Built on the 1959HW platform with a custom Dookie Mod, the 1959BJA is Marshall's first artist signature amp in 14 years, available from 21 July.
During Green Day’s performance at the Super Bowl, guitarists noticed the baby-blue Marshall head behind Billie Joe Armstrong. Marshall has now confirmed it as the 1959BJA Artist Signature – their first artist signature amp in 14 years, built on the handwired 1959HW platform with a custom Dookie Mod developed with Armstrong to recreate the gain, low-end punch and crunch of his signature sound.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
Marshall has announced the 1959BJA Artist Signature, its first artist signature amp in 14 years. Built on the handwired 1959HW platform, the 1959BJA features a custom “Dookie Mod” developed with Armstrong and drawn from the tones he shaped alongside producer Rob Cavallo during Green Day’s breakthrough era. The result is a plexi with more gain, tighter lows and the saturated crunch Armstrong has relied on since Dookie.
“Billie Joe’s guitar sound is instantly recognisable,” says Steph Carter, Culture Marketing Director at Marshall. “From the moment you hear those opening chords on Dookie, you know exactly who it is. Working with Billie to create an amp that captures that punch, aggression and clarity was an incredible project for our team.”
The design takes its cues from Armstrong’s first guitar, Blue – baby-blue tolex with brass and silver panel details, custom branding and his signature on both the front and back panels. It ships as a head-only unit, handwired in the UK at 100W, so players pair it with the cabinet of their choice. Specs include three ECC83 preamp valves, four EL34s in the power section, two inputs (High and Low) and speaker outputs covering 16Ω, 8Ω and 4Ω.
Armstrong has been part of the Marshall family for years, most recently appearing in the Monitor III ANC headphones campaign. The 1959BJA is available from 21 July through authorised retailers and marshall.com. Through Marshall’s Amplify loyalty programme, 1% of member purchases goes toward supporting independent music venues.
“I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp,” says Armstrong. “These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!!”
For local enquiries on distribution, head here.
