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Riff Tone
Westbound Sign
Green Day
Guitarpunk1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster 'Blue' (Fernandes Strat copy, Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB bridge humbucker, single volume knob, no tone knob, hardtail bridge)
AmpMarshall Plexi Super Lead 1959 (modded, likely with EL34s, 100W, cranked for distortion)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
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Notes
Studio recording, 1995. Billie Joe Armstrong's main Insomniac-era guitar and amp setup. No evidence of pedals or additional effects for the riff section; distortion comes from the amp. Guitar tuned to Eb standard (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) as confirmed by multiple sources.
Tone Character(10)
tight and punchyaggressive and saturatedmid-forward cruncharticulate attackdry and focusedpercussive palm mutingslight upper-mid bitecompressed distortionminimal ambienceclassic 90s punk rhythm
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, aggressive downstrokes and tight palm muting at a brisk tempo, but uses straightforward power chords and rhythm patterns typical of 90s punk.
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Create Free AccountGuitarpunk1990s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster 'Blue' (Fernandes Strat copy, Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB bridge humbucker, single volume knob, no tone knob, hardtail bridge)
AmpMarshall Plexi Super Lead 1959 (modded, likely with EL34s, 100W, cranked for distortion)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1995. Billie Joe Armstrong's main Insomniac-era guitar and amp setup. No evidence of pedals or additional effects for the riff section; distortion comes from the amp. Guitar tuned to Eb standard (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) as confirmed by multiple sources.
Tone Character(10)
tight and punchyaggressive and saturatedmid-forward cruncharticulate attackdry and focusedpercussive palm mutingslight upper-mid bitecompressed distortionminimal ambienceclassic 90s punk rhythm
Difficulty
The riff requires fast, aggressive downstrokes and tight palm muting at a brisk tempo, but uses straightforward power chords and rhythm patterns typical of 90s punk.