A Memory of Kurt Kasinoff: Neil Young's Guitar Tech

 

Ethan & Otis

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Alchemy Tour -  Petersen Center, Pittsburgh, PA –  10/09/13
Photo by Kurt Kasinoff

 

Here is a memory of  Kurt Kasinoff -- Neil Young's Guitar Tech -- who recently passed away after a long illness.

From post Kurt Kasinoff: 19xx - 2022 by Ethan:

hey, heres a story.

Crazy Horse tour Alchemy - 2013 I guess, went up to cleveland saw the show, next day was my hometown show in pittsburgh. when I got back from cleveland I took my dog Otis and went up to hang out by the venue in the afternoon, hoping to catch soundcheck.

We followed some road eyes inside and Otis and I were hanging out, he was a golden doodle and a great dog man. Looked a lot like the pooch in the recent vids from Barn.. anyway Kurt came by to pet my dog, and I recognized him and I said, hey, Otis wants his picture taken with Old Black.

He said come on and took me onstage behind Neil's side I swear man that thing was vibrating on the bench I was so freaked out to be close to it. He picked up old black in one hand and had Otis's leash in the other, and I went to take the pic..

My phone battery was dead! I said, dude, you're not gonna believe this but my phone just died. he looked at me like, ok whats up with this guy.. there was no way he was gonna hand me old black! So he handed me his phone, I took the pic and he sent it to me... He made a day to remember for an old head and a life time fan.

Thrasher, thanks for liking my tale! I have been following the site for years and it's fun to participate.

Here is the photo of Otis and Old Black, which I took with Kurt's phone. Unfortunately I didn't get his face in there, but you can see the telltale scarf :)

Also attaching a picture of a much younger me with the big O in the venue before soundcheck with the live rust set behind us.

I am sorry to hear this sad news. But I wanted to share this tale.

All the best,

Ethan

 
Kurt, Ol Black,  & Otis
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Alchemy Tour -  Petersen Center, Pittsburgh, PA –  10/09/13

Thanks for sharing the tale Ethan. (Pls check your **SPAM** folder) Yes, a real loss for Neil and crew.  So much sadness in Neil world these days.  This too shall pass ... or so we hear ...

don't forget peace ...

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Kurt Kasinoff: 19xx - 2022

Kurt Kasinoff; 19xx - 2022

 

Last year, we reported that Kurt Kasinoff -- Neil Young's Guitar Tech -- was seriously ill and in need of support.

Sadly, Kurt has passed.

From Kurts Wellness Fund | GoFundMe:

Hello All
I am saddened to let you know that Kurt passed away earlier this afternoon (March 12. He made his journey peacefully with loved ones at his side

More info to come. However, at this point, please do not make any more donations to this page. I will pass along his family's wishes in the coming days

Kurt was like a brother to me. He was so mad at me when he came out of his coma, and found out we had started this page for him, but also so grateful for the love and kindness that everyone here put forth. It is important for you to know that your generosity here, helped Kurt emmensly.

I for one am eternally grateful to all of you and I feel confident that I speak for Rachel when I say she feels the same

Much Love

More info on Kurts Wellness Fund | GoFundMe.

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Neil Young's Guitar Tech Kurt Kasinoff Seriously Ill - UPDATED

Kurt Kasinoff

UPDATED: Kurt Kasinoff: 19xx - 2022 

...

PREVIOUS

Sadly, Kurt Kasinoff, Neil Young's Guitar Tech, is seriously ill.

via Steve Drymalski:

Here is an update on Kurt. Unfortunately, it is not the greatest news....

After a long fight with illness, Kurt Kasinoff, long time Neil Young, Paul Simon and Fleetwood Mac guitar tech, is currently in the hospital with acute liver failure. His prognosis is not positive. Kurt was admitted to a hospital on Saturday evening near his home in Albuquerque, NM after suffering from a fall resulting in a head injury. He is currently in the Critical Care Ward. Presbyterian Hospital

(505) [phone redacted]

Due to his condition, a transplant is not viable. 

