Introduction
How Much Is B.B. King’s “Lucille” Worth? More Than Money Can Measure
It’s nearly impossible to put a price on B.B. King’s guitar—because “Lucille” isn’t just a guitar. She’s a legend.
Over the decades, blues master B.B. King played dozens of versions of Lucille, but they were all tied together by one thing: soul. Unlike typical instruments, Lucille was part of King’s identity—his companion on stage, in the studio, and through the long nights on the road. Asking how much Lucille is worth is like asking how much the blues itself is worth. There’s no real answer. Only stories.
Lucille was born from a fire—literally. Back in 1949, while playing at a dance hall in Arkansas, King rushed into a burning building to save his guitar after a fight between two men knocked over a kerosene heater. Later, he learned the fight was over a woman named Lucille. From that day forward, every guitar he played carried her name, as a reminder never to do something as dangerous as run into a fire—or fight over love.
The most famous version of Lucille, a black Gibson ES-355, became synonymous with King in the 1980s and remained in his hands for decades. With her smooth curves and deep, velvet tone, Lucille helped shape the sound of American blues. She wasn’t flashy. She wasn’t covered in diamonds. But when B.B. played her, it was magic.
So how much would Lucille sell for today? Technically, one of the versions of Lucille—gifted to B.B. by Gibson in 2005—sold at auction in 2019 for $280,000. But even that number feels hollow compared to the emotional and cultural value she holds. In truth, Lucille isn’t just an instrument. She’s an extension of a man who poured his soul into every note, influencing generations of guitarists from Eric Clapton to John Mayer.
For fans, Lucille represents more than music. She’s a symbol of perseverance, humility, and raw emotion. She tells a story—not just B.B. King’s story, but the story of the blues itself: born from hardship, raised in smoky bars, and echoing forever in the halls of music history.
Today, Lucille rests behind glass in museums or in the hands of collectors, but her legacy lives on every time a blues note bends, every time a young guitarist tries to find their voice, and every time someone discovers that music can speak where words fail.
So what’s Lucille worth?
To collectors, maybe a few hundred thousand.
To music lovers, she’s priceless.
To the blues, she’s eternal.