The string-section trio for the iconic Chicago pop-punk band has gone digital, but Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, and Pete Wentz still aren’t afraid to get weird—and sometimes, downright dangerous.
Back in March, Chicago’s Fall Out Boy blasted through Birmingham, Alabama, in the middle of a year-long tour supporting their 2023 release, So Much (for) Stardust. It was their first solo headline tour since 2018, and they brought along loads of new noisemakers for the occasion.
Frontman Patrick Stump has moved on from his trademark Gretsch electrics, guitarist Joe Trohman scored an Explorer that may or may not remind us of a certain purple McDonald’s character, and Pete Wentz packs some basses that bring both ice and fire to the gig. And while tube amps still reign supreme in the studio, including the recording of So Much (for) Stardust, the band goes digital and speaker-free on the road.
Brought to you by D’AddarioPaint It Red
After his love affair with Gretsch came to a close, the Guild S-60D has become Patrick Stump’s new muse. Given his intense vocal responsibilities during performances, he’s aiming for function over form these days, and the S-60D and S-300 models are fitting the bill for playability and position in the mix. “I want something that stays in tune,” he says. “I try to be as minimal as possible.”
Stump bought this S-60D with its all-over bright-red paint job, then set about sourcing red components to make it almost entirely monochrome. He also dropped a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Little ’59 in the neck.
Multicolor Halo
Stump commissioned this Halo guitar, which turned out radically different from what he initially pitched. It was first envisioned to help Stump out with some metal playing he was recording for a TV project, so he called for some classic touches like scalloped frets, a Floyd Rose, and a Seymour Duncan Dimebucker in the bridge. But the color ended up anything but metal. It’s not totally applicable to most Fall Out Boy material, but Stump is giving it a shot at some live play time.
Horse With Name
For slower moments, Stump goes with this Martin X Series acoustic he picked up at Guitar Center around 15 years ago. Since he had a deal with Fender, he covered the headstock Martin logo with some black tape that’s remained there ever since.
Mighty Zemaitis
First up, Trohman shows off this Japanese-made Zemaitis The Portrait Hisashi Signature Model, a model built in honor of Glay guitarist Hisashi Tonomura. While not a genuine Tony Zemaitis build, Trohman likes this one for its stability and build quality.
The Grimace
Trohman was lusting after this ’80s Gibson Custom Shop plumburst Explorer when he saw it pop up on Reverb, and when it sold, he was heartbroken. A few days later, his wife surprised him with it. It’s named Sanders, in honor of her maiden name.
Smokin' a Sig
Trohman also brings out his signature Squier Joe Trohman Telecaster, a take on the Tele Deluxe that includes a 5-position rotary selector switch to navigate the triple-pickup configuration.
Catching Rays
Tech Christian Zayas shows off this stunning custom paint job Sterling by Music Man Pete Wentz StingRay, which is outfitted with passive (rather than the typical active) pickups and a Hipshot drop tuning system. Note the signature red-eyed-loon inlay art on the 12th fret.
Winter Wonderland
This brand new, heavy-as-hell signature StingRay is full of some type of liquid (Zayas believes its anti-freeze) plus white material that turns it into a bass-shaped snowglobe. Wentz pulls it out for a fantasy sequence in the show, and it doesn’t stick around long because of its weight and more mellow tone.
Don't Sink the 8 Ball
This Pete Wentz StingRay is also a new addition, and comes out for an 8-ball-related encore.
Pete Might've Started the Fire
The last Sterling in the stable is also Wentz’s most deadly, doubling as a flamethrower during some of the show’s pyrotechnic flourishes. A primer on the upper bout preps the rear-mounted flame system, and the red-covered switch controls ignition. The pyro team tests it before each show with local fire departments to ensure its safety. “Sometimes we wanna be KISS, and we are,” says Zayas.
Farewell To Tubes
Joe Tone
Joe Trohman's tech Ben Young helped the FOB lead guitarist creep in digital modelers and here he provides additional details for what's happening inside the Axe-Fx III:
"The Fractal is set up where we have a different patch for each song, and then use scenes for each section of the songs. I have a template with all our dialed in amps and effects for everything. All the amp sounds are based off a JCM800 for our mid gain “crunch” sound, and a Dual Rectifier for our classic Fall Out Boy heavy sound. We also have a Friedman amp and a “brown sound” amp for other higher gain options that we’ve been using on newer songs and a Matchless for clean stuff."
Green Day Drops New Single and Announces Stadium Tour with Weezer and Fall Out Boy
"Father of All ..." is the title track from the band's forthcoming album, which arrives on February 7th.
Los Angeles, CA (September 10, 2019) -- Five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Green Day unleash their brand new single “Father Of All…,” which is the lead track on their forthcoming thirteenth studio album of the same name, out February 7, 2020 on Reprise / Warner Records.
The rock icons announced today that they will embark on a global stadium tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. The Hella Mega Tour presented by Harley-Davidson kicks off June 13 in Paris and will visit cities throughout Europe, the U.K. and North America. Additionally, Green Day will perform a series of solo dates throughout Europe and Asia.
Tour Dates:
- July 17 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park
- July 21 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park
- July 24 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park
- July 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium
- July 28 – Commerce City, CO @ DICK’s Sporting Goods Park
- July 31 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field
- August 1 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park
- August 5 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
- August 6 – Jacksonville, FL @ TIAA Bank Field
- August 8 – Atlanta, GA @ SunTrust Park
- August 11 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field
- August 13 – Chicago IL @ Wrigley Field
- August 15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park
- August 16 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
- August 19 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
- August 21 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park
- August 22 – New York, NY @ Citi Field
- August 24 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
- August 27 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
- August 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park
For more information:
Green Day
The multi-platinum pop-punk band talks about signature guitars and the latest lineup in their never-ending gear swap.
Premier Guitar met with Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman and their techs Brian Diaz and Josh Newton before their sold-out show at The Woods Amphitheater at Fontanel just outside of Nashville on July 13, 2014. Each FOB member loyally plays his own signature model, but amps and pedals are in nearly constant rotation.
Patrick Stump’s Gear
GuitarsPete Wentz’s Gear
BassesWentz also uses a Fender Custom Shop Pete Wentz P/J bass featuring a Hipshot Xtender, a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P-bass pickup in the neck position, a Seymour Duncan QP J-bass pickup in bridge position, a mother of pearl bat/diamond 12th fret inlay, flamed maple neck, string-through body, and vintage-style “reverse wind” tuners.
Joe Trohman’s Gear
Guitars- Loop 1: Fuzzrocious Rat King
- Loop 2: Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret
- Loop 3: Boss OC-3 Super Octave
- Loop 4: Mr. Black Eterna
- Loop 5: TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb
- Loop 6: TC Electronic Flashback (slap)
- Loop 7: Boss DD20 Giga Delay (tape 225 ms)
- Loop 8: TC Electronic Flashback (tape 666 ms)
- Loop 9: MXR EVH Phase 90
- Loop 10: EHX Stereo Pulsar tremolo
- Loop 11: ProCo Fat Rat