Riff Tone

Sweet Little Angel

B.B. King

Guitarblues1960s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-355 (early 1960s, pre-Lucille, likely mono wiring)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (blackface, 1964, tube combo)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (likely PAF or early Patent No.)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb4

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, November 21, 1964, Live at the Regal album. Gear confirmed by multiple sources for this era and recording. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects. All tone shaping from guitar and amp.

Tone Character(10)

warm and smoothfat, round neck pickup soundsinging sustaintouch-sensitive dynamicsquick, percussive attackclean with slight edge-of-breakupbright but not harshfull-bodieddynamic swells via volume knobarticulate single-note clarity

Difficulty

While the riff is not technically fast or complex, it requires intermediate-level control of vibrato, phrasing, and dynamic swells to authentically capture B.B. King's expressive style.

Sources

B.B. King's 10 greatest guitar moments | Guitar World B.B. King: the life and legacy of a blues guitar legend | Guitar World B.B. King – Completely Well - Gear & Equipment Used on the Album | Equipboard

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account