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21st Century Breakdown Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Green Day
Green Day · 2000s · punk
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1970s Fender Stratocaster (Olympic White)
Pickups
Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 (bridge position)
Amp
Marshall JMP 1959SLP MKII (with Dookie mod)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording for '21st Century Breakdown' (2008–2009)
Amp Settings
Mids6
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb2.5
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- MXR Dookie Drive · overdrive
- Boss GE-7 Equalizer · eq
- MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay · delay
Guitar → MXR Dookie Drive → Boss GE-7 Equalizer → MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay → Marshall JMP 1959SLP MKII
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Tone Character
- dirty and punchy overdrive
- articulate fast, melodic riffs
- well-defined midrange
- scooped with a ton of gain
- full harmonic range of overdriven tones
Notes & Caveats
- Exact amp settings are estimated based on typical configurations for similar setups.
- Specific pedal settings and signal chain order are not detailed in available sources.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown' features a high-gain, punchy tone typical of modern punk rock. The settings reflect Billie Joe Armstrong's preference for a mid-forward, bright sound with a tight low end, using minimal reverb for clarity.