The Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ Gibson SG Special - full history of the guitar that defined heavy metal

Watch and learn about Tony Iommi’s ‘Monkey’ Gibson SG Special which he used in the early 1970s. The ‘Monkey’ SG is a very influential guitar that has flown under the radar a bit compared to the usual Les Pauls and Stratocasters of other big bands. But make no mistake, this is a guitar which created a monstrous tone and defined a music genre all of its own.
This video takes us through Tony’s influences and history of modifying guitar to suit his needs, and details the intricate changes that were made to allow Tony to show his craft and introduce the world to a kind of music that was creative, frightening, beautiful but most of all, never heard before.
List of corrections: the John Birch custom SG is listed as a Jaydee (19:20). And the person listed as Mike Clement is likely Don Bernstein of Hard Rock Cafe (19:50)

[@JoeBat95]

One of the most important guitars in music.

[@thesoftparade435]

"thou shalt not invent metal with a strat" nows that a quote

[@Footbucket]

A while ago, I actually drove about 8 or 9 hours to NYC just to go to the Hard Rock Cafe and see this guitar. It's really beautiful to see in person!

[@historygeek2587]

Lol I'm from minnesota and I'm planing a trip to New York just to see it too.

[@Kampfwageneer]

I was literally just thinking about doing that looool❤😂🎉

[@zandig666]

Nice bud !!!!

[@tony69em]

The most important guitar in history in my opinion.

[@udaypoonia2767]

One* of the most

[@leshreddur]

As a guitar player, I think you did a perfect job covering this guitar. I'm a huge Sabbath fan, it don't get better than this vid!

[@murphyr31]

I agree, very well done video. Thanks for making it for us.

[@richardbrown8099]

Myself and 3 friends met Tony Iommi in a Chinese restaurant in Bristol before a gig in 1974. I'm 63 now, he was so nice to us I'll never forget it.

[@MrSmiley1964]

Tony is forever the man and the reason I own a '61 SG Special. She's been my baby for more than 30 years. But most of all I want to thank you for the information, I learned some new things today.

[@-Atmos1]

the air in Birmingham was full of metal dust in the late 60's to early 70's

[@davidmacleod9313]

I still remember the first time I heard Tony’s lead in Wicked World…I couldn’t believe the speed of some parts! Now, it’s dime a dozen BUT I still remember when it was all new! And when I saw them in Weston at an outdoor concert at York Stadium, when they were just getting started? Holy fk!!!!!!! I was in awe! Geezer’s hair was so long and blowing sideways in the wind is an image I will NEVER EVER forget! I was 16 and just starting to play guitar. A telecaster but traded for an SG. 😊❤

[@07blackdog]

Very well done. I bought Master of Reality when I was in the 7th grade in 1974; one of the first albums that I ever bought. I played it on the console stereo at home. Nothing sounded like that sound. I never saw them live and this type of information was just not available back then. Thanks for doing this.

[@The9thChord]

Appreciate you taking the time to make this informative video.

[@IncendiaDivinus]

WOW !! You outdid yourself this time ..Thanks so much !! And here I thought that I was one of Tony's biggest fan..I learned a lot..Happy Holidays and I wish you a happy new year !!

[@robbievangeenenNL]

Very cool video! Thanks for the research, the time and the effort that went into the making of it. Cheers!

[@marka.200]

This vid deserves more views. Great coverage!

[@howardpage9915]

Well done! Thank you for this history!

[@tomacosta85]

A lot of people used 13 s heavy strings for more tone. Tony used 8s.. Awesome tone. They goes the heavy string theory.

[@jastrckl]

watch?v=wGXj_NQONYM has side by side comparisons of heavy vs light strings. pretty interesting.

[@r1too]

3:10 Toni just did an interview.. He said the swap/trade of SG's was true. In a parking lot.