 

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic related lack of work and the Live Music Industry shutdown, Kurt’s savings have been depleted and looking forward, he will require hospice care if he is discharged from the hospital. At this point Kurt’s life is being measured in days to weeks.

 

Contributions can be made @  https://www.gofundme.com/f/kurts-wellness-fund

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Neil Young Guitar Signature, Dated Oct 28 1996 - Legit????

Neil Young Signature - Dated Oct 28 1996 (Click photo to enlarge) 

@Neilyoung 

I’m an amateur guitar fixit guy in Winnipeg. 

Found a guitar in the garbage that looks like it has Neil Young signature on it. Dated Oct 28 1996 (Broken Arrow Tour in Wpg). Looking to see if this could actually be legit.

 Please help. 

@gruffandsurly

@NeilYoungNYA @Neilyoung I’m an amateur guitar fixit guy in Winnipeg. Found a guitar in the garbage that looks like it has Neil Young signature on it. Dated Oct 28 1996 (Broken Arrow Tour in Wpg). Looking to see if this could actually be legit. Please help. pic.twitter.com/jwebjpWP4W

— Gruff&Surly (@gruffandsurly) September 24, 2020

In the trash??? Such sacrilege. Looks legit to us. 

1996-10-28 (Sugar Mountain Setlist)
Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

 

After The Gold Rush Confirmed Neil Young Signature

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Comment of the Moment: Nils Lofgren's Guitar in Crazy Horse Band

Nils Lofgren w/ NYCH
NYCH (Neil Young + Crazy Horse) -
Warnor Theater, Fresno, CA - May 2, 2018
Photo by Hounds that Howl
(Click photo to enlarge)

The musical careers of Nils Lofgren and Neil Young have intersected many, many times over the past 5 decades.

The Comment of the Moment is on Nils Lofgren's guitar work in Neil young's band Crazy Horse on Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03 by Scotsman:

Nils Lofgren is the kind of guy who can play the most complex guitar solo in his sleep.

He is an absurdly talented instrumentalist, with a mastery of notes and tones that most guitarists don't even know exist. Watching him play Youngstown with Bruce Sprigsteen (Live In New York City 2000) isn't like watching a "normal" guitarist; it seems like he's playing a completely different instrument to the rest of us, such is his level of unique mastery.

And yet, when he plays with Neil, his style is one of utmost restraint*.

Why? Because he's not there to show off. He knows what the songs are calling for: and that is less extra stuff, more Neil Young. The result is a band where Neil's guitar is pushed front-and-center. Where it can either fly or fall. And given the real possibility of falling, this band (with Nils or Poncho) usually flies. Often you see them huddle together, and the song, on the verge of collapse, just seems to pull itself together. With Neil's guitar soaring out of the mix.

That sense of danger, of being on the cliff edge and rising above it, flying even, is where much of the excitement is.

You can make good music with a safety net, for sure, but you can't make good Rock 'n' roll.

(*Molina has a similar view of Poncho Sampedro's style, another master of this approach for 40 years: " He plays beautiful fills....that do justice to the songs").

Scotsman.

Thanks Scotsman! And good to see you again here on TW and all of your insights. Good points on Nils' guitar work and the Crazy Horse sound. Much welcomed thoughts.

More on Nils Lofgren and Neil Young.

Nils Lofgren w/ Neil Young - "Believe"
29th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concerts
Photo by thrasher
(Click photo to enlarge)

On to Night #2 tonight and hoping for smoother sailing.

More on last night's concert and Live Stream on Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03.

