Gibson unveils the swanky BB King “Live At The Regal” ES-335

Gibson has released yet another BB King model, this one paying tribute to the blues legend’s Live at the Regal landmark album.

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The BB King “Live At The Regal” ES-335 is a recreation of the iconic ‘59 ES-335 King used during his 1964 performance at Chicago’s Regal Theater.

Arriving in an Argentine Grey sunburst finish, the semi-hollow guitar sports an authentic ’59 Medium C-shape mahogany neck and an Indian rosewood fingerboard with nitro dot inlays. The guitar’s top, back and sides are made of a three-ply Maple/Poplar/Maple combo, while a solid maple centre block helps reduce feedback.

The instrument also features a Bigsby vibrato, Grover “Milk Bottle” Rotomatic tuners, as well as True Historic Gold Top Hat control knobs with Dial Pointers — all in an aged nickel finish. Electronics include a pair of unpotted Custombuckers, wired to a mono Varitone switch and a three-way pickup selector located by the guitar’s black pickguard.

And premium features aside, the “Live At The Regal” ES-335’s also comes with a rather premium price tag of $9,999. That said, the release is limited to 100 units. Each purchase also comes with a Custom Shop Lifton hardshell guitar case and a certificate of authenticity.

“Recreating B.B. King’s ‘Live at the Regal’ ES-335 with this limited edition model is truly a dream come true for me,” Gibson’s Matt Goehler said of the instrument. “It’s one of the absolute coolest guitars in history…played by the greatest of all time on the greatest live album of all time, and it also happens to be a totally unique custom-order from 1959, the most important year in Gibson history. We are honoured to help tell this story”

Check out a demo of the guitar below.

Learn more at gibson.com