Guitar and pickguard owned by B.B. King

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

2019.83.1a: An electric guitar owned by B. B. King. The guitar is colored with a dark sunburst pattern and has a black colored neck. The neck has mother of pearl frets. The head of the guitar has three brass tuners on each side. “Gibson” is written in gold text at the top of the head. The bottom of the head has “CUSTOM” written vertically inside a white, bell-shaped border. Written in gold lettering on the back of the head is “61221.” The guitar has a sound hole on each side of the pickups and strings. The guitar also has five volume and tone controls on the left side of the lower front body. A pickup switch is located on the left side of the body near the neck of the guitar. The tailpiece of the guitar is made of brass and extends to the bottom of the guitar.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