Gibson has partnered with Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist of Black Sabbath, to create a limited run of the Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG Special Replica, a recreation of the guitar Iommi used extensively on Black Sabbath albums and tours of the 1970s.
Iommi’s original 1964 SG Special was heavily modified in the early days of Black Sabbath, and Gibson have painstakingly recreated every detail of the original guitar for this run.
Gibson honours a legend with the Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG Special Replica – a recreation of one of the most iconic guitars of heavy metal.
Alongside the mahogany body and neck build, the replica features recreations of the iconic pickups, handmade by an apprentice of the late John Birch, who performed many of the modifications on the original SG Special. Other meticulous details include the zero fret, the stop tailpiece bushings and routing holes from the original bridge and tailpiece, and, of course, the famous fiddling monkey decal.
The result of Gibson’s reverse-engineering is a replica that is said to be identical to the original, down to minor cosmetic details. Iommi said of the guitar, “It’s an exact, exact replica of my first Gibson…I’m really amazed how they’d done it.”
No price is available yet, but it is a limited run of just 50 editions, so expect pricing to run pretty high. Notably, the run includes 25 right handed models and 25 left handed models, as Iommi himself was left handed. Each guitar is signed and numbered by Iommi, and includes a replica of Iommi’s cross pendant and leather touring strap, a coffin case, and a remake of a Gibson case from the ’60s.
For more information coming up, keep an eye on Gibson’s website.
