Not to make you jealous or anything, but we got to go see the Warren Haynes Band play the Capitol Theatre in New York. And not to make you even more jealous, but we also got to go backstage and talk to Warren Haynes all about his latest album, Million Voices Whisper, his recording process, and his super-cool new signature Gibson guitars that will soon be released.
Okay, you can be jealous. It was awesome.
Warren Haynes’ new album: Million Voices Whisper
That’s right! Legendary Gov’t Mule and The Allman Brothers Band guitarist (and all-around nice guy) Warren Haynes just released a brand-new album entitled Million Voices Whisper.
It’s a rockin’ blues of a good time, featuring some amazing songwriting, soulful licks, and some exciting collaborations.
The standard edition album features 11 tracks. But if you get the deluxe edition, you’ll get four bonus songs. It’s definitely something you won’t want to miss!
Recording Million Voices Whisper
Who are those voices, you ask? Probably all the incredible artists he has gotten to work with over his decades in action!
Derek Trucks, Jamey Johnson, and Lukas Nelson (to name a few) all make appearances on the new album to lend their unique styles to Haynes’ musical concoctions. There’s even a song that was co-written by none other than the late Gregg Allman!
Back when Warren was playing with the Allman Brothers, he and Gregg were in the midst of a songwriting session, and Warren saw a half-finished song sitting on Gregg’s piano. He read the lyrics and liked them, but the song never got finished.
Fast forward to the present, and Warren’s producer sent him a copy of an old Gregg Allman song asking if he remembered it. Of course, Haynes did, and still liked the idea. So he decided to finish the song in honor of Gregg Allman and even recorded it in his style. That song became “Real Real Love” — which is being presented for the first time on Warren’s new album.
As for some of the other “million voices” that make appearances on the latest Warren Haynes album, Lukas Nelson co-wrote “Day Of Reckoning,” and Jamey Johnson co-wrote “Go Down Swinging.”
Of course, Warren Haynes’ longtime friend and bandmate Derek Trucks also collaborated on the album. The duo co-wrote two songs: “Hall Of Future Saints” and “These Changes,” which open and close the album. Trucks also performed on “Real Real Love” paying further homage to the late-great Gregg Allman.
This was the first time the Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks have collaborated in the studio since the Allman Brothers stopped playing — so it’s kind of a big deal!
There’s also a special fourth collaboration between Haynes and Trucks, but you’ll only get to hear it if you purchase the vinyl or special edition of Million Voices Whisper. And it’s the only acoustic track!
When it comes to recording, Warren Haynes likes to play with everyone in the same room. He says you can get a great sound recording separately, but it’s way more fun and exciting when everyone can “stare each other down.”
You can see the live recording session for “This Life As We Know It” — one of the tracks from the new album.
Warren Haynes’ favorite gear
We’re a bunch of gear nerds at heart, so we always have to ask artists about their favorite gear. Not surprisingly, they’re always happy to tell us. Here’s what Warren Haynes likes to play when he hits the road.
Warren Haynes guitars
It’s no secret that Warren Haynes loves his Gibsons. He’s been playing them for decades!
When Haynes played for Gov’t Mule, he says that he used to carry around “too many guitars.” A lot of their songs used different tunings, and they played a different setlist every night. He never knew which songs would pop up, so he always had to bring tons of guitars.
While that was fun and all, Haynes says his days of massive rigs are behind him. Now, he prefers a more simplified setup with fewer guitars and smaller amps.
Touring with the Warren Haynes Band, Warren Haynes typically sticks to his trusty signature Gibson Les Pauls and Gibson ES-335s. His only non-Gibson is a PRS prototype that unfortunately we didn’t catch a glimpse of…
Warren Haynes’ ES-335 is a vintage 1961 “Dot” model that he’s had for over 25 years. He told us that one of his friends owned a music store, and after a show he opened it up at midnight for Haynes to browse around. Haynes had been on the lookout for a “Dot” 335 and asked if he had any in stock. His friend said he had two: one that looked good and one that sounded good.