TONIGHT: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Winnipeg Night #1, 2019-02-03. https://t.co/H8vn8jo1BP
-@NeilYoungNYA @Neilyoung @nilslofgren @JimJarmusch @CameronCrowe @rustradio @neilyounglyrics @ArchiveNeil @CrazyHorse4HOF pic.twitter.com/aYtXDsaUop

— ThrashersWheat (@ThrashersWheat) February 3, 2019

Also, see:

• Neil Young's Solo "Big 3M Theater Tour" Begins Tonight: Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23 - (49 Comments)
• CONCERT REVIEW: Neil Young Stuns Furloughed Fed on Opening Night of 2019 Mini Solo Tour - (4 Comments)
• Concert Review of the Moment: Neil Young Solo - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 23, 2019 - (4 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (26 Comments)
• Comment of the Moment: Neil Young Solo: Madison, Wisconsin, January 24 - (5 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: #1 - Pantages Theatre, January 26 - (25 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #2 - Orpheum Theatre, January 28, 2019 - (42 Comments)
• LIVE STREAM "TEST" TONIGHT: Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019 - (61 Comments)
• Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #4 - Northrop Auditorium, January 31, 2019 - (38 Comments)

Neil Young Solo Minneapolis Residency: Night #3 - State Theatre, January 29, 2019
Photo via NYA

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"The Best Yard Sale in the World": Neil Young Collectibles Auction Flipbook

1935 Martin F-7 Acoustic Guitar
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF NEIL YOUNG

In what is being called "The Best Yard Sale in the World", Neil Young is auctioning many of his guitars, cars and more. (Thanks Soldier Steve!)

The Neil Young Collectibles auction is scheduled for December 9, 2017.

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF NEIL YOUNG

(Click photo to enlarge)

NEIL YOUNG PAINTED DESK CHAIR

From catalog: "A vintage wood desk chair on casters that has been painted with variegated geometric shapes by a company called One of Designs. The seat back bears the inscription, “If you rest.. ..You Rust..” Signed, Nancy Woods, and dated, 2013, in black marker to the underside."

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Neil Young Collectibles Auction Flipbook

More on AUCTION: Neil Young Collectibles on December 9, 2017 and Neil Young Auctioning His Model Train Collection.

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How To Get Neil Young's Sound? | Discussion on 'Effects, Pedals, Strings & Things'

Neil Young's Les Paul Guitar "Old Black"

Neil Young's electric guitar sound has been described as like "a jet plane in a thunderstorm" and those who have witnessed and directly felt in their chest the aural assault that is known as "Crazy Horse-style" know that which we speak.



Over the years, we've seen and heard quite a few Neil Young enthusiasts try and replicate his unique sound, with various degrees of success.

From The Gear Page | Discussion in 'Effects, Pedals, Strings & Things' on "How to get Neil Young's sound?":

Hi,

Lately I've been searching on how to get that open, big, heavy, unpredictable Neil Young's guitar sound.
There have been few threads regarding my question, but nothing concrete.

I am not interested in what he used to get it. Buying the exact same gear is used/uses is pointless.

The particular sound I am interested in is the electric guitar sound from the movie "Dead Man".

So if anyone can recommend a distortion / overdrive pedal(s) or any other pedals that deliver this type of sound, I'll be very grateful :)

Thanks
khm9

In response on The Gear Page | Discussion in 'Effects, Pedals, Strings & Things' on "How to get Neil Young's sound?" by Papanate:

First for me - you won't get to that guitar sound without approximating the signal chain.

There are many suggestions above - but none of them sound like 'that' guitar track. If you really want it - you should run down the wiggly Young path and start hunting for wrecked equipment such as below. From the sound of everything I imagine everything he's plugging into is out of specifications - and probably teetering on the edge of blowing up. Larry Cragg if fond of saying Youngs Guitar and Rig are a trainwreck waiting to have already happened.

Old Blackie is a 53 Goldtop that now has a Firebird Mini Humbucker in the Bridge Position and a late Metal covered P90 neck Pickup most likely borrowed from a Gibson ES330. The neck was reported to have been replaced by Gibson in the 1960s with one of the SG Les Paul Necks. Young had a mini toggle switch installed in the middle of the controls - what it does is send the pickups directly to the output jack bypassing the controls. That is what I believe is at the crux of why that guitar sounds so good.

If you look at the back of Blackie - there is a round aluminum disc underneath where the bridge is situated on top. I've hear rumor that their is some kind of Cragg built string locking mechanism in there.

