Gibson is proud to take the next step in the partnership with legendary guitarist of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and launch the Tony Iommi SG Special from Gibson USA, a new and exciting version of his beloved SG guitar which helped shape the start of Heavy Metal.
Tony Iommi is synonymous with heavy rock, his innovative, de-tuned, dark riffs are considered to be the blueprint for hundreds of bands that followed. Black Sabbath created the blueprint for heavy metal with such incredibly influential, all-time classic releases as their 1970 self-titled debut and Paranoid , 71’s Master of Reality , 1972’s Vol. 4 , and 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath . These albums lifted Black Sabbath to one of the world’s top hard rock bands in the process. Iommi’s guitar playing propelled such metal standards as “Black Sabbath,” “N.I.B.,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Into the Void,” and “Children of the Grave,” which boast some of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history. Black Sabbath has been ranked by MTV as the “Greatest Metal Band” of all time, and placed second in VH1 ‘s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 85 on their “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” while Iommi was ranked number 25 in Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records worldwide. Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won three GRAMMY Awards, two for Best Metal Performance for “Iron Man” and “God is Dead?” Iommi also received a GRAMMY nomination this year for his work with Candlemass. During their “The End Of The End” farewell tour, the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on February 4, 2017 and in 2019, the band was presented their third GRAMMY, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
After an early accident that almost ended his career as a guitarist, Tony persevered to become universally loved and revered. And while Tony’s innovative tuning and playing styles have always been a major part of his monstrous tones, his original, heavily–modified 1964 Gibson SG Special, nick-named “Monkey” was at the center of it all.
“Recently, I was invited to Nashville by Cesar and JC who I must tell you are so enthusiastic and passionate,” explains Tony Iommi. “I had the opportunity to go to the Gibson factories, meet the people that work there, and I saw how dedicated they all are to the craft. There’s no stopping Gibson, which is great for all of us guitar players and I am pleased to now be able to share this SG guitar with a wide audience.”
“Tony Iommi is the true definition of a musical pioneer and as the architect of the Heavy Metal movement, he deserves to be celebrated at every opportunity,” says Lee Bartram, EU Head of Marketing & Cultural Influence, Gibson Brands. “With this guitar, Gibson USA has created the ultimate tribute to an icon resulting in a very cool Gibson SG suitable for all genres of music.”
Now Gibson USA has created the Tony Iommi SG Special guitar based on the iconic original that launched countless heavy riffs. The Tony Iommi SG Special in Vintage Cherry is fully available in both left-handed and right-handed versions and features a mahogany body, bound mahogany neck with a rounded profile, Indian rosewood fretboard with 22 frets, a Graph Tech® nut, Grover® Rotomatic® tuners with contemporary style buttons, and chrome-covered P-90 pickups. A reproduction of Tony’s “Monkey” sticker is also included in the custom case.
Take a deep-dive into Tony Iommi’s 56-year musical journey in the Gibson TV “ICONS” episode with Tony Iommi, Here
and learn more about the Tony Iommi SG Special, Here.
Gibson guitars distributed in Australia by Australis Music Group.
The Tony Iommi SG Special will be available in Australia in both right and left handed models