While a founding member of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi helped inspire future generations of guitarists as he influenced genres like doom metal. He also received praise from Rolling Stone when they placed him on the list of 250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time. Although releasing a few solo albums throughout his career, Iommi watched his success explode thanks to Black Sabbath. And with the musician a part of music history, he recently explained how the Hard Rock refused to return his famous guitar.
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During the early years of Black Sabbath, Iommi decided to use a red Gibson SG that had a monkey sticker on it. Able to hear the instruments of the band’s albums, it soon became an iconic piece of history. And speaking with Guitar World, the musician explained why he decided to give it away. “The guy who used to buy memorabilia for the Hard Rock came to England and visited me. He wanted to buy some stuff… I’d retired the Monkey SG because it was too valuable to me; I didn’t want to take it on the road and risk it getting damaged.”
Although not comfortable selling it outright, Iommi explained how the buyer offered a solution. “He offered to buy it and it seemed like a good idea because the guitar could be displayed for people to see and kept safe, instead of sitting in a case somewhere in my storage. But the deal was if I ever wanted it back, I could let him know and buy it back for the same price. It seemed fair enough – a good deal.”
Where Is Tony Iommi’s Famous Guitar Now?
As the years went by, sadly, the buyer passed away. Wanting to purchase the guitar back, Iommi said, “We tried to get in touch with Hard Rock to get it back, and they knew nothing about the deal.”
Throughout the guitar’s history with the Hard Rock Cafe, Iommi noted how they offered it to Gibson so they could make replicas back in 2020. “I think we did about 50 of them, and I own two of those. I have to say they are exactly like the one I owned, and they are what I used in the studio. They have the same knocks and bumps as the original, plus the little monkey sticker. It’s the same guitar, basically.”
While hoping to get his hands on the original one day, it currently sits on display at the Hard Rock Cafe located in New York City.
(Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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