First Guitar Billie Joe

Gitar pertama Armstrong adalah Red Cherry Hohner akustik, yang ayahnya membeli baginya. Dia kemudian menerima gitar listrik pertama, sebuah Stratocaster Fernandes yang ia beri nama "Blue" ketika dia berumur sebelas. Ibunya punya "Biru" dari George Cole yang diajarkan Armstrong gitar listrik selama 10 tahun. Armstrong mengatakan dalam wawancara MTV 1995, "Pada dasarnya, itu bukan seperti pelajaran gitar karena saya tidak pernah benar-benar belajar bagaimana membaca musik Jadi dia hanya mengajarkan saya bagaimana untuk meletakkan tangan saya di hal.." Cole membeli gitar baru dari David Margen dari Santana band. Cole memberi Armstrong pickup Bill Lawrence humbucking dan menyuruhnya untuk menginstal pickup di posisi bridge. Setelah pickup hancur di Woodstock '94, Armstrong kemudian digunakan model Duncan JB. "Armstrong fetishized gitar gurunya, sebagian karena instrumen biru memiliki kualitas suara dan Van Halen-layak fluiditas ia tidak bisa mendapatkan dari Hohner kecil merahnya. Dia berharga itu kebanyakan, namun, karena hubungannya dengan Cole, seorang figur ayah setelah kematian Andy. "[12] Ia melakukan tur dengan gitar ini dari hari-hari awal band dan masih menggunakannya sampai hari ini [13]." Blue "juga muncul dalam sejumlah video musik seperti" Longview "," Basket Case "," Brain Stew / Jaded "," Hitchin 'Ride ", dan terakhir di" Minoritas ".Hari ini, Armstrong terutama menggunakan Gibson dan Fender gitar. Dua puluh dari gitar Gibson Les Paul adalah SMP model dari pertengahan sampai akhir 1950-an [14] koleksi Fender Nya meliputi:. Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, Telecaster, sebuah hollowbody Gretsch dan salinan tentang "Biru". Dia menyatakan bahwa gitar favoritnya adalah 1956 Gibson Les Paul SMP dia sebut "Floyd". Dia membeli gitar ini pada tahun 2000 sebelum merekam Peringatan album mereka. [15]Armstrong juga memiliki sendiri baris Les Paul SMP gitar dari Gibson, model erat setelah "Floyd", asli Armstrong 1956 Les Paul Junior [16].Ia memainkan beberapa instrumen lain juga. Dia mencatat bagian harmonika dan mandolin dalam, bagian masa lalu piano pada 21st Century Breakdown, dan memainkan drum hidup dari waktu ke waktu.

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Armstrong's first guitar was a Cherry Red Hohner acoustic, which his father bought for him. He then received his first electric guitar, a Fernandes Stratocaster that he named "Blue" when he was eleven. His mother got "Blue" from George Cole who taught Armstrong electric guitar for 10 years. Armstrong says in a 1995 MTV interview, "Basically, it wasn't like guitar lessons because I never really learned how to read music. So he just taught me how to put my hands on the thing." Cole bought the guitar new from David Margen of the band Santana. Cole gave Armstrong a Bill Lawrence Humbucking pickup and told him to install the pickup in the bridge position. After the pickup was destroyed at Woodstock '94, Armstrong then used a Duncan JB model. "Armstrong fetishized his teacher's guitar, partly because the blue instrument had a sound quality and Van Halen–worthy fluidity he couldn't get from his little red Hohner. He prized it mostly, however, because of his relationship with Cole, another father figure after the death of Andy."^[12] He toured with this guitar from the band's early days and still uses it to this day.^[13] "Blue" also appears in a number of its music videos such as "Longview", "Basket Case", "Brain Stew/Jaded", "Hitchin' a Ride", and most recently in "Minority".
Today, Armstrong mainly uses Gibson and Fender guitars. Twenty of his Gibson guitars are Les Paul Junior models from the mid- to late-1950s.^[14] His Fender collection includes: Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, Telecaster, a Gretsch hollowbody and his copies of "Blue". He states that his favorite guitar is a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior he calls "Floyd". He bought this guitar in 2000 just before recording their album Warning.^[15]
Armstrong also has his own line of Les Paul Junior guitars from Gibson, modeled closely after "Floyd", Armstrong's original 1956 Les Paul Junior.^[16]
He plays several other instruments as well. He recorded harmonica and mandolin parts in the past, piano parts on 21st Century Breakdown, and plays drums live from time to time.)