Riff Tone

Sweet Sixteen

B.B. King

Guitarblues1950s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson ES-355TD-SV 'Lucille'

AmpLab Series L5 2x12" combo amp

PickupsGibson humbuckers with Varitone circuit

Amp Settings

gain2.5

bass6.5

mid7

treble6

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, original release 1959; B.B. King used his signature 'Lucille' ES-355 with both pickups engaged and the Varitone switch (likely position 2). No pedals, guitar plugged straight into the Lab Series L5 solid-state amp. No evidence of effects pedals or additional processing on the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

warm and smoothmidrange honktouch-sensitiveclean with slight edge-of-breakuppercussive attacktreble cutthick and roundsinging sustainarticulate note separationdynamic response to picking

Difficulty

While the riff is not technically fast or complex, it requires intermediate skill to achieve B.B. King's signature vibrato, dynamic touch, and expressive phrasing.

Sources

B.B. King Amp Settings (gear and tone tips)How to sound like B.B. King - Happy Bluesman B.B. King's Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment

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