Acoustic guitar recorded across 2 channels? (Neil Young 1979)

When I listen to this song (Neil Young "Thrasher") on headphones the acoustic guitar has a very full sound. But it sounds like one channel has higher strings and the other has the lower.

Is anyone familiar with this type of recording process? How was it physically done? Thanks for any information.

(Sorry if this clip doesn't have the stereo sound, but I think it should be there.)

 

You can hear a clear distinction between the high strings on one channel and the low on the other. No leakage (or very minimal if any.)

When I heard it in stereo at first I thought it might be two guitar tracks. But on my computer speakers it just sounds like a simple guitar.

Whatever the method, I think it gives it a great full sound for the guitar.

 

It must be an EQ thing then. Can you guys think of any other examples of songs where the acoustic guitar was recorded the same way?

 

I listened to it again and I think it might be two recordings. I didn't think they would try that because I assumed Neil was kind of too "wild" a player to do that, trying to play the same thing twice.

 

Hmm. I think you are probably right. I listened to it again just now and it just sounds like 1 guitar. I used to listen to this album every day over a period of several months during the 80's. I always heard it as one guitar.

I can't think of a REASON that they would want to record two separate guitar parts. If the same thing can be achieved with EQ/recording, that would seem to make the most sense to do it that way.

 

One reason it MIGHT sound like 2 guitars sometimes is due to leakage and general analog mixing (one track might even have a slight delay). In the same way that one guitar going into two amplifiers can sound like 2 parts (I've heard it done on some recording at least once), that might be sort of the same thing we are hearing on this.

Try listening to it both ways: (1) headphones, and (2) from a single speaker or at a distance from 2 close speakers.