Billie Joe Armstrong’s Fernandes RST-50 Stratocaster “Blue”

Billie Joe Armstrong got his first electric guitar – the now-famous “Blue” – as a gift for his 11th birthday from his mother. His guitar teacher, George Cole, helped arrange it, having picked up the guitar from Santana bassist David Margen.

At that point, Billie was just starting to learn. In a 1995 MTV interview, he remembered those early days and how Cole’s lessons weren’t about music theory or reading notes, but about getting his hands on the guitar and figuring it out.

Basically, it wasn’t like guitar lessons because I never really learned how to read music. So he [Cole] just taught me how to put my hands on the thing.

Billie Joe Armstrong – 1995 MTV interview

Early Years with Blue

Blue is a Japanese-made Fernandes Revival Stratocaster – not a Fender – finished in a color similar to Fender’s Daphne Blue. When Billie first got it, the guitar looked clean and simple, but over the years, it became heavily customized, both in looks and hardware.

One of the first things that made Blue stand out visually was the stickers. Billie plastered them all over the body – the most recognizable being the “BJ” decal, inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “SRV” sticker. Along with the stickers came the dings, scratches, and worn edges from years of playing.

In the early days, the bridge pickup was a Bill Lawrence L-500XL, installed at an angle – a nod to Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstrat. But during Green Day’s Woodstock ’94 set, Blue took some abuse in the mud, and the L-500XL was swapped for a white Seymour Duncan JB. That pickup didn’t last long either. The L-500XL returned for the recording of Insomniac, but by 1995, a black Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB became the permanent choice.

Aside from that, the neck and middle single-coil pickups were disconnected, and the selector switch was locked to bridge-only mode. Also, Billie had the guitar fitted with Sperzel locking tuners, String Saver saddles, Schaller strap locks, and a 500k Seymour Duncan “Fast Pot” volume knob.

Blue on Stage and in the Studio

From the 39/Smooth days through Nimrod, Blue was Billie’s go-to guitar. It can be seen in the “Basket Case” video, on the Insomniac album cover, and in countless live shows.

One of its most famous appearances was at Woodstock ’94 – the chaotic, mud-soaked performance that has since become legendary among Green Day fans. Blue got covered in muck that day, but it kept going, powering through the set without missing a beat – although by the end, the humbucker pickup was damaged.

Where’s Blue Now?

These days, Billie’s still got Blue – but it’s more of a ritual guitar than a workhorse. He’s now mostly plays guitars like his beloved ’56 Les Paul Junior (“Floyd”) during shows, but Blue still remains among his collection.