Green Day Guitar Rig Tour with RJM Music

Guitar techs Hans Buscher and Greg Howard give us a tour of Billie Joe Armstrong and Jason White's guitar rigs for the band Green Day.
In this video you'll see the RJM Music Mastermind MIDI Foot Controller in Billie Joe's rig. You'll also see that both Jason White and Billie Joe are using the RJM Music RG-16 as their MIDI "audio swticher"
Other products in the video are the Custom Audio Electronics foot pedal.
Modded Marshalls (Mods by Martin Golub)
CAE + Amp for clean and mid
Marshall cabs
Other equipment that they are using now after this video was shot is the
* RJM Music Effect Gizmo which is a loop switcher.
* RJM Music Mini Line Mixer
* RJM IS-8 which is a quasi - custom product. It is an input selector. RJM makes those upon request. (Right now they are used in Green Day, Rascal Flatts, Rush, and Def Leppards rigs)
More information on RJM Music Technology at www.rjmmusic.com

[@Revieweverything100]

Hey man, these are Billie's amp settings Presence : 7 Bass : 5 Middle : 4 Treble : 7 Master : 5 Gain : 6

[@MartinAchtelik]

SOLO: A Star Wars Story OFFICIAL !

[@miseryparty3726]

wrong

[@rjmmusic]

@Billiewhat13 The mod that's done to the amp is called the Dookie mod, because they did the mod at the time they were recording Dookie. They still use the same mod today - no changes that I'm aware of.

[@Geekstinkbreath123]

"I use Mesa/Boogie amps, MB 2000's. They're half-tube and half-solid state. I wanted to custom-make my own sound, and Mesa/Boogie was really willing to work with me. They made me 6 x 10 cabinets, and we put those on top of a 1 x 18. I think I'm nailing it. I have an MB 2000 running each one of my 6x10 cabinets and then an MB 2000 running both of my 18's."-Mike Dirnt

[@rjmmusic]

It's a modification done to Marshall Plexis and JCM800s that is part of Green Day's sound. LA Sound Design does the mod.

[@thepepper5093]

For those asking about the Blues Driver, my guess is it's used as a boost when Billie takes a solo like on "Know Your Enemy" (after Jason). According to Guitar Player, here's some more info on Billie's rig: Clean and Mid bypass the Marshalls' preamps and goes to the 3+SE, Big is both Marshalls without the 3+SE and Big Effect turns on the BD-2.

[@rockgibson14]

i always love how much attack green day's guitar tones have in them

[@rjmmusic]

First step is to figure out what amps, effects, etc. you need. What sounds are you trying to get? Get all the gear picked out first and make sure you like the way it sounds before going further. Then you can work on the details of getting it all in a rack and connecting it to a switching system (if needed).

[@rjmmusic]

@Winkler96 No, it's a 1959 SLP (the non-handwired version of the 1959 they made in the 90s and 2000s). A handwired could be modified in the same way though.

[@Seabee156]

This time the tech guy wasn't chewing his gum, obnoxiously...

[@KeeperOfPoops]

like in Chris Kies' interview with him, Chris Schleyer and Eden Galindo

[@anthonysclafani3963]

He's using a delay for Holiday? Never would've guessed that

[@thepepper5093]

Currently, in terms of amps, just a Line 6 POD XT. I live in an apartment. Might be punk rock to play loud but there's nothing punk about an eviction notice. lol Guitars include a Strat and a Les Paul, 12-string acoustic, beat-up 6 string acoustic and 4 string bass. I'd say the amp sims, a lot of them being accurate, are a great way to experiment with and learn how amp/cab/pedal/mics work together.

[@rjmmusic]

The Marshall heads are modded for more preamp gain - it makes them sound more ballsy and, well, angry! The power amp sections of the Marshalls are not modded as far as I know, and neither are the CAE preamps.

[@danyeo]

Green Day has always had a great crunchy Marshall tone.

[@Rabidshore]

A preamp are used in a studio to power the mics and to get a cleaner signal from the guitar and the bass.. but i'm pretty sure its almost the same in a live situation (:

[@IrkonDigital]

thanks, id appreciate it. i saw some videos of them (mostly at the Good Morning America soundchecks) where you could better see the mics. it looks like half are with ribbon mics (can't tell positioning that good since it's at an angle) & the other half has dynamic & they look just slightly off center. right up on the mesh & just like 2" off to the outside of the cone. still s.o.l. on the settings though. you either have to see first-hand or actually focus on the amp w/o bouncing around.

