After months of speculation, Marshall has officially announced Billie Joe Armstrong's first signature amplifier, the 1959BJA Artist Signature, with a design paying tribute to his guitar 'Blue'.
Green Day performing at the 2026 Super Bowl with the 1959BJA on the leftThe baby-blue amp first appeared behind Billie Joe during Green Day's performance at Super Bowl LX in February. Marshall posted a few close-up photos afterward, making the collaboration fairly obvious, but fans were left waiting for a release date.
The 1959BJA is a handwired, 100-watt amp head based on Marshall's 1959HW platform. It includes a custom "Dookie Mod" designed to capture the extra gain, tighter low end and heavy crunch associated with Billie Joe's guitar sound. It has a single channel, high- and low-gain inputs, three-band EQ, presence, gain and master volume controls.
For those of us who don't speak fluent guitar amp, Marshall has basically packaged Billie Joe's Dookie-era tone inside an official factory-built Plexi. The amp uses three ECC83 preamp valves and four EL34 power valves, and is handwired in the UK.
The blue finish is inspired by Billie Joe's first electric guitar, Blue. It also includes brass and silver panel details, custom branding and Billie Joe's signature on the front and back.
Billie Joe Marshall Amp with his signature
"Billie Joe's guitar sound is instantly recognisable," says Steph Carter, Culture Marketing Director at Marshall. "From the moment you hear those opening chords on Dookie, you know exactly who it is. Working with Billie to create an amp that captures that punch, aggression and clarity was an incredible project for our team."
"I'm so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp. These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!!" says Billie Joe"
Now for the part where most of us close the shopping tab in disappointment, the 1959BJA will cost $3,999.99 when it goes on sale July 21 through Marshall and authorized retailers. That price is for the amp head only, so you'll still need a cabinet.
At $3,999.99, the 1959BJA will be one of Marshall's most expensive current amp heads, but the price is not far outside what the company already charges for its highest-end Plexi models. It costs more than the standard 1959 Handwired, but only $150 more than the recently released 1959 Modified. Considering the custom Dookie Mod, handwired construction, and signature finish the price makes a little more sense.
Fan reaction has been fairly consistent so far: it looks incredible, but $4,000 is going to be hard to justify for most people. Several fans have also questioned why Marshall didn't offer a smaller 20-watt version that would be cheaper and slightly less likely to shake everything off the walls.
It is aimed more at serious guitar players and collectors than someone trying to play "Basket Case" for the first time in their apartment. But after decades of fans chasing Billie Joe's Marshall sound through pedals, amp mods, and plugins, there is finally an official version.
Let us know what you think about it in the comments.
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