The sound on the track you cited - is probably the bypassed pickups into an overdriven Tweed Fender Deluxe biased to 6l6 tubes (and he uses those older Bottle type) with his 'Whizzer' attached. His Current Whizzer controls three knobs - and has several presets positions to get that 'Young Sound'. From the sound of this track I'll bet Young is running the output of the Deluxe into his Magnatone Stereo 2 x 12 ( not the amp just the speakers).He's known to use both an EP2 Tube Echoplex and possibly a MXR Analog delay. The EP2 is famous for the tube distortion produced (and for being extremely finicky) - and the MXR has a long history of sound cool when pushed (often attributed to the transistors used). Also At the end of that track he's got some kind of Octave Divider going on.

Through it all Young sure gets some magic going - even the bass farting lows have a very musical quality - and the lead notes are very dynamic.

More on on The Gear Page | Discussion in 'Effects, Pedals, Strings & Things' - "How to get Neil Young's sound?".

Also see, a collection of articles on Neil Young's Guitars, Amps, Whizzer and Equipment on how he obtains his unique grunge and feedback sound.

Also, more on the film Dead Man (1995), directed by Jim Jarmusch.

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BENEFIT: Neil Young's Old Black Guitar Autographed (Reproduction)

Neil Young's Old Black Guitar (Reproduction)
(Click photo to enlarge)
An autographed reproduction of Neil Young's Old Black guitar is up for auction to benefit SLAM - Save Live Australia’s Music .

According to a Noise11 report by Paul Cashmere, the four members of Crazy Horse, Neil Young, Frank Sampedro, Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot, signed the guitar backstage at Melbourne, AUS concert.

On February 23rd 2010, 20,000 protesters marched on Victorian Parliament House to insist that crippling laws that equated “live music” with violence be changed. The SLAM (Save Live Australia’s Music) rally was the largest cultural protest in Australia’s history. Musicians reclaimed the streets of Melbourne and the law was overturned.

More on Neil Young's Old Black Guitar.

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Guitar Infographic: Neil Young’s Old Black

Infographic: Neil Young’s Old Black
(Click photo to enlarge)
Maybe everything if you've ever wanted to know about Neil Young’s guitar Old Black.

Guitars of Legend: That Rock and Roll Sound by Mike:

Exactly where does that legendary guitar sound come from? You bought a guitar, patched it into an amp, unsheathed your plectrum and played your favorite riff note for note, yet it sounded nothing like it should.

The beautiful thing about an electric guitar is the endless ways you can tweak, modify and manipulate the sound. Whatever guitar sound you have in your head is possible through some combination of pickups, pedals and powered speakers.

This infographic was designed to put together the details of the most legendary guitars (and their sound) of all time. From Neil Young’s Old Black to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Strat Number One.

More on Neil Young’s guitars and sound and Anatomy of ‘Old Black’ Guitar .

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Neil Young's Ragged Glory Sound - Guitar World, October 2009

Neil Young's Rig
(Click to enlarge)

Amongst musicians, many often wonder how Neil Young achieves his unique sound that has been described as like "a jet plane in a thunderstorm".

From Neil Young: Ragged Glory - Guitar World (Guitar World, October 2009) by Richard Bienstock:

At the center of it all is the volatile 1953 Gibson Les Paul goldtop Young calls Old Black. A brutal and battered beast, the guitar is responsible for the legendary gritty tones heard on countless Young classics, including “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down By the River” and “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).”

The Les Paul, which features a Bigsby tremolo and a P90 pickup in the neck position, received the black paint job that inspired its nickname prior to being acquired by Young. Since then, it’s undergone several further modifications, including the addition of a “chrome-on-brass” pickguard and back plates, a bridge-position Firebird pickup and a toggle switch, installed between the two volume and two tone knobs, that acts as a bypass. “You flip that,” says Cragg, “and the Firebird goes straight to the amp.”

