Billie Joe Armstrong launches new Gibson guitar
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has worked with Gibson to launch his new version of The Gibson Les Paul Junior. Modelled after the 1950s version of the original, this version is akin to what Armstrong commonly sports onstage with Green Day.
Armstrong has grown accustomed to Les Paul Juniors since the turn of the century, first including them on the tour for the album Warning. Since then, the Juniors have become his trademark guitar, playing them extensively throughout the tour for American Idiot, even naming one of his trademark guitars ‘Floyd’. While Armstrong had previously launched a version of the Junior in 2018, the 2023 edition sports P-90 pickups, which Armstrong has commonly used while on tour.
When talking about the latest version of his design, Armstrong reflected on the Junior being pivotal to his sound, saying via NME: “The single cut 50’s Les Paul Junior has been the root of my guitar tone for over 20 years. Ever since I bought ‘Floyd’, my 1956 Sunburst Junior, in the early 2000’s I have been addicted. It’s a simple, raw, and powerful guitar that has a sound that just can’t be beat! Plug it straight into any tube amp, crank it and it will roar!”.
These guitars are set to go for £1,789 and comes in two different colours: Silver Mist or Vintage Ebony Gloss. Green Day have also been teasing a new project to precede their 2020 album Father of All Motherfuckers, but have not announced any release dates yet.
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