Gibson unveils 2018 Les Paul Junior Billie Joe Armstrong Signature model

Gibson has announced a new signature Les Paul Junior for Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.

As part of his take on what he reckons is “by far the coolest guitar on the planet”, Billie Joe has spec’d a single ’57 Classic humbucker, as well as a mahogany body, mahogany slim taper neck and rosewood fingerboard.

Vintage Deluxe tuners and a chrome, non-compensated wraparound tailpiece round out the spec, while three finishes are available: Sonic Blue, Maraschino Cherry and Ebony.

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“I like to keep things a blank canvas when it comes to guitars,” Billie Joe says, encouraging guitarists to “sticker it, carve it, paint it themselves, put their own identity to it”.

While we’re all for freedom of expression, we’re not sure many players will be comfortable defacing a guitar priced at $1,399.

Intriguingly, the model is listed under Gibson’s 2018 model year, despite the troubled guitar giant’s 2019 range being pretty much ready to go, as CEO Henry Juszkiewicz confirmed last month.

For more info on the Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior, head on over to Gibson.

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.