Makes me sound like I’m playing through my nose.

 

[SAguitar]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I lived through that golden era that Doc spoke of and yes, it was an incredible time. And I loved how when you went to a concert, you heard bands from widely differing genres, that alone opened up my mind to lots of different sounds. And being a huge fan of B.B. and Jorma, I had to acquire a Lucille. I still own it and love it. Most of the time when I play it live, I dial up my amp so it sounds good on Varitone position 2, and then push it to 1 for a boost/overdrive effect.

Too bad the seller backed out, maybe you will get a shot at a Lucille again someday.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Thoughts on the Gibson Lucille B.B. King from the 90's?

I've had a couple Varitone guitars, and while I'm into all kinds of mods & alternative wirings, I don't think Varitones are worth it; I think the sounds are weak & lousy. There's much better tones available from other mods. Most of the guitarists I know despise Varitones. If the concept was viable, they'd be commonly seen on most manufacturer's guitars. Gibson came up with a couple ideas in the 1950's that looked good on paper but flopped in real life: one was HHH guitars (which other manufacturers have pretty much avoided like the plague), and Varitones (also suffering from an almost complete lack of interest in the music community).

I never used the stereo jack, and probably few other players have either. I get the impression that BB wanted a 335 but wanted it to be different than any other, so he had Gibson combine odds and ends features from other models.

Because they have no F holes, Lucille's have a back panel for electronics, which is jammed full with the Varitone. I've heard the PU's are 490's, which are pretty lackluster. If you've listened to Live at the Regal (1964, long before he had a signature model), he had gorgeous woody tones. The best I've ever heard from him. I haven't heard any of his tones with Lucille's that came close to equaling those.

If you're a big BB fan, get the Lucille. If you're wanting a guitar with great tones, there's other 335/345/355's that are better choices.

Most 345’s and 355’s also have the Varitone. Pretty sure BB had a Varitone on Live At the Regal.

But I’ll admit that for my own self, the Varitone is useless and I don’t like that sound for my own playing.

I’ve had both a 345 and a 355 with it. I disconnected it from my 1960 ES355.

Who wants to sound like a mosquito?

That said, BB is one of my favorite guitarists. There’s no one I admire more and I love his tone.

But that tone is not a good fit for me.