Guitar tone · rock

Neil Young guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 4 Neil Young songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato) into 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes).

Guitars Neil Young used

1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)3 songs
Fender Precision Bass1 song
Martin D-45 (acoustic, likely with pickup for studio recording)1 song
1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (modded with mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato, and other modifications)1 song
Martin D-28 (acoustic, primary for riff section on studio recording)1 song
1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)1 song

Amps Neil Young used

1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes)1 song
Ampeg SVT (likely blue line or blackface, late 70s/80s model)1 song
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 (with 6L6 tubes, output boosted to ~19 watts)1 song
None (direct to board or mic'd acoustic; no evidence of electric amp use on studio riff section)1 song
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3 circuit)1 song
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes for higher output)1 song
None (acoustic guitar recorded with microphone in studio)1 song
1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3 circuit), cranked1 song

8 Neil Young tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
Rockin' In the Free World · riff	Riff · distorted	1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)	1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes for higher output)	8
Harvest Moon · riff	Riff · clean	Martin D-45 (acoustic, likely with pickup for studio recording)	None (direct to board or mic'd acoustic; no evidence of electric amp use on studio riff section)	0
Heart of Gold · riff	Riff · clean	Martin D-28 (acoustic, primary for riff section on studio recording)	None (acoustic guitar recorded with microphone in studio)	0
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) · riff	Riff · distorted	1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)	1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes)	8
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) · solo	Solo · clean	1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)	1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 (with 6L6 tubes, output boosted to ~19 watts)	4.5
Rockin' In the Free World · clean	Clean · clean	Fender Precision Bass	Ampeg SVT (likely blue line or blackface, late 70s/80s model)	0
Rockin' In the Free World · riff	Riff · clean	1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (modded with mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato, and other modifications)	1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3 circuit)	0
Rockin' In the Free World · solo	Solo · distorted	1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)	1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3 circuit), cranked	8

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Frequently asked questions

What amp did Neil Young use?

Across 4 researched songs, the amps that come up most are 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes) (1 song), Ampeg SVT (likely blue line or blackface, late 70s/80s model) (1 song), 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 (with 6L6 tubes, output boosted to ~19 watts) (1 song), None (direct to board or mic'd acoustic; no evidence of electric amp use on studio riff section) (1 song).

What guitar did Neil Young use?

Most often: 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato) (3 songs), Fender Precision Bass (1 song), Martin D-45 (acoustic, likely with pickup for studio recording) (1 song), 1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (modded with mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato, and other modifications) (1 song).

How do I get Neil Young's tone on my amp?

Open any Neil Young song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.