“For me, it seemed better with Firebirds”: The tuning change that lead to Warren Haynes retiring his Gibson SG

Warren Haynes’s love of a Les Paul might have been recognized with last year’s P-90-laden signature model, but before that, he was once a fierce advocate for another Gibson guitar – the SG.

The guitarist’s three-pickup SG featured on the cover of Guitar World in July 1994 as he posed alongside his Allman Brothers Band co-guitarist, Dickey Betts. But the axe was retired for good when Haynes' needs changed.

As Haynes says in the latest issue of Guitar World, which looks back on that cover story some 32 years ago, he was looking for a sidekick to his Les Paul in Gov’t Mule.

“I wanted something a little brighter and less thick, sonically speaking, to play to get a different tone for certain songs,” he explains.

“I actually didn't play it as much in the Allman Brothers Band as I did in Gov't Mule. The SG sound is a very unique one, and, as with any sound, it forces you to play to what you're hearing.”

It featured heavily on early Gov’t Mule recordings, including the retrospectively released The Tel-Star Sessions in 2016. But its position would soon be usurped by the Gibson Firebird.

“At some point, we had decided to tune down a half-step for certain songs,” Haynes continues. “Which, for me, seemed better with [Gibson] Firebirds, so I retired the SG as they don't do as well tuned down.”

Despite it playing a limited role in the Allman Brothers Band, Haynes says he armed himself with the SG for the Guitar World photoshoot because the guitar was still a new, shiny toy at the time.

“Plus, it looks cool,” he laughs. “Also, the photographer, Danny Clinch, might have brought up doing some shots with that guitar from a visual standpoint. There were other shots with my Les Paul as well [that weren’t used].”

Today, the guitar lives behind glass in “the Big House,” the Allman Brothers' museum in Macon, Georgia.

In related news, a documentary about Gregg Allman is coming to cinemas this summer. It tells the story of his revolutionary work with ABB, as well as his life off-stage, including his marriage to Cher, and the tragedy of Duane Allman’s passing in 1971.

"Blind Man In the Dark" - Gov't Mule (Original Demo, The Tel-Star Sessions) - YouTube

Watch On

Haynes became the latest big-name guitarist to play Jeff Beck's Yardburst Les Paul on stage late last year, but has been left lamenting the time he missed the chance to play with B.B. King.

The new Guitar World issue is out now, and features a bumper cover story on Joe Perry and his penchant for leftfield gear. Head to Magazines Direct to order a physical or digital copy.