[@rjmmusic]

@pedrosaura I'm pretty sure that that's what the CAE preamp is for - to provide a less intense distortion.

[@rjmmusic]

@bluepingu345 That's an input selector, built by Bob Bradshaw. Now replaced with one I built for them. :) It switches between all of Billie Joe's wireless units (he has one per guitar) and selects which one is currently on.

[@rjmmusic]

The Dookie mod is similar, but not exactly like the crunch mod. Martin the modder tells me that the Dookie mod was made more for recording (even though they're using it live, too.) The lead mod is the normal L.A. sound design lead mod as far as I know.

[@rjmmusic]

@HaydenAottg The clean and mid sounds are coming from the 3+SE preamp, which is switched in using the RG-16 audio switcher. If I recall correctly, the Boss Blues Driver is also switched in for mid-gain sounds (like the first few chords of American Idiot).

[@rjmmusic]

@clust90 I don't know exactly what is done, but it's an extensive modification of the amp's preamp for more gain.

[@rjmmusic]

Yes, we hope to do an update next tour!

[@rjmmusic]

Start with a Marshall, and you're most of the way there already! A hot rodded Plexi would be best, but you can get there with most any Marshall.

[@rjmmusic]

Yeah, I don't know what exactly he's using for, but the pedal does give a fatter, more midrangy sound regardless of what you're playing.

[@rjmmusic]

Hans, their tech, tells me that they use standard Marshall 1960B and 1960BV cabs. He says they're old and beat up and that's why they sound good. :-)

[@rjmmusic]

@pedrosaura I think you'd be able to get that sound with a pedal - a more classic sounding overdrive or distortion pedal should be able to do it. Try a few at your local music store - it shouldn't be hard to accomplish.

[@rjmmusic]

The Blues Driver is way more versatile than it sounds. It's really good at making solos fatter and thicker sounding.

[@Matt-Rowe]

@IrkonDigital the cabs facing forward are just for decoration, all the sound is coming out of the backward facing cabs... on-stage they dont need to hear whats coming out of the cabs because its going through their in-ears, so they point the cabs actually hooked up to the amp-heads backwards so it doesnt come through the vocal microphones (:

[@rjmmusic]

It's a combination of 1960B (G12-75 loaded) and 1960BV (Vintage 30 loaded) cabs

[@DaylonWynn]

Would love to see Mike's basses/rig as well. Gotta show some love for the low end! ;D

[@siavashmassoudi]

In case if anyone was wondering what pedal Jason uses @ 1:52 is an RC Booster pedal

[@kylelc17]

the little green screens at the bottom are the receivers for the wireless transmitters on the guitars. from there it goes to the Marshall heads and to the cabs

[@rjmmusic]

I don't know the settings but will try to find out. The Blues is only on occasionally. I don't know about the mic position. Will try to find that out too.

[@Equestional]

@greendayrokr actually the CAE is a preamp, not a marshall. its called the CAE +3 preamp. its the white 2 space unit with 3 channels, sounds awesome. the marshall mods were done by Golub.

[@rjmmusic]

Those are 1959SLPs, modified by Martin Golub of LA Sound Design.

[@fdxx00]

@greenNroses Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier, most of the time with the marshall 1960 cab. He also has the gibson tom delonge signature that has only a gibson dirty fingers at the bridge. He now uses AC30's with AVA.

[@TheOnetimerMusic]

Hope you do one more on the next tour:) I really enjoy this Green Day rig tour !

[@siavashmassoudi]

In case if anyone was wondering what pedal jason in this is an RC booster pedal

[@MajoraMasks66]

I see Blue in the beginning. That guitar is fucking magic, all of that beer, pot, mud, and blood, and love, all made that guitar the best damn one Iv'e ever heard.

[@rjmmusic]

The techs do the changes for them - it's a pretty common thing to do for big bands these days.

[@rjmmusic]

Not 100% sure, but it sure looks like them. They've been using those modded Marshalls since Dookie.

[@rjmmusic]

The mod adds more gain and aggressiveness to the preamp.

[@thepepper5093]

If you're talking about an actual tube amp, then probably any 100 watt amp that has 3 12AX7s in the preamp and 4 EL34s. Since one of Billie's amps are modded for more preamp gain, you could probably stick an overdrive pedal in there to get more preamp gain. If an actual tube amp isn't a strict requirement, then I had some pretty good luck getting a Green Day type sound with my Line 6 gear.

