“There’s a couple of ex-girlfriends’ pictures inside”: Billie Joe Armstrong reveals the secrets of his most iconic guitar
Of all the electric guitars in Billie Joe Armstrong‘s collection, his Fernandes S-type – affectionately named “Blue”, and which he’s owned since just 12 years old – is far and away his favourite.
The guitar has been with him for decades, accompanying him during countless live shows, and appearing on many of the band’s now-immortal studio albums, including their breakout album, Dookie (1994), and 1995’s Insomniac.
Blue remains a staple of the Green Day frontman’s live rig to this day, and can be clearly identified during shows thanks to its liberal covering of stickers and other marks of personalisation.
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And now, the guitarist has spoken to US music retailer Sweetwater about his beloved Fernandes, diving into detail about some of the stickers that make it uniquely his.
“My mom bought it for me from my guitar teacher back in 1985 or something like that,” Armstrong says. “I just loved it so much. I really wanted a Stratocaster. It’s been part of my life ever since. Through the years I’ve kept it. I felt like it was a sound that I needed to hold onto.”
Explaining some of the stickers, BJA points to a photo on the back of the guitar, which shows himself in the 7th grade doing his “best Mick Mars impression”.
“I just started plastering stickers all over it, putting the “BJ” on it I think there’s a couple of ex-girlfriend’s pictures inside of here, stuff like that,” he says, pointing to the guitar’s lower bout where fresh stickers cover layers that came before.
Armstrong calls it the “ultimate punk rock guitar”…
The way the guitar looks is clearly a big talking point, but Billie Joe Armstrong regards Blue as indispensable to his sound. He goes on to explain its significant role in the recording of Dookie.
“When we went in to record Dookie, I was really adamant about playing Blue because I just felt like it was such a part of my sound for my whole life,” he says. “There was something that was really important to me. I played a lot of Insomniac [with Blue] also. It’s on the first four and a half albums.
“I could have played a different guitar, but there was something about this that just had, at that time, a deep distortion that created something unique.
“A lot of people have a distortion sound, but nothing that comes across as instantly identifiable. I think that’s what my Blue guitar and the Plexi has.”
The Green Day frontman has become somewhat synonymous with that pale shade of blue, and recently launched his signature 1959BJA Marshall stack – road tested at this year’s Super Bowl – which is wrapped in a similar colour.
You can watch the full video below:
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
