Gibson has unveiled a brand-new artist signature Les Paul Jr. with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. In the video above, Armstrong introduces the new guitar, which was based on the company's historic '50s-era Les Paul Junior.
Like the standard LP Jr. model, the Billie Joe Armstrong signature boasts a mahogany body and neck. It also features a chrome, non-compensated wraparound tailpiece and Vintage Deluxe tuners.
Armstrong has long been enamored with the '50s LP Juniors. His beloved '56 that he dubbed "Floyd" was made into a signature model by Gibson in 2006. That model had a smaller, more traditional pickguard, with the earliest versions having a single P-100 pickup and later years seeing a P-90H instead. Armstrong's new signature features a single '57 Classic humbucker and a stylized pickguard, which is much larger than the original's.
"I just think that the Les Paul Jr. is by far the coolest guitar on the planet," Armstrong says, as the video cuts to shots of Armstrong playing his new signature model. While the "Floyd" signature from 2006 came in only ebony or vintage sunburst, the new Billie Joe Armstrong signature is offered in three finishes—Sonic Blue, Maraschino Cherry, or Ebony.
But the simplicity of the design is still there, and still intentional. "I like to keep things a blank canvas when it comes to guitars," Armstrong says, encouraging players to modify it and make it their own in the way that he always had with his own guitars.
Check out Gibson's introduction video above, and let us know what you think of the new guitar in the comments below. The 2018 LP Jr. Billie Joe Armstrong Signature is available now for $1,399 USD.