Comment of the Moment: Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar

Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar (Click photo to enlarge)

Universally amongst fans, Neil Young's guitar ‘Old Black’ is the stuff of legends.

From the crunchingly brutal Crazy Horse feedback fests to this year's solo electric, the Gibson Les Paul guitar has played witness to the full range of Neil's ragged glory. 

Here is our Comment of the Moment on Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar by thatguitarguy:

I've recently read that the black guitar may be a prototype Custom- meaning made in '53, since Customs were first released in 1954. 

I don't know how this theory holds up with the trapeze holes, etc. Part of the reasoning probably has to do with the bound headstock, unusual headstock inlay, etc. 

Now- why I'm here: In 1988, my friend Kenny Aaronson was playing bass with Bob Dylan. I lived in San Francisco and they were doing the Greek Theater over in Berkeley. I went over and spent the day/night with them. Neil was there- he was going to sit in with Bob that night. So, after soundcheck, Neil was sitting with Ol Black in his lap. 

I mentioned a couple of mutual friends, and we got to talking. 

I asked about the guitar, since it's so unusual, and he gave me a mini-tour of the guitar. He's not really a "vintage guy" so we didn't really get into specifics. The thing that struck me most was the obvious thing that you guys don't mention. WHICH IS THE STRIPE DOWN THE BACK OF THE NECK! I think I saw a reference to it in a comment above, including the possibility of some derision. Well, I can take it, if it answers my question. 

I should have asked him, but G.E. Smith came over and started asking questions too. I assumed that the neck was a replacement- it appeared to have a herringbone, or some such, running down the back of the neck. As a 20- year veteran of the vintage guitar world [20 then, 50+ years now] that stripe could only mean a re-neck. Now, in the photo above, I see the stripe running through the body as well. 

Looking back, Neil was holding the guitar in playing position, and I didn't see the back of the body. This guitar has bothered me since that day in '88. Once in a while I go looking for information on information on it, but no one ever references the stripe. I was starting to doubt my recollection. WHAT IS IT AND HOW DID IT GET THERE? 

I was also good friends with Rick Rosas. He was a wonderful guy- very funny, smart, great cook, GREAT bass player. He also played with Waddy's band in LA. And, of course, he played with Neil. Neil had no problem with Rick running his video camera during rehearsals, or whatever they were doing. So I got to watch dozens of hours of their practices, jams, whatever. He would put them on as background whenever we were doing stuff at the house. I came to really like, and respect Neil through all of that exposure. 

So Thank You, Rick RIP 

Please help a vintage brother out, and tell me what you know. And Thank You so much!

Thanks for the comment thatguitarguy! Cool stories on Ol Black. Hope someone can help you out.

So if you're interested in the anatomy of Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’, check out Anatomy of Neil Young’s ‘Old Black’ Guitar.

Guitar Tech Larry Cragg with ‘Old Black’
More photos and articles on Neil Young's guitars.

Also, see "How I Came to Know Neil Young's Old Black Guitar" by Larry Cragg. 

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"How I Came to Know Neil Young's Old Black Guitar" by Larry Cragg

Neil Young's Guitars: Old Black & Old Gold
 (Click photo to enlarge)

An interesting article on Neil Young Archives "How I Came to Know Old Black" by Larry Cragg, Neil's longtime guitar tech.

My name is Larry Cragg. I toured with Neil for 35 years, taking care of his guitars, amps and keyboards. Over the years I got to play banjo, baritone sax, keys, 12 string, pedal steel, broom and percussion, and was a photographer and actor.


It all started in 1972 when I got a phone call from Randy Smith, my partner at Prune Music in Mill Valley, California, where he worked on amps and I worked on guitars. Randy was out on the road with Neil, trying to eliminate ground loops from a wall of tweed amps (lots of them). He called because Neil couldn’t get Old Black in tune, and asked if I had any suggestions. I told him how to straighten the bent tune-o-matic bridge and adjust the intonation. Randy had been going down to Neil’s Ranch near Woodside, California to work on Neil’s amplifiers. He started taking me with him so I could work on the guitars.

Full article and lots of detailed photos on Neil Young Archives..

If you're into how Neil Young gets his sound, check these links:

Neil Young Interview on Guitar Equipment - Guitar Player Magazine, 3/1992

Interview with Neil Young - Guitar Magazine (France), 4/1992

Neil Young's Amps & Whizzer - Interview with Neil's Guitar Tech Larry Cragg in Guitar Player Magazine, 3/1992

Larry Cragg Interview - Jimmy McDonough's "Shakey" Biography excerpt

Larry Cragg: The Welder - Interview in ToneQuest Report Magazine

Giant MagnaTone dwarfs Larry Cragg, Guitar Tech
New York City - Dec. 16, 2008
Photo by Paul D. 

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Neil Young's Tonebender Pedal During Buffalo Springfield Era

Neil Young in The Buffalo Springfield
via www.tru-fi.com

The unique tone of Neil Young's music has long fascinated musicians trying to replicate his sound.

Now, a maker of musical sound effects has put out a request for information on Neil Young's music equipment during the Buffalo Springfield era. From Tru-Fi Pedals:

Neil Young in older Buffalo Springfield picture with a Tonebender pedal.

Model type Mark I or Mark II that is the mystery - Tru-Fi says it's a Mk II due to the time and also he was in the States. I do not believe it was a Mk II being that Neil was in the Calif, and I do not think many Tonebender Mk I got over here. BUT Neil Young was in the circle of musicians so it is possible someone gave him one on tour at the Fillmore etc.

You have info please share !
Fuzz On - www.tru-fi.com

Surely, someone out there knows the answer to this critical question.

More on Neil Young's Guitars, Sound & Equipment.

Neil Young's Guitars, Sound & Equipment

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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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