[@TheChadPad]

I just saw that. That was a great special....an sg special ;)

[@r1too]

@@TheChadPad I Toni ly agree with you. :)_

[@voidburner8271]

swapped for a strat, bought a gibson later at the sessions for their first albums

[@garyp5522]

GREAT video. Prefect job. Thanks

[@TheSterlingSound]

Many comments about Iommi vs guitar. Nobody is arguing that Iommi and Iommi alone was responsible for his music and tone. And Iommi on his strat in 1968 sounds 100% like Sabbath. But you’ll notice that Hank Marvin is known for strats, Hetfield for Flying Vs and Explorers. The start of a new music genre, those primal tone characteristics and early musical perimeters are defined by the original instrument. Even more so because Tony adapted a guitar to accommodate his injuries and restrictions, the guitar became a true extension of himself. A guitar he didn’t really put down until he had a reliable alternative. Let’s recognize the genius of Tony Iommi, and celebrate that powerful tool which created a music industry still going 50 years later.

[@DetVen]

This is excellent, I really enjoyed this as a Tony Iommi disciple.

[@karendizefalo8950]

And there you have it folks!! Wonderfully done Benjamin!

[@stesharr]

Great info,thank you for doing this 🤘

[@paulj0557tonehead]

The SG's horns stabbed Tony's Strat dead! Yay!!!!!!

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Great job. Now I have to get to the NY Hard Rock cafe. Have taken photos of guitars at Hard Rock; Hollywood, San Fran, Budapest, Bucharest, Baltimore, Universal Studios LA, Vegas, and more!

[@Axefiend777]

Awesome Documentary! Cheers!!

[@rafaelsaviolomoreira4426]

Thank you so much for this!🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@daveyboy8907]

Great documentary on this..🤟🏻👍🏼

[@noelduggan72]

Amazing Video, Thanks!!!!! - 🎸🤘😀👍

[@notthesameman]

Great video on the black sabbath guitar thank you, awesome at the end, playing your music

[@tonyiommi2380]

I remember when I first put me hands on that baby. Great times. Helped me a lot

[@mdavis2703]

One thing that doesn't get mentioned much, maybe it does, I haven't followed any forums on the subject is that if you look at every photo of the guitar when Tony is actually playing it, the pickups are actually reversed from the way it sits today. The neck pickup has only six screws and the other one with more screws in in the bridge position. That was the true Sabbath sound. In some of the still photos from California Jam you can see it clearly.

[@TheSterlingSound]

100% correct

[@mattjohnson6916]

FANTASTIC video! I've long hoped that someone would make a video on the history of this guitar someday! Thank you very much for doing this! Something I've long wondered is when the guitar received its zero fret - when John Birch first worked on it, or later after Tony retired it and had the Badass bridge put in?

[@lauratanner8475]

Speculation here, 🤔 But I think he might have been influenced by Rickenbacker on that zero fret along with the lacquered fingerboard. Probably John Birch who did the modification but I don't know when it was done.

[@100jader5]

nice u actually made an in depth video of iommi's axe! didnt expect someone to do so..

[@TheOldBoy101]

Thanks so much for documenting this historic information. I have been studying this for the last 20 years and would say it’s all very accurate. Extremely Well Done.

[@GothicXlightning]

is true when you said that the SG is a underrated Guitar model whoever did the design for it was a very talented and ahead of his time artist i just Adore this Guitar you can just give me that sexy Black custom version of it to lit that dark Metal soul of mine

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Great video!

[@craigthompson7070]

Doin some research I see! Lol. Thanks for what you do as well Johan!! RnR 👊

[@liorauf]

Amazing video!!! Thanks!!!

[@frankgreen178]

I LOVE your channel!

[@muaythai4lifelife]

Well done, this video was something really missed.

[@cornelius5595]

I liked that little jam at the end :-)

[@markpolzer6746]

He moved his bridge up to the pickup, thats why there are extra holes. The unused holes are the original bridge position.

[@officialgmusic]

AC/DC Angus young. The Sg was his primary axe .. have a look into the models he used ;-)

[@zubrycky]

The late and great Dick Dale (another left handed genius that started a whole new musical genre) only had one guitar during his entire life, a strat called The Beast.

[@michaellittlewood3032]

I learned something today. Thank you.

[@Burztur99]

One guitar that was exclusively used for long period of time by one band you say ? Dean From Hell ... Dimebag used it pretty much from 80's till his death in 2004

[@Compact328ti]

Yes like Kenny said it wasnt from the 80’s and on but i tell you a guitar that was used on every album and every show is Bryan mays red special

[@bobbyboy9984]

Would love to see more of these

[@timhallas4275]

That sound is stuck in my head forever. Every guitar I make fails to hit that mark. Now I know why. I make my necks joints too good.

