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Riff Tone

Cinnamon Girl

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (modded with mini-humbucker in neck, Firebird pickup in bridge, Bigsby vibrato)
AmpFender Tweed Deluxe 5E3 (late 1950s model)

Amp Settings

gain7
bass6.5

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1969 (released 1970). Neil Young's 'Old Black' Les Paul into a cranked Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects on the original studio riff section. All overdrive/distortion comes from amp. Pickup selection is bridge. No effects loop. No pedalboard in studio for this track. All sources confirm this setup for the original recording, not live or later versions.

Tone Character(9)
raw and saturatedthick, fuzzy edge-of-breakupaggressive, biting attackloose, compressed low endmid-forward, honkydynamic and touch-sensitiveno reverb or delaydistinct Tweed Deluxe breakupclassic Neil Young 'Old Black' snarl

Difficulty

The riff is straightforward and based on simple power chords, but requires aggressive picking and dynamic control to achieve the signature saturated, touch-sensitive sound. Groove and timing are essential for authenticity, but no advanced techniques are required.

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