Warren Haynes has revealed he’s got two Gibson signature guitars in the works – both of which will see the Allman Brothers Band legend lean into his new-found affinity for P-90s.
Haynes is no stranger to Gibsons and humbuckers, having almost exclusively played Les Pauls, Firebirds, and other Gibson guitars throughout his career. He’s also had a few signatures already in the past, including a Les Paul Standard in 2007 and an ES-335 in 2014.
P-90 electric guitars, though, are another story altogether, and as the Southern rock heavyweight explains in a new American Musical Supply interview, he’s planning to make the switch for his next run of signatures.
“I am working on some prototypes with Gibson, an upcoming Les Paul with P-90s and an upcoming Firebird with three P-90s,” he said. “I am about to delve into P-90 world pretty hard.”
As for why he’s decided to defect pickup ranks after all this time, Haynes explains that, although he’s familiar with humbuckers, he finds P-90s to be especially inspiring. It’s a feeling that can be traced back to a Custom Shop Firebird that Gibson once gifted him, which unusually came loaded with three P-90s.
“I have always played humbuckers for the most part but whenever I pick up a guitar with P-90s in it I get some inspiration from it,” he continues. “We’ve been talking about it for a long time.
“When I first brought up that I wanted to do another signature model Les Paul, P-90s became the obvious choice, and they had made me a Custom Shop Firebird one time with three P-90s in it, and I had never played a three-pickup Firebird before.
“It took some getting used to with the middle pickup, but once I got used to that, the tonal options were great. You could get so many different sounds, and so I loved experimenting with all the different possibilities.”
Haynes enjoyed his quirky Firebird so much that he’s used it as inspiration for his forthcoming signature drop.
“I am looking for new inspiration, something to change the way that I play at any given moment,” he reflects. “I love the fact that I have settled into a great sound with my Les Pauls through the years, but it is nice to challenge yourself sometimes – it creates a new spark that takes you into some new direction.”
It's worth noting that triple P-90 Firebirds aren't entirely unheard of, though they are rather rare. In the mid-1960s, a run of Firebird II Non-Reverse models – which have been reissued a number of times – were introduced.
These, naturally, aren't the same as regular Firebirds, and you'd be hard pressed to find examples of those out there that come stocked with a trio of P-90s.
Depending on what form it takes, Haynes' upcoming signature could plug that gap. Either way, it will make for one very cool signature guitar.
Haynes’ guitars have yet to be officially announced, and since it seems they’re both still in the development stages, we imagine we won’t hear anything more concrete until next year.
Head over to Gibson in the meantime.
