Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi Receives Replicas of His Classic Guitar From Shop in England
Hard-core Black Sabbath fans know the significance of Tony Iommi‘s retired red 1965 Gibson SG guitar — easily identifiable by its cartoon monkey sticker — to the band’s catalog and touring history.
As the reunited Sabbath moves forward with a new album and tour, Iommi will be armed with two new replicas of the trusty guitar made specifically for him by a craftsman in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, England.
John Diggins, the head of Jaydee Custom Guitars, recently gave one of the Gibson replicas he made to Iommi. A second should be ready in two months.
Diggins has known the guitarist for about 40 years; in the mid-1970s, he made a Gibson SG that Iommi used on the ‘Heaven and Hell’ album. When news broke about his old friend’s lymphoma diagnosis, Diggins said he was shocked, “but luckily they have caught it early.”
“He’s not the kind of person who will just sit back,” Diggins added. “The guitars will keep him busy.”