[@morbidrockgod]

Outstanding job! I just got an Epiphone Les Paul Special with tune-o-matic and stop tailpiece. I prefer the single cutaway design for neck stability and aversion of neck heaviness. I hope the humble stock bridge pickup on the Epiphone and my old Java Boost will do the trick, albeit not as perfect as you got it. Cheers, mate!

[@LorentzHaugen]

Thank you!

[@Bazonthebass]

Great stuff.

[@miguelcruz2682]

I'm a lefty guitarist and Tony iommi was ,has, & will always be my favorite guitarist NEXT Hendrix & Paul McCartney ALL but the BEST!!! Lefty's will always be on the map & so will the Gibson S.G.!!!! 🤘☠️✌️

[@jamesbailes9783]

Wonderful documentary

[@MetalMike87]

The first 2 guitarist that popped my mind for using almost exclusively the same guitar: - Chuck Schuldiner "BC Rich Stealth" (at least from 1990 iirc) - Criss Oliva "Charvel Superstrat" (also with odd tuning ... "Hall of the Mountain King" is in DropC )

[@ultimatemetalguitartones]

Tony is the rifflord...

[@DetVen]

He is the God of Riffdom.

[@ultimatemetalguitartones]

@@DetVen the riff master

[@AugustMedia]

Very interesting!

[@leesloan8216]

Francis Rossi's green 1965 telecaster ( once thought to be a 1957/9) is a guitar that is synonimous with the band status quo and was used in every gig and album from 1969 to 2014 when he retired it.

[@kevinfitzgerald4561]

Everyone playing an SG should wear a cape like Tony.

[@zandig666]

Some guitarists are certainly unique !!! Like Ace or Tony they have their own unique sound !!!! Tony's playing and tone are astounding !!!🤟🤟🤟🤟✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@davidmajor4484]

Moving the strap pin to the horn really does help

[@fordprefect4345]

I have a 1966 one of these and from nice clean blues to a flame spitting weapon. So underrated, but what do I care 😋

[@gabrielcallizaya7412]

Pappo's 61 gibson sg was also used almost during his entire career. Check out Pappo's blues vol 1- 5.

[@StuartAlderson]

Angus Young’s 1969/70 Gibson SG Standard. He used that guitar right from when he bought it up until 1978 when he decided to retire it from touring and it’s still used on AC/DC albums.

[@timmmyj]

Confirmed in a Gibson interview that he did swap a right handed sg for the left handed sg.

[@natemendsen1629]

It is also in his auto biography too

[@elinino5275]

Brilliant

[@MrShadowofthewind]

Many thx, btw, never noticed that pickguard was so rough.

[@rubensramalho8077]

In 18:02, What is the amp that he uses at this 1970 Open Air Festival in Frankfurt? It's not the Laney Supergroup.

[@TheSterlingSound]

Rubens Ramalho I’m guessing he had to use the festival back line.

[@Tony78432]

Do you have link to the outro music? Or is that original I need a MP3 download of that. It’s a killer track.

[@TheSterlingSound]

It's an original I recorded with my own Monkey SG.. hopefully will create a video on that next.

[@orokusaki8291]

Great job sir! I've been hoping someone would do a video like this. I noticed that Iommi denied using a right handed SG upside down on the first album, however if you look closely at the pictures of him playing his unmodified SG, you can clearly see right handed position markers. I think maybe the story about him getting it from a guy playing it right handed upside down was true at least.

[@TheSterlingSound]

Wow good catch! Actually hadn’t seen that before. I think what happened is that they produce the necks separately in bulk and then attach one of them to a left handed body.

[@orokusaki8291]

@@TheSterlingSound could be! Although it would be very weird for a right hand body to leave the factory with a left hand neck. I feel maybe the previous owner had them added before Iommi bought it. Either way, interesting! Seems Gibson is getting prepared to release their own version, I wonder who's making the pickups🤔

[@TheSterlingSound]

Oroku Saki hopefully Jaydee - hopefully single coil :)

[@orokusaki8291]

@@TheSterlingSound I sure hope so! ✊

[@mdavis2703]

In his autobiography he says his backup sg he used on first album was the upside down right handed one. Then he met a right handed guy who was doing the same thing with what would become Monkey. That's the way I read it.So it seems he didn't use his monkey one on first album.

