Riff Tone

Rockin' In the Free World

Neil Young

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop 'Old Black' (heavily modified, mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)

Amp1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe (5E3, modded with 6L6 tubes for higher output)

PickupsFirebird mini-humbucker (bridge), P-90 (neck, but not used for riff)

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb3.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1989. The core sound is the 1959 Fender Deluxe cranked, with Old Black's bridge pickup. No evidence of distortion/fuzz pedals; overdrive comes from the amp. Reverb is from a Fender outboard unit. No chorus, delay, or modulation effects audible or cited for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

raw and raggedexplosive attackthick, mid-heavy grindloose low endpiercing upper midsdynamic and touch-sensitivesaturated, compressed breakupuncompressed and openclassic Crazy Horse wall-of-soundfuzz-like amp overdrive

Difficulty

The riff is based on simple power chords and straightforward rhythm, but requires aggressive strumming and dynamic control to manage the cranked amp's sensitivity and feedback.

Sources

Neil Young's guitar rig: from Old Black to his Fender Deluxe | Guitar World Neil Young tone - buyer's guide | The Gear Page

This tone has been researched 4 times by the community

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