[@rjmmusic]

They're 1959SLPs (JCM1959 reissues)

[@rjmmusic]

I'm sure they'll do whatever you ask for - if you want the 100% same exact mod, I'm sure they'd do it for you. Give 'em a call! Tell Martin I sent you (Ron from RJM) and tell him that he needs more work to make sure he stays out of trouble. :-)

[@Rabidshore]

I'm pretty sure Jason has a tremolo pedal from boss (:

[@kylelc17]

@ROBandTHEfuzz you see the yellow wire covers? all the cables are hidden inside and under it. the pre-amp that runs from the marshall heads are all connected then run to the cabs.

[@Matt-Rowe]

@IrkonDigital yup, purely for show, they probably don't actually have any electrical components / speakers inside, i think its just a cab with nothing in it just looks good :P

[@horrorguy16]

@clust90 The silver ones are Condenser mics

[@yutuubfreak]

@IrkonDigital bands have been doing that forever. kiss never had there marshall cabs loaded in the 70's. back then it was for the look now its to keep the mix clean

[@thepepper5093]

That makes the two of us. I've been toying with the idea of getting a BD-2 with a Keely mod.

[@rjmmusic]

@Winkler96 Standard Marshall 1960B cabs, I believe.

[@IrkonDigital]

not bad... i wouldn't mind tinkering with one of those. i was originally using a Harmony 28w amp but that doesn't provide gain. i added a distortion pedal but it's not the greatest. but i have this old Behringer 15w V-Tone with modeling for UK amps and cabs and i plugged that in and cranked it up... it's pretty good at modeling the SLP! don't let the small size fool ya. i run that into a receiver, then out to some big speakers and it's pretty impressive after adding the pedal. still tuning

[@DavidRaphaelSoto]

When will you guys do an update? They've already started touring! :)

[@HandsomeMrMoe]

@HandsomeMrMoe Wow, triple post. (sorry, but im obsessed) My current settings are: Gain, Volume, and Treble all a little less than 3 o'clock, Mid at 1 o'clock, and Bass and Master at 12 o'clock. (The amp has a variable Wattage, so i can make it louder w/out cranking the master and getting extra distortion.)

[@ImpThaW]

@goooooogy he uses a switch in the circuit and i believe he has different presets for both heads all put together in one switch

[@NicoGreenDay95]

can you give me the settings ? Love his tone, I have a Plexi 1959 Reissue with the cascade mod, I think that is like the dookie mod!

[@STEMOSbruder]

it would be great if they wold show billies guitars!

[@silentcypher]

@FerSalem117 I read in Guitar Legends (I think that's what that magazine was called), Billie said that what they did was that they recorded it with just the distortion effect, strumming at each count. After recording only they used the tremolo effect from the recording program. He said they did it that way so there won't be any inconsistencies. I manage to get it on my POD XT Live. I set the tempo to the song, tremolo effect set to 16 beats (forgot what's that note called XD)

[@user-cq8mp3gi4z]

Do the Marshall Dookie mods have EL-34 or 5881 tubes?

[@yutuubfreak]

@gitaard those are the imput cables to the amps.

[@rjmmusic]

@t0psecretshit They also use it to switch between the Marshalls and CAE preamp, and I think they use it to control the channel switching on the CAE as well (not 100% sure on that last part).

[@rjmmusic]

@ROBandTHEfuzz No, the amps are connected to the cabs in the normal way.

[@rjmmusic]

@seeker909 Yes, they use 1959SLP Plexi reissues modified by LA Sound Design.

[@Hollywood5STL]

I think its actually a "pignose" one of those little battery operated travel amps. U can get the sound with an EQ pedal with highs and lows cut out.

[@mefmef21]

i think the back ones will be miked quite low, to capture the tone and send it out through the p.a but dont know about the others. i imagined they were to give the front rowers the on stage sound. not channeled through a speaker to their sides. :S

[@redbulletlive]

Wish Billie would show a video of Blue. That'd be awesome =D

[@Panholzer1]

Green Day tour's coming up in a couple of months - are you guys planning on a new in-depth rig rundown then?

[@rjmmusic]

Those are Shure wireless units.

[@IrkonDigital]

@xlMooCowlx ok that makes sense. i thought that he was saying that the mics were facing away because they were testing the vocal mics at that moment. i didn't put it together because i thought they miked the rear facing monitors to broadcast through the rest of the PA speakers. certainly they mic the cabinets to broadcast the sound from the guitars on the rest of the speakers? and what are all the forward facing cabs for then? any sound they broadcast could end up in the vocal mics.

[@jordandedomusic]

@rjmmusic Oh, that's cool then. The first guy just seemed really crabby or something. God, I'd love to have that job! Cool video and cool rigs!

