Guitar
My cousin Stephen, who incidentally suggested that I write this blog in the first place, sent some requests for posts the other day. One of them caught my eye - for a piece on Neil Young's "Old Black" Les Paul, the one he's used more or less constantly since 1969.
Dave Hunter wrote a fine piece about the guitar in 2008 on the Gibson Lifestyle site. The article is from the series "Get That Tone" and while the article on Neil's heavily modified 1953 goldtop (apparently crudely painted with black matte paint) is informative to the extent that the guitar's provenance and modification history is known, the promised instructions for getting that tone are disappointing:
From an interview with Neil Young roadie (or is it roadeye?) Larry Cragg:
Link:
And here's Neil himself speaking at length about his gear, including the famous Whizzer.
Gibson has no doubt taken note of the sales potential of a Neil Young model Les Paul, perhaps an exact copy of Old Black, relic'ed. And no doubt that Neil won't let it happen in his lifetime.
Of course, one-offs by individual builders can fly under the radar, like this beautiful replica of Old Black built by Juha Mäntymaa of Finland.
- More Sketches
Music of the week: I watched several times two excellent music videos - one is the brilliant cover by Neil Young of the Beatles' A Day in the Life, performed in Glastonbury in 2009, the other is Fast Enough by one-member band Gull -...
- Dawes - "time Spent In Los Angeles" - Modern Band With A Vintage Sound
I am late to the party on these guys (especially since they are local to my area) but a guy just turned me on to DAWES and I wanted to let my readers know about them. They have a great sound, excellent vocal harmonies, quality lyrics, and a general...
- Gibson Les Paul Classic 3-pickup W Bigsby And P90's At Gc In Nashville For $899
When was the last time you saw a real Gibson Les Paul Classic (not a 60's Tribute, Special or Studio) with three pickups and a full size Bigsby tailpiece for under $1K? Not recently I am sure. This used Les Paul they have for sale...
- 10 Best Guitar Solos - A Slight Tangent From My Usual Blog Posts
This post is a little side treat for my readers - I found this list of 10 BEST GUITAR SOLOS at a site called http://www.lab404.com/ while doing some research on the Robert Fripp solo on "Baby's on Fire." I have no interest in generating...
- 1958 Magnatone Custom 280 Incharlotte Nc For $800
This one looks very nice - this model is the best of the best as far as Pro lovel gigging Magnatone amps are concerned. 1958 Magnatone Custom 280 all tube - $800 (Charlotte) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Guitar
Neil Young's Old Black: by request
Dave Hunter wrote a fine piece about the guitar in 2008 on the Gibson Lifestyle site. The article is from the series "Get That Tone" and while the article on Neil's heavily modified 1953 goldtop (apparently crudely painted with black matte paint) is informative to the extent that the guitar's provenance and modification history is known, the promised instructions for getting that tone are disappointing:
Short of modifying two pieces of prized vintage gear and building your own Whizzer, run a bright but powerful guitar into a simple, low-output tube amp and give it all the gusto and emotion you can muster. That, in the end, is what’s at the heart of the Neil Young guitar solo after all.I think that a microphonic Firebird pickup and a Bigsby help a lot too, along with a handwired, hot-biased low-wattage tube amp.
From an interview with Neil Young roadie (or is it roadeye?) Larry Cragg:
Cradled in a stand in front of the amps is the fuse for the dynamite, Young's trademark ax Old Black, a '53 Gold Top Les Paul some knothead daubed with black paint eons ago. Old Black's features include a Bigsby wang bar, which pulls strings and bends notes, and a Firebird pickup so sensitive you can talk through it. It's a demonic instrument. "Old Black doesn't sound like any other guitar," said Cragg, shaking his head.
Link:
And here's Neil himself speaking at length about his gear, including the famous Whizzer.
Gibson has no doubt taken note of the sales potential of a Neil Young model Les Paul, perhaps an exact copy of Old Black, relic'ed. And no doubt that Neil won't let it happen in his lifetime.
Of course, one-offs by individual builders can fly under the radar, like this beautiful replica of Old Black built by Juha Mäntymaa of Finland.
- More Sketches
Music of the week: I watched several times two excellent music videos - one is the brilliant cover by Neil Young of the Beatles' A Day in the Life, performed in Glastonbury in 2009, the other is Fast Enough by one-member band Gull -...
- Dawes - "time Spent In Los Angeles" - Modern Band With A Vintage Sound
I am late to the party on these guys (especially since they are local to my area) but a guy just turned me on to DAWES and I wanted to let my readers know about them. They have a great sound, excellent vocal harmonies, quality lyrics, and a general...
- Gibson Les Paul Classic 3-pickup W Bigsby And P90's At Gc In Nashville For $899
When was the last time you saw a real Gibson Les Paul Classic (not a 60's Tribute, Special or Studio) with three pickups and a full size Bigsby tailpiece for under $1K? Not recently I am sure. This used Les Paul they have for sale...
- 10 Best Guitar Solos - A Slight Tangent From My Usual Blog Posts
This post is a little side treat for my readers - I found this list of 10 BEST GUITAR SOLOS at a site called http://www.lab404.com/ while doing some research on the Robert Fripp solo on "Baby's on Fire." I have no interest in generating...
- 1958 Magnatone Custom 280 Incharlotte Nc For $800
This one looks very nice - this model is the best of the best as far as Pro lovel gigging Magnatone amps are concerned. 1958 Magnatone Custom 280 all tube - $800 (Charlotte) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------...