Obviously, Warren Haynes looked past the beat-up finish and picked the one that sounded good. He sent it to Gibson for a quick touchup and has been playing it ever since! However, he is still on the lookout for a mid-sixties ES-335 for that more aggressive tone. But until then, his “Dot” will work just fine.
We just had to ask why we have never seen him on stage with a Fender Telecaster. Haynes said that he grew up as a Gibson guy and got used to their sound and scale length. Why switch it up if it works!?
He did however have a red Fender Stratocaster back in the ‘90s that he absolutely loved. Unfortunately, that guitar was stolen, and he never replaced it. He couldn’t find another Strat that sounded or felt so good. He’s still on the lookout for it!
Warren Haynes amps
When it comes to amps, Haynes likes two different sounds. As he puts it, he likes one amp to be in the Fender space and the other in the Marshall space. Ironically, neither amp in his current rig is a Fender or Marshall…
His Marshall-sounding dirty amp is a PRS head on a 2x12 cabinet. And his Fender-sounding, clean and chimey amp is a custom Homestead amplifier, also on a 2x12 PRS cabinet.
Haynes said that he used to play the 4x12 cabs back in his Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule days, but now he tries to keep the stage volume down a bit — not just for his ears but also to make a separation between his current project and Gov’t Mule. Although he does miss the rockin’ days sometimes…
Both amps run completely independently. They never play at the same time. He’ll sometimes run them in true stereo during recording sessions, but that’s just too loud for his live shows.
Warren Haynes effects pedals
If you look down, you’ll find Warren’s pedalboard with a few more goodies to create his iconic tone:
- Klon Centaur (we wish we could sell it to you… but we do have some alternatives like the Tumnus, Soul Food, or Archers)
- Stereo Tremolo running at two different speeds
- Boss OC-5 Octave
- DiscumBOBulator Autowah/Envelope Filter
- A few delay pedals
- Texas Ranger
- Owen Rotosphere
His Texas Ranger pedal was custom made by legendary amp maker Caesar Diaz, which is probably why you can’t find it on the AMS website… It’s based on the Vox Top Boost, but it also lets you boost the mids and the lows. Warren Haynes likes to boost the lows to get that cool hum sound that Hendrix used to have, like when you roll back the tone knob on a Gibson.
Other than that, Haynes likes to keep his pedalboard pretty simple. He wants the guitar and the amp to make up 80% of the tone.
Upcoming Warren Haynes Signature Gibson guitars
Warren Haynes’ PRS isn’t the only prototype guitar he has his eye on. He’s a Gibson guy at heart, so it would only make sense that he’d go back to his favorite manufacturer when he gets an idea.
Recently, Haynes has been getting into P90 pickups. He has always played humbuckers, but he told us in the interview, “every time I pick up a guitar with P90s in it, I get some inspiration from it.” And that’s his idea for the next generation of Warren Haynes signature Gibsons.
First, he’s planning to release a Gibson USA Warren Haynes Les Paul Standard. Its red-and-cream color scheme makes it look stunningly vintage, and the dual P90 pickups are ready to tear up any blues lick you can think of. Look for it in early 2025!
The second signature guitar he wants to release with Gibson is a ridiculous three-pickup Firebird. And naturally, the three pickups are all P90s! He loves the tonal options of three-pickup guitars. He says it’s fun to experiment with all the possibilities, and it changes the way he plays.
After so many years on stage, it’s a nice little challenge for him to dive into a pickup that he hasn’t really played much of in the past. As you can see, the future of Warren Haynes’ sound will likely be driven by the sound of P90 pickups.
Thanks to Warren Haynes and Gibson Guitars
It’s not every day that you get to talk to a legend live Warren Haynes. And we learned a lot from our time with him at the Capitol Theatre — and got to watch one heck of a show!
A huge thanks to Warren Haynes for lending us his valuable time and to Gibson Guitars for helping set everything up. Don’t forget to check out Warren Haynes’ latest album, Million Voices Whisper, anywhere you like to listen to music:
Also pay attention for the release of his upcoming signature Gibson guitars right here at AMS. We certainly can’t wait!