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Neil Young, Photo: Tore Sætre

Photo: Tore Sætre · CC BY-SA 4.0

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Neil Young. Every item links to its public source.
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What guitar does Neil Young play?

Neil Young has been seen using Old Black, his modified 1953 Gibson Les Paul goldtop, plus a 1961 Gretsch White Falcon and Martin D-45 and D-28 acoustics, through a 1959 tweed Fender Deluxe driven by the custom Whizzer, a Magnatone 280, with a Mu-Tron octave divider and Echoplex.

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What guitars Neil Young uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

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About Neil Young's gear.

What guitar does Neil Young play?

Old Black, a 1953 Gibson Les Paul goldtop painted black, with a Bigsby, a P90 in the neck and a Firebird pickup in the bridge. Guitar World's rig feature also lists a 1961 Gretsch White Falcon and a 1956 Les Paul Junior.

What amp does Neil Young use?

A 1959 tweed Fender Deluxe he has used since the late '60s, run so hot it needs fans on the back, plus a Magnatone 280, a tweed Fender Tremolux and a high-powered tweed Twin, per his tech Larry Cragg in Guitar World.

What is Neil Young's Whizzer?

A custom switching box built with his late amp tech Sal Trentino that physically turns the Deluxe's volume and tone knobs to four preset positions, triggered from his pedalboard, according to Guitar World.

What acoustic guitar does Neil Young play?

Martins: a 1968 D-45, 'Hank', an early-'40s D-28 once owned by Hank Williams, and a 1962 D-28 tuned to what he calls 'A# modal', all with Larry Cragg's FRAP pickups and D'Angelico 80/20 strings.

What picks does Neil Young use?

Herco Gold Flex 50 nylon picks, which his tech says Neil used when he started working for him and still does, per Guitar World.

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Neil Young
About this guide · Last checked

Neil Young is the Canadian-born singer-songwriter and guitarist behind Harvest, Rust Never Sleeps and decades of Crazy Horse records. This guide covers the rig his longtime tech Larry Cragg walked Guitar World through: Old Black, his Martins, the 1959 tweed Deluxe and the Whizzer.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Neil Young didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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truerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Neil Young isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.