Gibson Les Paul Junior Billie-Joe Armstrong Review

The Gibson Les Paul junior Billie-Joe Armstrong model is the perfect guitar for the energetic punk player to the raw, heavy rocker and anywhere or anyone in between.
The beauty of this guitar is the simplicity, in that you know exactly what sound you can achieve before you even pick it up.
The Single P-90 pickup with corresponding volume and tone controls are trademarks of the Greenday front man’s raw, dry, no-nonsense sound, and the simplistic wraparound nickel bridge only serves to reinforce this. The guitar feels exactly like a Gibson should, right down to the chunky body and sturdy neck, and this can certainly justify the slightly higher price tag.
The guitar feels just as solid when you’re playing it, and the body sits comfortably for a Les Paul. A feature I particularly liked was the neck, which is fat and chunky, giving you plenty of confidence as to the guitar’s durability, yet the lacquered back and smooth profile means that playing and moving is still quick and easy.
I went straight for a moderately distorted, crunch tone, and the guitar did not fail to disappoint. A great feature of this guitar is the double-wound P-90 pickup, which gives more output and a warmer, thicker sound than the regular single coil version. With a crunch sound dialled in, the guitar delivered a warm, rich tone that was perfect for any punk or rock set up, and reflected the artist who’s signature model this is. Rolling back the volume, the clarity of individual notes on a cleaner sound was brilliant, thanks to the sharpness of the P-90 pickups. However, pushing the volume and tone right back up meant that the thick, rock texture returned straight away with no alterations to the amp controls.
To conclude, this is a fantastic guitar, and a must for any punk or rock player looking for that one solid, no-messing tone. Although this is a signature model, the only evidence of Billie-Joe’s presence is a signature on the back of the headstock, meaning that you don’t have to be, and won’t look like a Greenday fan if you use this guitar. All in all, the build quality, playability and sound of this guitar make the price tag easily justifiable, and it’s status as a signature model ensures that value will be retained.