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Marshall has partnered with Billie Joe Armstrong for the 1959BJA – a baby-blue signature head that pays tribute to the Green Day leader’s first guitar.
The amp received a soft launch at the 2026 Super Bowl five months ago, when the punk icons performed at the opening ceremony on February 8.
Eagle-eyed viewers were drawn to what Armstrong had plugged his Gibson Les Paul Junior into. A signature amp was speculated. Now it’s been confirmed.
The 1959BJA, “Marshall’s first signature amp in 14 years”, is inspired by one of punk rock’s most recognizable guitar tones, serving up a 100-watt head that features three ECC83 pre-amp valves and EL34 power amps.
Specifically, the amp draws from Armstrong’s 1959HW head, which boasts a custom “Dookie Mod” in a bid to recreate the sound of the record of the same name. The 1994 album introduced hits like Welcome to Paradise and Basket Case, and proved a breakthrough moment for the now-stadium-filling power trio.
The amp features a three-band EQ, Presence, Master Volume, and Gain, while there are High- and Low-gain inputs and two speaker outs for 16Ω, 8Ω and 4Ω impedences.
As for the color, which strays from Marshall’s usual black-and-gold chic, it's a nod to Armstrong’s first-ever electric guitar, a Fernandes S-type nicknamed “Blue”. Vitally, the amp ramps up the gain, and injects extra body and more low-end punch to its character.
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(Image credit: Marshall Amps)
“I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp,” Armstrong delights. “These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!”
“From the moment you hear those opening chords on Dookie, you know exactly who it is,” adds Steph Carter, Culture Marketing Director at Marshall. “Working with Billie to create an amp that captures that punch, aggression, and clarity was an incredible project for our team.”
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(Image credit: Marshall Amps)
(Image credit: Marshall Amps)
The Marshall 1959BJA Billie Joe Armstrong Artist Signature is priced at $3,999.99 / £3,099.99 / €3,699.
The amp is also tied to Marshall’s new Amplify loyalty program, which commits 1% of member purchases to support grassroots music, starting with independent music venues.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
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