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Solo Tone
Cortez the Killer
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (heavily modified, Bigsby vibrato, Firebird mini-humbucker in bridge)
AmpFender Deluxe 5E3 (tweed, vintage tube combo)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass6.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1975 (Zuma album). Neil Young is known for running his Fender Deluxe amp at maximum volume for natural tube overdrive. No evidence of pedal use on the original studio solo; signal is guitar straight into amp. All details specific to the studio version.
Tone Character(10)
raw and organicsinging sustainlo-fi, analog warmthdynamic and touch-sensitiveblooming, open chordshighly saturated overdrivethick, fuzzy attacknatural tube compressionrich harmonic contentslightly gritty edge
Difficulty
While technically not fast or complex, the solo demands strong control of dynamics, sustain, and expressive phrasing to capture the emotional impact of the original.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
Guitar1953 Gibson Les Paul 'Old Black' (heavily modified, Bigsby vibrato, Firebird mini-humbucker in bridge)
AmpFender Deluxe 5E3 (tweed, vintage tube combo)
Amp Settings
gain8
bass6.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1975 (Zuma album). Neil Young is known for running his Fender Deluxe amp at maximum volume for natural tube overdrive. No evidence of pedal use on the original studio solo; signal is guitar straight into amp. All details specific to the studio version.
Tone Character(10)
raw and organicsinging sustainlo-fi, analog warmthdynamic and touch-sensitiveblooming, open chordshighly saturated overdrivethick, fuzzy attacknatural tube compressionrich harmonic contentslightly gritty edge
Difficulty
While technically not fast or complex, the solo demands strong control of dynamics, sustain, and expressive phrasing to capture the emotional impact of the original.