Epiphone BB King Lucille Ebony vs Gibson Larry Carlton ES-335

The Epiphone BB King Lucille Ebony and the Gibson Larry Carlton ES-335 are both electric guitars sharing warm, sustaining, smooth. The Epiphone BB King Lucille Ebony leans full and dynamic. Current prices: $549 vs $3540.83.

Similarity
citedBlended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.

50% — somewhat different

Shared genres
citedGenres both listings are associated with.
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Smooth Jazz
Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • warm
  • sustaining
  • smooth
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
0%
Price

$549via Reverb

$3540.83via Reverb

Description

The Epiphone B.B. King Lucille in ebony finish is a production version of the semi-hollow ES-355-style guitar B.B. King played throughout his career and named Lucille, following an incident in 1949 when he rescued his guitar from a burning venue that caught fire during a fight over a woman of that name. From then on King named every guitar he owned Lucille as a reminder never to risk his life over such a fight again. The Epiphone version brings that specification to a more accessible price point than the Gibson original King actually played.

The Gibson Larry Carlton ES-335 is the signature semi-hollow of 'Mr. 335', based on his beloved 1969 ES-335. It combines the ES-335's warm, sustaining, feedback-resistant semi-hollow voice with refined appointments suited to Carlton's smooth jazz, blues and fusion playing. The center block tames feedback while the body adds warmth and bloom, giving singing leads and full chords.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • Soul
  • Metal
  • Hard Rock
—
Tonal lean
  • full
  • dynamic
  • transparent
—
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Epiphone BB King Lucille Ebony vs Gibson Larry Carlton ES-335 — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone