Old Black: Neil Young’s 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop was a trade with Jim Messina. Messina was the bass player for Buffalo Springfield and engineered Neil Young’s first solo album. Messina wanted Young’s 1958 Gretch 6120 and Young wanted Messina’s 1953 Les Paul Gold Top.
Now let the hot-rodding begin.
Neil Young replaced the tailpiece with a Bigsby B-3 vibrato tailpiece, a Rowe-De Armond M5-A bridge coil, a shaved ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridge, chromed brass pick guard, truss rod cover plate, aluminum cover on the neck p-90 coil, Grover c-102 Root-magic timers, an ebony headstock facia with creme binding, pearl inlays and a lustrous black lacquer over spray on the entire neck & body. As a work in progress, most of that was replaced and after 50 years, it is still being modified. At his point is is a very famous, well-heard, one of a kind instrument.
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