Duane Allman's Three Les Paul's played at final Allman Brothers Band show

Guitar World is reporting on a remarkable turn that took place at the Allman Brothers Band's historic final show at New York's Beacon Theater.  The A Bros. have been playing a run of shows every March at the storied venue enough times to coin the expression Peakin' At The Beacon.  But at their final performance careful behind the scenes preparations took place to reunite the three primary Les Paul guitars Duane Allman played on his key recordings in his short lifetime on stage in the hands of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Longtime drummer Butch Trucks (Derek's uncle) later marvelled at the sight of seeing and hearing Duane's hallmark guitar being played during an undoubtedly beautiful rendition of Dreams.

The first a 1957 Goldtop was played "on the band's first two albums as well as most of the Derek and Dominos Layla sessions".   The Goldtop has been on display at the Allman Brothers' Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia.  The other two Les Paul's have been on display at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on loan from Duane's daughter Galadrielle.

"The guitars’ histories are long and varied. In September 1970, Duane traded the goldtop for the cherry burst after swapping the pickups between the instruments. The cherry burst became his primary guitar, heard on At Fillmore East. In June 1971, guitar dealer Kurt Linhof sold Duane the dark burst, which became his main guitar until his death on October 29, 1971.

 According to Galadrielle’s moving memoir, Please Be with Me: A Song for My Father, Duane     Allman, her mother Donna took the cherryburst from Duane’s apartment after his death and soon lent it to a musician friend—who had introduced Duane and Donna. She asked him to return it when her daughter was 21.

Gregg had the darkburst, but the band’s road manager Twiggs Lyndon was worried about its fate. A classic car aficionado, Lyndon traded Gregg a 1939 Ford Opera coupe for the guitar, determined to hold it for Galadrielle until she was “old enough not to give it to the first guitar player she dated.”