By David Gedge
TONY'S GIBSON SG
Tony Iommi Gibson SG
Tony's Monkey
Gibson Tony Iommi Monkey SG
Gibson has partnered with legendary
Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi to cre-
ate their Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG
Special Replica, a limited edition of his
beloved 1964 Special SG. The Tony Iommi
Monkey SG debuted at the Winter NAMM
Show in Anaheiem California last month.
While Iommi’s innovative tuning and
playing styles were a major part of his mon-
strous tones, a Gibson SG named "Monkey"
was at the center of it all.
The ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG Special Replica is
a heavily-modified 1964 SG Special that was
46 illinoisentertainer.com february 2020
used extensively with the original lineup of
Black Sabbath and heard on every album
and tour of the 1970s. Thanks to the meticu-
lous reverse-engineering and methodical
attention to detail employed by Gibson
Custom Shop, 50 exact replicas have been
created, 25 right-handed and 25 left-handed
like the original, each guitar is signed and
numbered by Tony Iommi himself. No
detail was overlooked in the construction and
aging, telling the complete story of the
“Monkey” from the zero fret to the stop
tailpiece bushings to the legendary pick-
ups, which were hand-made in the U.K. by
the apprentice of the late John Birch.
` “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
factories, meet the people that work there,
and I saw how dedicated they all are. Gibson
guitars have lifted a million times, and with
the new team being totally involved, that’s
what’s been missing in Gibson for a long time
now. There’s no stopping them, which is great
for all of us guitar players,” adds Iommi.
“Tony Iommi's iconic riffs, heavy tones
and massively-influential albums created the
blueprint for Heavy Metal and many other
genres to follow,” Cesar Gueikian, Chief
Merchant Officer of Gibson told the press at
NAMM. “Having the opportunity to work
with Tony to recreate his original 1964 SG is
the ultimate honor for all of us at Gibson.”
Each Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG
Special Replica will include an exclusive
replica of Tony's silver cross necklace with a
coffin case, a replica of Tony's leather touring
guitar strap and a 1960s replica case.
Gibson didn’t reveal a price for the limit-
ed at press time, but expect it be expensive.
We can only hope that sister company
Epiphone will release a affordable version for
the rest of us sometime next year.
Rage Against The Guitar
Fender Morello Soul Power Statocaster
Following weeks of rumors prior to
Winter NAMM, Chicagoan Tom Morello's
(Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave)
unique, powerful sounds - from gentle
rhythms to screaming feedback, require a
very special Stratocaster. The Tom Morello
“Soul Power” Stratocaster – based on the
modified Designer Series Strat used during
his time in Audioslave – features an alder slab
body with binding and a "Deep C"-shape
maple neck with 9.5"-14" compound radius
rosewood fingerboard and 22 medium-
jumbo frets. Other features include a recessed
Floyd Rose locking tremolo system, Seymour
Duncan Hot Rails bridge humbucker, two
Fender Noiseless pickups in the neck and
middle positions, chrome pickguard, kill-
switch toggle, locking tuners, matching paint-
ed headcap and iconic "Soul Power" body
decal in the black Fender case. MSRP at press
time was $1299.00. More details to come in
the next issue of IE.
Guitars! Guitars! Guitars!
R&B Productions Vintage Guitar Show
R&B Productions' Annual Vintage Guitar
Expo on Sunday, March 1, from 10 AM - 4 PM
at the Best Western in Hillside (4400 Frontage
Rd.). Dealers from all over the Midwest will
be buying, selling, and trading new and used
guitars,amplifiers, parts, and accessories.
Admission is $10. Call 847-931- 0707 or email
[email protected]