Riff Tone

21 Guns

Green Day

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

Guitar1970s Martin D-41

Amp1958 Fender Twin 5F8-4 Combo Amp

PickupsMartin D-41 stock acoustic piezo/mic (if plugged in), otherwise mic'd acoustic

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6

treble6.5

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2008-2009. Billie Joe Armstrong used the Martin D-41 for the clean/intro/riff sections of '21 Guns' on the '21st Century Breakdown' album. The amp used was a 1958 Fender Twin 5F8-4 Combo, as confirmed by Equipboard for this album. No evidence of electric guitar for the clean riff section; acoustic is primary.

Tone Character(10)

lush and openwarm and naturalclear and ringinggentle strummingsubtle reverb ambienceno breakup or distortionstudio acoustic clarityfull-bodied resonancearticulate chord definitionsoft attack

Difficulty

The clean riff section is played on acoustic guitar with simple open chords and slow, gentle strumming, making it accessible for beginners.

Sources

Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown - Gear & Equipment Used on ...Billie Joe Armstrong to Launch Official Reverb Green Day Garage Sale

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