Albert King

Albert King is a huge influence of SRV and is widely regarded as a premier bluesmen during the electric era of blues. His unique Flying V Gibson guitar is a famous icon of his scalding blues tone, and the harsh cutting sound was due to his preference for solid state amps, notable a Roland JC-120.

He also held his guitar upside, with the high "E" string furthest from the ground which allowed him to play his bends by pulling down instead of up. He was also known to use unique, down-pitch tuning to allow him to bend strings even further than normal.

Known to play:

• Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying V at around $499
• Gibson Gloss Series 1968 Flying V at around $1119