Billie Joe Armstrong was seen playing a black Gibson ES-335 Dot around 2009. The guitar appears to be a regular production model finished in black, but with two of the tone knobs removed, leaving only the volume controls.
Billie also added two stickers to it – one of a clown, and another with the number “9.” Aside from these changes, there’s nothing to suggest that the guitar was modified in any other way.
The ES-335 is a semi-hollow guitar with a solid center block, known for blending the resonance of a hollow body with the sustain of a solid body. While this particular black 335 never became a mainstay in Billie’s rig, it did see some use on stage during the late 2000s, standing out mostly for its stripped-down controls and its distinctive stickers.
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