Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy vs D'Angelico Excel 59
Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy over D'Angelico Excel 59
Reasons to Get
D'Angelico Excel 59 over Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy
Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy vs D'Angelico Excel 59
Shared Features
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy vs D'Angelico Excel 59
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy is probably the better product overall with its final score of 73 compared to the D'Angelico Excel 59's 71 score, although not by a lot.
The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the D'Angelico Excel 59 has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the D'Angelico Excel 59 is the better choice.
The D'Angelico Excel 59 meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
D'Angelico Excel 59- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy Overview
- From Gibson Custom's 2022 Modern Collection series
- B.B. King Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Figured Maple top
- 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Custombucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Custombucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- TP-6 with Fine Tuners bridge
- Slim Taper Set neck
- 22 Vintage frets
- Grover Tulip tuners
- Compare Specs >
D'Angelico Excel 59 Overview
- From D'Angelico's 2021 Excel series
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 25"'' scale
- 16" Fretboard Radius
- Laminated Flame Maple body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan D'Angelico Great Dane P-90 Bridge (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Gold Tune-O-Matic bridge
- C-Shape Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Grover 150 Imperial tuners
- Weight between 6.7lbs (3kgs) and 7.35lbs (3.3kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the D'Angelico Excel 59
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy has an HH configuration while the D'Angelico Excel 59 has P90P90 pickups.
Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
On the other hand, P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the D'Angelico Excel 59 has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: D'Angelico Excel 59.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Only the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy comes with some kind of pickup modification: Varitone.
It's a switch that you can use to reduce the frequencies at specific points along the frequency spectrum.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy compares to the D'Angelico Excel 59.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy is built in United States while the D'Angelico Excel 59 is made in South Korea.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
Winner: Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy has a Corian nut. It used to be the go-to nut for Gibson, but it's slowly being replaced by Graph Tech (Tusq). It's a synthetic material made to be similar to Bone, but it doesn't have the same self-lubricating properties, and it's less resistant.
On the other hand, the D'Angelico Excel 59 comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
Winner: D'Angelico Excel 59.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy's are Grover Tulip while the D'Angelico Excel 59's are Grover 150 Imperial
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Varitone Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
D'Angelico Excel 59
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in South Korea
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The D'Angelico Excel 59 has the longest scale: 25". The Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.25'' (6.4mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy and the D'Angelico Excel 59 have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the D'Angelico Excel 59's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the D'Angelico Excel 59.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy:
D'Angelico Excel 59:
Fret Size
The D'Angelico Excel 59 has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gibson Custom B.B. King Lucille Legacy's Vintage frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