[@danyeo]

A modification done to Marshall amps, originally done by Martin Golub.

[@thepepper5093]

It looks like a stock BD-2. As for the SLPs, the good news is those modeling amps would help get someone close without shelling out huge amounts of money or making anyone go deaf. lol The Keeley modded BD-2, from what I heard from it already, doesn't justify the cost for me and I'd rather have a stock BD-2.

[@thepepper5093]

It's a nice pedal, wouldn't you say? Definitely less of a midrange honk than a Tube Screamer. I like both but I tend to favor the BD-2 over the Tube Screamer.

[@rjmmusic]

@J3PPISH 2009 at a pre-tour rehearsal, Viejas Arena in San Diego.

[@itsGoboboy]

Please explain to me the mod, the preamp out and power amp in, are the two heads combined driving the signal?

[@Rabidshore]

Well. they got the money.. Great music is not always about being sick at guitar (: if it sounds good it is good

[@61SGman]

Greenday use ruffly the same amps as AC/DC

[@2cooldoyle53]

How are the guitar amplifier mics positioned

[@yutuubfreak]

@saintrico they do show his marshalls right arouns 30 seconds

[@kurdtjohn]

@fdxx00 ..and he used the Fender Tom DeLonge Strat until blink-182's first tour in 2003.

[@greendayforever2k9]

I think it's an EQ pedal with the mids boosted and bass and treble cut.

[@IrkonDigital]

on my list to buy asap

[@rjmmusic]

Hmmm... probably not. Although a modeling amp like a Line 6 might be able to be programmed to get close.

[@rjmmusic]

@RevolutionRock101 @rjmmusic I'm pretty sure it's just a splitter like a y-cable.

[@robinfinckisgod]

Im presuming he means that most of the show is the "big" channel, the cranked 1959s. If you look at live videos, Billie Joe rarely uses a clean tone, it mostly a heavy punk sound.

[@Mathiasbendiksen]

cool video! If you want a green day sound use a Marshall and a gibson les paul (junior or something) thats all you need! I use a Gibson les paul Studio and a Marshall MG 100hafx, it works alot!!!!!

[@AnyTechReviews]

No guitars or Jason's pedalboard? Maybe next tour :P

[@yutuubfreak]

@rschilch i have no idea but i can take a random guess. looks like 2 mics on each cab and the black one looks like a shure sm7 B that ive seen videos of mick jagger and james hetfield recording with in the studio. as for the silver one idk. maybe a neumann? im sure greenday can afford those.

[@ZDALI14]

@rjmmusic is it possible for you to tell us his amp settings

[@itsGoboboy]

It sounds like the two marshalls are both modded differently, perhaps the crunch mod and lead mod?

[@rjmmusic]

@cordanscedo Not at all, they asked us to come down and were very cool to us. Although, they, like me, probably aren't used to being on camera. :)

[@IrkonDigital]

Ron, a few questions pls... could you tell what the EQ settings are for Billie's Marshall? i've eyeballed the video trying to see the little black dash for where the knobs are set (at least for Jason's) and can't figure it out. lol im guessing they never change his EQ since it's covered. is the Blues on 100% of the time? also, could you tell where the mics are positioned on the cabs (centered or off)? i noticed when he switched the controller, there were never more than 3 sets on the RG16.

[@WadeOF2015]

What kind of wireless guitar system does Billie use?

[@rjmmusic]

Yes, one is spray painted pink, another is silver. :D

[@AnyTechReviews]

Awesome, thanks!

[@HandsomeMrMoe]

i have a 100W vox vt100 combo amp. It has a general "UK 90's" preamp option and a tube phase that lets me get a decent dookie sound. However, i would really appreciate any advice y'all have to offer (i'm going to be playing live soon and really need to get this tone ironed out.) In my amp, the guitar signal first passes through the "Gain" stage. Next it is filtered through the preamp that i have selected. It then goes into a "Volume" stage. Next, the EQ's then Master and finally the tube stage.

[@2cooldoyle53]

@Rjmmusic What mics do they use on their guitar cabs

[@2cooldoyle53]

@rjmmusic Shit dude really sweet! I took his advice on my marshall amp and it actually made it sound better thanks .

[@motor4832]

@hansblooey is it true that Billie's bridge pickup on blue is the Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck Jr? several different websites say that so I was wondering if its accurate.

[@RevolutionRock101]

I think those are Fender Super Bassman heads. That would be Mike Dirnt's bass rig.