Billie Joe Armstrong Equipment

Blue is the iconic Fernandes RST-80 ’54 electric guitar Billie Joe received as a gift from his mom at age 10. It has been used throughout Green Day’s career, defining the sound of their early career. Some outlets identified 'Blue' as an RST-50, but its pickup-cavity stamp (FSO), V-shaped neck and original round string tree more closely match the higher-spec RST-80 (here's a great breakdown from GDC user TedRogers). Its original Bill Lawrence bridge humbucker was replaced with an angled Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB, while the neck and middle pickups were disconnected. It remains part of Green Day’s live shows for older songs including "Basket Case," "Longview," "Brain Stew" and "Hitchin’ a Ride."

"Floyd" is Billie Joe's 1956 sunburst Les Paul Junior, purchased around 2000 before Green Day recorded Warning. Billie has described the single-cut 1950s Junior as the foundation of his guitar tone, and Floyd helped inspire the Gibson signature models he later developed.

One of Billie Joe’s most frequently used Nimrod-era Blue backups survived after the tour. It was assembled from different parts and originally carried a custom birdseye maple neck before receiving a replacement. Bill Schneider confirmed in 2020 that the guitar remained intact. The guitar was later donated to the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, NV.

This Nimrod-era Blue backup was a later Fernandes Strat-style guitar rather than a Fender. Bill Schneider reshaped the headstock by cutting off its additional Fernandes contour. The guitar "went to guitar heaven" after that tour.

Les Paul Juniors became a major part of Billie Joe’s live setup during the American Idiot era. Their single P-90 pickup and simple controls provided the direct, aggressive sound that defined much of his mid-2000s guitar setup.