[@phildemetro]

Excellent video! Which guitar would Tony have used on “Sabotage”?

[@stanislavmigra]

Tony Iommi and Brian May dont gave a shit about dot inlay, hahaha :D

[@71sabbath]

Great, great, great....

[@davidmacleod9313]

What are “mini humbuckers” used in Firebirds and the odd SG Special?

[@idiosyncraticmushroom3030]

It’s like Curt Kirkwood and his Les Paul covered in stickers

[@InGrindWeCrust2010]

@TheSterlingSound what type of P-90 pickups are in your SG?

[@TheSterlingSound]

InGrindWeCrust2010 They are custom made pickups by Vintage Vibe. P90s in a mini humbucker case.

[@montag4516]

Oh, I had thought that soapbar P-90's and Mini Hums shared the same overall size and same sized pickup cavities. Or is it just the way they mount/screw into the guitar that's different?

[@creamydistortion]

Disconnecting the tone control to slightly boost the output of the pickup is a great idea... Yngwie Malmsteen said he did the same with his strat neck pickup. I am thinking about converting my strata neck tone to a volume to dial it in along with the bridge pickup. I almost never really need the tone control... I don't wanna mess it up, since it's my only guitar and I've had it since 97... But it sounds like a damn good idea ....

[@dennymcfastlane8530]

Leslie West did the same, he disconnected the tone control on all of his L.P. Juniors.

[@Bumbaclot213]

I have a replica of the Monkey decal on my Ludwig 402 in appreciation of my favourite guitarist ever (Jeff Hanneman 2nd)

[@squid667]

1:19 What about Malcolm Young's Gretsch Firebird Jet?

[@GothicXlightning]

to Hell with overrated Fender stratos, just give this Goth Doom Metal man his BLACK SG of Honor thank you Sir Tony Iommi for showing the world how having a true music personality is done

[@guitarded78]

I'm not sure if anyone remembers but Blue Cheer used an SG before Black Sabbath. As seen on their metallic cover of summertime blues

[@wolfman92097]

Jerry Garcia Played Tiger from exclusively from 1979-1989 and used it on and off until 1995

[@ericcarlson5]

Any idea on where to find that Monkey sticker? A replica is fine. Thx!🎼🎸

[@TheSterlingSound]

eric carlson I’ll maybe make some new ones. Stay tuned.

[@freefloydfreefloyd6176]

The most unique sound

[@tommyboyce]

Nice video thanks. The white SG used on Paranoid didn't have a Bigsby though. I'm not sure of the name but it's a different type of tremolo that some early 60s SGs had as an alternative to the Maestro tremolo.

[@TheSterlingSound]

Yes... a vibrola with sideways action

[@j.l.hennig4339]

The infamous sideways vibrola was stock on all SG Standard and Custom models from 1961-63, at the time they were still called Les Paul since they were intended as a replacement for the original Les Paul guitars, only Les Paul himself didn't like the design so he prohibited Gibson to use his name and the guitars became known as the SG (short for Solid Guitar) model from 1963 on. At the same time, the sideways vibrola, which apparently never worked properly, was replaced by the long lyre Gibson vibrola, often erroneously referred to as Maestro, on the Standard and Custom. The Special and Junior instead had a different type of vibrato, which was actually called the Maestro, from 1961-63, afterwards they were equipped with a short version of the Gibson vibrola without the lyre tailpiece. This can be seen at 3:15.

[@RSimusic]

i'd love to know why it had fret markers along the binding where they would be if it were a right handed sg, but the body shape is def a left handed one, with how the contours are.

[@RSimusic]

oh I've just realised the original right handed owner probably put them there.

[@gwEmbassy]

Great info here!!

[@midnite_in_november]

The contours/bevels are so defined and sharp on this guitar they just don’t make em the same

[@Ori0987]

Do you recommend Humbuckers or P90s more for a sabbath sound? Tony apparently used P90 for the Early Sabbath stuff which is what I want but I find that Humbuckers and P90s both work good to get the sound. Which do you think is better?

