It's attached to the guitar with the same snap on/off attachments Neil uses. The strap is also an accurate reproduction of the original in denim fabric and black and white "peace dove" ACE Strap. Ditto for the "badly" routed scratch plate. Look closely the first photo of the original Old Black up above and you'll see that it's just as it must be. Look closely to the P90's metal cover: looks like it's badly routed or cut in the treble side so you can see a bit of the inner black bobbin. This Firebird pickup replica is made by Seymour Duncan. Neck pickup is R6's original but the bridge pickup has been substituted with a Firebird mini-humbucker, just like in Neils guitar. The paint over the wooden stripe makes it an uneven width, like Neil's. With her "skunk-bar" following the body's stripe. Gibson's Custom Shop made a good job with them. The frets that, regarding the legend, Neil never allowed to change, are also '50's, thinner that current. The neck is fat, '50s type though not so "baseball-batish" as in other samples. Schaller M6 keys and part of the clear wooden stripe that runs all along the guitar's back.ĭetails of the logos, roughly painted over in black just like Neil's. Our small toggle switch is wired for the same bypass. This switch is not a, as would commonly be assumed, but rather is a switch that allows Young to bypass the pedals and and send his sound directly to his (a late-1950s Deluxe). Old Black has also been customized with a small toggle switch in the front of the guitar, between original pickup volume and tone adjustment knobs.
The headstock has s routing around the upper edge where the original binding is missing. just a stamped "R6" in the pots cavity as a proof of her origins.
Thus, you cannot see the serial number as you cannot see it in Neil's original Old Black. Les Paul’s from the '50s had the serial number silkscreened, not stamped as the current ones and so are the Historic Reissues like this R6. The headstock has been repainted so the serial number is no longer visible. When a Bigsby B7 is used in an ABR-1 equipped guitar, usually the bridge's post wheels are special. With this strap holder it's very unlikely this guitar can drop.ĭetails of the Bigsby and ABR-1 bridge. Like Neil's the Peace/Dove strap, ours is connected by a push button release. It's a spare part almost impossible to find. The aged switch button is browner than the usual amber. The switch ring is also worn out, as it is in the original. All the modifications has been hand made to make it what is probably the best possible and commercially available replica.The scratch plate, back cavities covers, truss rod "bell", jack plate, bridge pickup ring and P90's cover are all hand made with aged aluminum. This replica is based upon a Gibson Les Paul Historic Reissue '56 Gold Top (R-6) bought new for this project. He has gigged her a thousand times, recorded dozens of themes and appeared in many photos, videos, films etc. That guitar has suffered from many modifications throughout the years and is Neil's main axe. Young acquired Old Black in 1969 through a trade with one-time Buffalo Springfield bassist, who received one of Young's orange Gretsch guitars ( Chet Atkins) in exchange. This is a custom made Neil Young "OLD BLACK" replica made in Washington by Luthier Will Bright.