Albert King's Sound
Upside-down, left-handed, and the source of nearly every great blues bend.
Fat, horn-like single notes with enormous over-bends
The rig
The gear associated with the sound. Each item opens a live Reverb search — vintage examples where they exist, modern equivalents where they don't.
Guitars
- Gibson Flying V 'Lucy'Find on Reverb
- Custom Flying V buildsFind on Reverb
Amps
- Acoustic 270 solid stateFind on Reverb
- Fender Twin (early)Find on Reverb
- Roland Jazz ChorusFind on Reverb
Effects
- MXR Phase 90 (occasionally)Find on Reverb
- Otherwise noneFind on Reverb
Pickups
- Gibson humbuckersFind on Reverb
Other
- Right-handed guitar flipped over, unconventional string orderFind on Reverb
- Open tuning variantsFind on Reverb
Why it sounds like that
Born Under a Bad Sign
Fat, dark and horn-like, sitting perfectly in a Stax arrangement with Booker T. & the M.G.'s.
Blues Power
Solid-state Acoustic 270 clarity — the bends have nowhere to hide.
As the Years Go Passing By
Slow-blues sustain with the vibrato doing all the emotional work.
Similar sounds
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