Solo Tone

The Thrill Is Gone

B.B. King

Guitarblues1970s

Original Gear

Guitarmid-1960s Gibson ES-355TD-SV

AmpGibson Lab Series L-5 solid state combo

PickupsGibson humbuckers with Varitone circuit (Varitone position 2, both pickups engaged)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble6

reverb3

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1969. B.B. King used both pickups on his ES-355 with the Varitone set to position 2, plugged into a Gibson Lab Series L-5 amp. No pedals were used; all effects are from the amp. Guitar volume: Bridge 10, Neck 8. Tone: Both at 10. Stereo Y-cord sent each pickup to a separate channel on the amp.

Tone Character(10)

very clean and clearwarm and smoothmidrange honktreble cutquick, percussive attackample headroomsinging sustain from phrasingtouch-sensitive dynamicsno overdrive or distortionarticulate note separation

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate to advanced control of vibrato, bends, and phrasing to capture B.B. King's expressive style, but does not involve fast runs or complex chord changes.

Sources

The secrets behind B.B. King's guitar tone on The Thrill Is Gone 10 B.B. King-inspired blues intro licks you need to know - Guitar World SOLOING STRATEGIES: B.B. King | Guitar World Best blues amps: electric guitar amplification for when the thrill is gone How to get BB King like sound? : r/Guitar - Reddit

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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