Father of All Motherfuckers album cover - Green Day
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "I Was a Teenage Teenager" by Green Day - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "I Was a Teenage Teenager"

Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.

The settings

Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings

Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.

Gain7
Bass5
Mid6
Treble7
Presence6.5
Volume7

On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.

Get the settings for my amp
Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

TuningE♭ Standard(E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone8
Volume10
Recording notes

From Father of All Motherfuckers (2020). Father of All Motherfuckers is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 7, 2020, through Reprise Records. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so a Fender Player Stratocaster HSS through a Marshall 1959SLP Plexi Super Lead Reissue, the rig we use for Green Day's other songs from Father of All Motherfuckers, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in E♭ standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), a half step below standard.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "I Was a Teenage Teenager" Tone

  1. What guitar did Green Day use on "I Was a Teenage Teenager"?

    The guitar on "I Was a Teenage Teenager" (released 2020) isn't documented; the Fender Player Stratocaster HSS above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in E♭ Standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), so retune before you dial anything in.

  2. What amp settings does "I Was a Teenage Teenager" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 7, Presence 6.5, Volume 7. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.

  3. Can I play "I Was a Teenage Teenager" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "I Was a Teenage Teenager" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.

Related tones

Tone references for "I Was a Teenage Teenager" by Green Day are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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