gear used
Despite using multiple pieces of gear throughout his career, Neil Young has always kept coming back to one particular amp. A tweed Fender Deluxe Amp 5C3, with the original valves replaced by two 6L6 RCAs instead. Neil has had this amp since the late 1960s and has helped him to deliver his iconic sound for decades.
Neil Young’s also had quite a collection of guitars. Amongst the collection there are two notable ones, 'Old Black' which was a 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, painted black and customised quite considerably. The other was a 191 Gretsch White Flacon. Guitar tech, Lary Cragg, has previously spoken about this guitar and stated that there are now only thought to be around 10 or 11 left in the world.
playing style
With a career spanning over 50 years, Neil Young has proved his musical talent across a range of genres stretching from country, to blues to grunge-like guitar; providing a fantastic source of playing styles to influence new generations of guitar players for years to come.
Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry highly influenced Neil Young's playing style. Neil has credited these three artists for their strong influence on his music as well as for shaping his love and appreciation for music in general.
Neil is highly influenced by everyday things and previous experiences to provide him with inspiration to create music. Pair this with his iconic guitar playing and high tenor voice and you’ve created his unique sound. Neil relies heavily on chords in his playing and uses them in the most creative ways. For example, he may sometimes switch between two chords and develop a riff-like effect, or subtly remove a finger to sound an open string. He also often uses slash chords within his playing or might add an extra note to make a voicing more interesting.
Neil's creative voicing of chords can be heard in the song below.