🎸 Blues · 1960s

The Thrill Is Gone by B.B. King (Solo · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by B.B. King · solo

The Thrill Is Gone by B.B. King guitar tone is built on a Clean amp with light natural breakup, dialed in at gain 3/10, bass 3, mid 6, treble 6, presence 7 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

TREBLE

PRESENCE

2.5

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 54 blues tones in our researched catalog: Gain 3 sits below the blues average (4.6) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical blues; mids at 6 are right around average (6.5); presence 7 is above average — extra air and bite.

Guitar controls

VOLUME

TONE

Original gear

Amp: Clean amp with light natural breakup (B.B. used Gibson LP-1/LP-2; a clean Fender works)

B.B. King played "Lucille" — a Gibson ES-355 — into a clean amp, getting his vocal sustain from touch and that singing vibrato, not gain. Documented settings: Volume 8, Presence 7, Bass 3, Treble 6 — bright and present with a tight, low bass. Light strings (.009s), neck/bridge blend.

Pickups

neck/bridge blend (warm, vocal)

Effects / signal chain

reverb

Tone character

clean & present, vocal sustain, singing vibrato, warm semi-hollow

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

clean, vocal sustaining lead distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the The Thrill Is Gone sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Solo

The notes are few; B.B.’s vibrato and phrasing are everything. The tone is an easy clean — low bass, high presence — on a semi-hollow.

Level: Intermediate — see more intermediate guitar songs →

Worth knowing

The Thrill Is Gone is a CLEAN, present semi-hollow tone (Lucille / ES-355) — bass LOW (~3), presence UP (~7), treble moderate. The sustain is all in B.B.’s vibrato and phrasing, not gain. Light strings help the singing bends.
Use a warm semi-hollow into a clean amp, drop the bass, push the presence, add a little reverb — then focus everything on vibrato and phrasing.
Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →

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The Thrill Is Gone guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the The Thrill Is Gone guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 3, bass 3, mid 6, treble 6, presence 7, reverb 2.5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the The Thrill Is Gone tone?

Original gear/effects: Amp: Clean amp with light natural breakup (B.B. used Gibson LP-1/LP-2; a clean Fender works); reverb.

Can I get the The Thrill Is Gone tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like B.B. King on The Thrill Is Gone — what gear and pedals?

Start with neck/bridge blend (warm, vocal), the amp EQ above (gain 3, bass 3, mid 6, treble 6, presence 7, reverb 2.5), and reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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Songs by level: 🎯 Easy · 🎸 Intermediate · 🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 more Blues guitar tones → · 🎛️ best blues amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar solos → · 🎚️ Reverb tone guide → · 🎯 more singing sustain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com