Epiphone unveils low-cost version of Billie Joe Armstrong’s first signature Les Paul Junior

The storied ranks of Epiphone Les Pauls have been joined by a minimalist new signature guitar, the Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior.

A lower-cost version of the Green Day frontman's first Gibson signature Les Paul Junior (not, it's worth nothing, his 2018 Gibson signature LP JR), the guitar is built with a slab mahogany body and a mahogany neck with an Indian laurel fretboard that boasts 22 medium jumbo frets.

Like its Gibson big brother – itself based on "Floyd," Armstrong's 1956 Les Paul Junior – the guitar boasts a single pickup at the bridge, in this case an Epiphone PRO P-90. Controls are limited to single master volume and tone knobs with CTS potentiometers.

In keeping with the guitar's no-bells-and-whistles spirit, its only signature visual touch is Armstrong's autograph, printed at the back of the headstock.

Elsewhere, the 2021 Armstrong Les Paul Junior boasts a wrap-around lightning bar bridge, a Graph Tech nut and a set of Epiphone Vintage Deluxe tuners. A custom hardshell case is also included.

The guitar is also available in a Player Pack version, which features the guitar (with a bolt-on neck and without Armstrong's signature) and a Epiphone 15G guitar amp with two channels – clean and overdrive – a three-band EQ, and an aux input. 

The included gig bag, meanwhile, features an Epiphone guitar strap, guitar cable, electronic clip-on guitar tuner, and a trio of Epiphone-branded guitar picks.

The Epiphone Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior is available now – in a Classic White finish – for $549, a pretty stellar price, we must say, for any signature model, even an Epiphone.

The Player Pack version of the same guitar, meanwhile, is only available in the U.S., and rings up at $399. 

For more info on the guitar, stop by Epiphone.

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