Cragg installed the Firebird pickup back in 1973. “Originally there was a P90 in there,” he explains. “But in the early Seventies the guitar was lost, and when Neil recovered it a few years later the bridge pickup was gone. He put a Gretsch DeArmond in there for a while, but when I came onboard I replaced that with the Firebird, which has been there ever since. Everyone calls it a mini humbucker, but it’s not. It’s a humbucker, and it’s very microphonic—you can speak into it. It’s really piercing and high and a big part of his sound.”

More on Neil Young's Sound.

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Neil Young's Hagström: The Story Behind The Guitar

  Neil Young on Hagström guitar on Chrome Dreams Photo by Larry Cragg (via Rolling Stone)  

Last month, we posted a Photo of the Moment of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with Jimmy Page in 1974. 

In the photo, Neil Young is playing a Hagström guitar -- quite a rare sight. Now here's the fascinating story about how Neil got the Hagström at Prune Music in Mill Valley, CA. Patrick "Buzz" Burke, former co-owner of Prune Music in Mill Valley, remembers the day Neil Young came in to the store to buy guitars -- and the $25 guitar he continued to play on stage 20 years later. 

 

For more Marin County photos, memories, and stories from the 1950s to 1980s, visit http://www.MarinNostalgia.org presented by Jason Lewis. (Thanks Dirty Young Man!)

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Guitar Tech Larry Cragg | The Fretboard Journal

Larry Cragg working on Neil Young's Les Paul "Ol' Black"

A fascinating article on Neil Young's Guitar Tech Larry Cragg in the upcoming The Fretboard Journal: Keepsake magazine for guitar collectors by Brian Fisher.

Larry Cragg has a lot of amps. And guitars. He needs them, too. When he's not serving as Neil Young's guitar tech (not to mention Santana and other rock stars), he's busy running Vintage Instrument Rental, one of the few places in the world where musicians can rent the vintage guitars or amps of their dreams for a recording session or gig.

Brian Fisher chronicled the life of Cragg in Fretboard Journal 23, but, here are some outtakes -- in this case taken by Cragg himself -- from one of the world's great guitar and amp collections. Check out the outtakes here and read more about Cragg, you can order Fretboard Journal 23 here . 

Also, see more Larry Cragg and Neil Young's guitars.

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Neil Young: Rolling Stone | 100 Greatest Guitarists

Neil Young
Birmingham NEC Soundcheck, 24 September, 1982

Back in 2007, Rolling Stone compiled a list of "The Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists". Seriously. And Neil Young was #3.

Well, now -- just 4 years later -- Neil is on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists?! At #17??? Imagine that. He keeps getting better day after day...

And not really sure what has happened to Neil's guitar playing over the years because the last time Rolling Stone compiled their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists, he was #83.

I mean Neil's good and all that. But what is possibly happening with these Rolling Stone editors? We just don't get it at all. Please someone explain. (ED: See comment below explaining RS methodology).

In the meantime, here's what Phish's Trey Anastasio has to say about Neil Young:

If I was ever going to teach a master class to young guitarists, the first thing I would play them is the first minute of Neil Young's original "Down by the River" solo. It's one note, but it's so melodic, and it just snarls with attitude and anger.

It's like he desperately wants to connect.

Neil's playing is like an open tube from his heart right to the audience.

In the Nineties, we played a festival with Crazy Horse. At the end of "Like a Hurricane," Neil went into this feedback solo that was more like a sonic impressionist painting. He was about six feet back from the microphone, singing so you could just hear him over the colorful waves of hurricane-like sound.

I think about that moment a lot when I'm playing. Traditional concepts of rhythm and keys are great, but music is like a giant ocean. It's a big, furious place, and there are a lot of trenches that haven't been explored. Neil is still blazing a trail for people who are younger than him, reminding us you can break artistic ground.

(Thanks Chris!)

Speaking of "Down by the River", here's Phish at the Farm Aid Benefit, near Chicago, IL, with Young on October 3, 1998. Pretty freakin' awesome DBTR.



