Neil Young

Old Black is a 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, painted black [1] and customized quite considerably. After the guitar had been left at a guitar repair store, the original P-90 bridge pickup was replaced with a Gretsch Dynasonic single-coil pickup. Eventually, a mini humbucker pickup from a Gibson Firebird guitar replaced the Dynasonic. The neck pickup has always been the original P-90 pickup, but it is now covered by a hand fitted aluminum P-90 cover, replacing the original white plastic cover. The guitar was roughly resprayed to jet black, and received a new Tune-o-matic bridge (not available when the guitar was produced) and a B-7 model Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. It would presumably also have had a white plastic pickguard at some point, as was standard on 1953 Goldtops. Old Black is notable for its metal hardware, including aluminum backing plates. The pick guard is chrome-on-brass/bronze. The tuners have been replaced with Schaller M-6 tuning keys, and the rest of the hardware is mostly nickel-plated. The headstock displays a partially painted-over mother-of-pearl inlay, sometimes referred to as a "wheat stack", rather than the typical silk screened "Les Paul Model" logo, along with single-ply binding around the headstock, although the binding has now fallen off

Neil Young's guitar tech, Larry Cragg, when asked about Neil's 1961 Gretsch White Falcon said "That’s the real deal. Neil’s had it forever. It’s kind of green-looking and really stunning. There’s probably only 10 or 11 of those around.” This is found in an interview with Guitar World magazine.

"For his touring acoustics, Young has been relying on a trio of Martins, all equipped with Cragg’s stereo FRAP (Flat Audio Response Pickup) transducers: the 1968 D-45 used to record much of 1972’s Harvest; “Hank,” an early Forties D-28 formerly owned by Hank Williams; and a second D-28 that Cragg tunes to what Young calls “A# modal” [low to high: A# F A# D# G A#]," reads this article.

This painted '53 Goldtop has been Neil's main ax for decades now.

"For his touring acoustics, Young has been relying on a trio of Martins, all equipped with Cragg’s stereo FRAP (Flat Audio Response Pickup) transducers: the 1968 D-45 used to record much of 1972’s Harvest; “Hank,” an early Forties D-28 formerly owned by Hank Williams; and a second D-28 that Cragg tunes to what Young calls “A# modal” [low to high: A# F A# D# G A#]," reads this article.

"His main acoustics are a Martin D-45 that he got in 1967, a prewar D-18 and a D-28. I've installed stereo Fraps in each, which is by far the best way to amplify an acoustic guitar. I place two pickups inside the guitar-one for the top three strings and one for the bottom three. I do it real time while stringing up the top three strings . I have the pickup hot through a nice P.A. system,and I move it around."

"Other electric guitars used by Young on his recent tour include a 1956 Les Paul Junior of Cragg’s that he calls a “really rude, in-your-face killer,” and a second ’53 goldtop that the tech assembled as a stand-in for Old Black," reads this article.

Neil Young bought the Broadcaster in the early 70's which was used for the 'Tonight's the Night' live tour and has recently been seen used on the 'Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon'.

In a video by Rusted Moon, it is mentioned that Neil Young acquired the 1963 Gretsch 6119 Tennessean by trading his Gretsch White Falcon with Stephen Stills.

At 0:19 in this video of Young's performance of"Hey Hey, My My" at Farm Aid 1985, Neil Young can be seen using a Gibson J-200.

Neil Young used the Guild M-20 acoustic guitar during the recording of his album "Le Noise," as evidenced by a user-uploaded photo on Sugarmtn.

Q : You're talking about an Epiphone acoustic, with the ornamentation ?

NEIL : Yes, it's one of the cheapest. It's probably lying on the floor in my bedroom right now. It looks like it's in good shape but the action's really bad and the neck isn't too good. And it's always going out of tune. But I like it. Most of the songs on American Dream were written on it. I think I also wrote Fuckin' Up on it, too. But I also have very nice guitars, great for recording and composing. I have quite a few Martins, Gretschs -- particularly White Falcons, old Explorers, Flying V s. Larry Cragg has more than I do. You should talk to him about my guitars and amps. My amps are something else.

Q : You're talking about an Epiphone acoustic, with the ornamentation ?

NEIL : Yes, it's one of the cheapest. It's probably lying on the floor in my bedroom right now. It looks like it's in good shape but the action's really bad and the neck isn't too good. And it's always going out of tune. But I like it. Most of the songs on American Dream were written on it. I think I also wrote Fuckin' Up on it, too. But I also have very nice guitars, great for recording and composing. I have quite a few Martins, Gretschs -- particularly White Falcons, old Explorers, Flying V s. Larry Cragg has more than I do. You should talk to him about my guitars and amps. My amps are something else.

After Buffalo Springfield disbanded, Neil Young traded a Gretsch White Falcon Stereo G6137 with Stephen Stills, as detailed in the YouTube video by Rusted Moon titled "Neil Young's Gretsch White Falcons, 1967 - today."

Neil Young is known to use a Taylor 855 12-String Acoustic guitar, as confirmed by Stefano Frollano, a leading Italian expert on Young's biography, in the article "These Old Guitars" on Altervista.

In an April 1992 interview with Guitare & Claviers Magazine (French), Neil Young said:

I have a Japanese Epiphone that I bought in New Zealand. The sound isn't good, but it's unique. I like to always buy second-hand guitars, because I know I'm going to write at least one or two songs with them. Because every guitar comes with its own history and the feeling of all the people who have used it before. That makes you play certain chords that you wouldn't play normally and pushes you towards something new. If you're lucky, you'll get a song out of it. [...] It's probably lying on the floor in my bedroom right now. It looks like it's in good shape but the action's really bad and the neck isn't too good. And it's always going out of tune. But I like it. Most of the songs on American Dream were written on it. I think I also wrote Fuckin' Up on it, too.

The guitar can be identified as the Epiphone FT-145 Texan in the official music video for "Unknown Legend". As of 2022, it is at the Youngtown Rock & Roll Museum.

Used a lot during the early days of Buffalo Springfield.

In the photo for "After The Gold Rush," Neil Young can be seen using a Martin D-35 guitar, as evidenced by the image from Snap Galleries.

Neil Young is seen using a Gibson Flying V during the Time Fades Away tour, as evidenced by a photo.