

When Neil first received the Les Paul, it was clear to him that the guitar was not originally black, but more likely gold and painted black by the original owner, or someone else down the line. Here I’m going to break down as much of the history of Old Black as possible, to give you an idea of why people rave about this guitar. The guitar’s storied history plays a big part in its beloved reputation. Over the years, Neil Young’s Old Black has gained quite the reputation amongst guitar fans, with numerous companies selling replica Old Black guitars, and comments all over Neil Young videos with users saying that they would do anything just to play one note on Old Black. It’s the one he played on classic songs such as “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”, “Southern Man”, “Cinnamon Girl”, and “Like A Hurricane”. He’s played the guitar on almost every Crazy Horse recording, and has played it at almost every Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert.

Chances are if you’ve listened to any of Neil Young’s rock oriented recordings you’ve heard Old Black’s signature sound. This guitar, a 1952 Gibson Les Paul model, was given to him in 1968 by Buffalo Springfield band mate Jimmy Messina. The History Of Neil Young’s Famous Guitar, “Old Black”įact: Neil Young has been playing the same guitar for almost 50 years.