Setlist notes from Andy's Phish Page indicate that Young joined Phish onstage for "Runaway Jim". Next came an electric instrumental that is best described as "Arc"-like. This was followed by a monster 26 minute jam on "Down By the River".

Judge for your self, but this version of "Down By the River" is considered to be one of the top 10 performances of the song ever. Certainly the best ever non Ol-Black version. Neil uses a hollow body Gretsch guitar (Trey Anastasio's older Languedoc guitars, hand-made by Phish soundman Paul Languedoc) and delivers some heavy hand blows to the body at various jam points. Massive shredding ensues.

The Trey and Neil duel @ 12:45 is epic. We can't honestly we've ever sen another guitarist ever push Neil so far to the dark side.

Unfortunately, the YouTube version is *only* 19 minutes long.


Phish and Neil Young - Farm Aid 1998
Photo by Barry Brechsian

More on Phish and Neil Young.

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Neil Young’s Top 10 Greatest Guitar Tracks

    

Neil Young - 1978

 

Well, after the feedback from the posting on the Top 10 Neil Young Love Songs, why not Neil Young’s Top 10 Greatest Guitar Tracks?


#3 - “Cortez the Killer” - Rusted Out Garage Tour, 1986

From Gibson Guitar Tracks by Michael Leonard:

Apologies already, as this Top 10 might not include your favorite Neil Young song. But what to do? Over six decades, Neil Young has recorded so much music, he cannot be distilled into a small cup. Great songwriter, activist, conceptualist, rocker, balladeer, maverick guitarist, awful/inspired singer? You take your pick. Young, who turned 66 last week, is certainly one thing. He is unique.

His guitar playing is not “technical,” and he certainly won’t throw in a tricky mixolydian (EDITOR: wtf?!) lick when blazing passion fits the bill. Neil Young plays guitar from the heart. These 10 tracks might not be his “best” songs, but their guitars either sob with sadness or roar with aggression.

If you want to hear Neil Young play guitar, we humbly suggest you start here.

And who can argue with any of these tracks selected like #3 - “Cortez the Killer”?

Just as Young would never claim to be world’s best singer, he would neither argue to be the world’s most subtle guitarist. But “Cortez the Killer,” from 1975’s album Zuma, is an axe epic. This mantric guitar centerpiece (it has reached 14 minutes live) could only have been played by Neil Young. Three chords (again in DADGBD), droning melodies, stinging solos, harmonics, much Bigsby wobbling… in a druggy big nutshell, this is a 101 in how to play guitar like Neil Young. “Cortez the Killer” takes on extra weight when played live: the version on 1991’s live album Weld is super-heavy. “Cortez the Killer” manages to be mournful yet angry, beautiful yet bitter.

And your favorite Neil Young Greatest Guitar Tracks?

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Old Black Guitar Reproduction

Some amazing photos of a reproduction of Neil's Gibson Custom Shop Historic R6 Les Paul Goldtop electric guitar over on TeleModders: The Telecasters Modification Discussion Group. Some beautiful photos and details of the job posted by Jeff Levenson of FabGear.

"- Gibson Custom Shop Historic R6 Les Paul Goldtop, finished by me in black nitro ("amateur" job replicated, no clear overcoat)
- hand fabricated truss rod cover, jackplate, bridge pickup trim ring, control cavity covers and pickguard to match his made out of polished aluminum.
- SD Antiquity 4 conductor Firebird pickup in bridge position wired to a coil tap mini switch
- chrome P90 neck pickup cover
- Schallers tuners
- inlay added to headstock then painted over like his
- modified Bigsby added (stop tailpiece holes plugged and levelled)
- all aging and wear matches Neil's original exactly."

More on the Ragged Glory sound of Neil's guitar Old Black and photos.

UPDATE: This post has been corrected from previous info posted in error stating this was Neil's actual guitar. As comments below indicate, this is an exact replica of Neil Young's guitar Old Black. Thrasher does like to get things right the first time and when this link was forwarded it seemed to indicate this was the real deal. Sorry for confusion and apologies. Thanks to TJ & Bob for correction comments below!

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