[@TheSterlingSound]

Helena I think you answered your own question.

[@andreasatlars4281]

I think tuning, string gauges and how you play is just as important. Everything sounds like Sabbath when you tune to C# imho.

[@witoldwitoszek6209]

I believe that Seymour Duncan P90 Phat Cat sounds quite like first Sabbath albums. Or some other P90 pickups based on Alnico II magnets that give that darker and smoother tone. Plus some vintage Laney amplifier.

[@bazookahorse]

Perhaps not quite as iconic to most but both Steve Albini and Bob Weston of Shellac have used the same Travis Bean guitars since their first album.

[@stiffrichard2816]

What you see are not the original pups. They weren't P90's, they were Vox Eliminator pickups re-wired for low impedance with custom-made bezels. Look at the 1970 photos. Those were more narrow.

[@BloodPaladin]

and you forgot to mention the song hes playing in the video "warpigs"

[@jonwilson2333]

Great video! So Gibson are now saying that Monkey was a 1964 SG. Apparently, years ago Gibson confirmed it was a 1965.

[@TheSterlingSound]

Jon Wilson yep, 1965 is what Gibson said a few years ago.

[@zippy0036]

It takes 6 weeks or more to complete a guitar. I have an SG that was serial numbered in October, wired in the last days of November and despatched in January the following year. Is it an '04, or an '05...?

[@extraextra8021]

Ok sorry to ask another question but I've got a 500 Dollar budget on a guitar what type do you think would at least kinda recreate early 70's Iommi's tone?

[@TheSterlingSound]

Any Gibson or Epiphone SG with P90 pickups in them.

[@oldschool1107]

Epiphone SG Special p90s is what you need.

[@Meddled]

At 9:15 it looks like all six strings are the same gauge!

[@DemnRaig80]

That bridge is referred to as the badass bridge. And not allegedly... Tony confirmed in the Gibson TV icons episode.

[@Danlord8391]

Always battling feedback an strings going outta tune especially them being on the thinner gauges.

[@Danlord8391]

What about no1 or "the one" the Jaydee with the amazing paint job by being in a hot car. Least that's what I've heard. But isn't that the guitar with the pickups that the Iommi signature pickups are based on?

[@Danlord8391]

I really enjoyed the video about monkey tho very informative. It amazes me about the simple P-90's. They just look so different cause there not the usual soap bars. Course he didn't have money then to be choosy. You can definitely hear the P-90 tone tho ok the early stuff especially on Vol.4.

[@sotis1756]

Gibson are making a Tony iommi signature run, 25 Lefties and 25 Righties, what do you think about that?

[@TheSterlingSound]

It's been long awaited, especially since the photos and measurements were made many years ago but the project was shelved under previous Gibson management. I am happy for Tony Iommi to get the recognition but I'm still a bit on the fence with regard to the guitar, until I see better pictures. Right now it looks like it has regular size P90 pickups, which is a disappointment. Let's hope that gets fixed.

[@sotis1756]

@@TheSterlingSound yes indeed :) . Yeah they gotta work on that, i wish i could afford one but I'll just order a Jaydee replica of it and then switch pickups and all that :),

[@tyranonaut5469]

Always wondered what speakers he used in the old days. The 74 75 sound with the aluminum domed speakers are either Celestion T1976 or JBL. I heard the old albums like Paranoid were Celestion greens.

[@TheSterlingSound]

Tyranonaut Im quite sure the domed speakers around the Sabotage era were JBLs. But in the early days, those Laney cabs packed either Fanes, Celestions or Goodmans.

[@tyranonaut5469]

@@TheSterlingSound Yeah Geezer is using Fanes at Cal Jam and Tony is using JBL D120s I believe. He still to this day has not verified the myth he used the Klipp on master of Reality either (I doubt it)

[@TheSterlingSound]

Tyranonaut yeah that is out there..

[@matthewf1979]

There is no such thing as “Left Handed Pots”. The only difference between a left and right handed guitar wiring is which outer lug is grounded on the pot. Reverse taper pots are the mirror image of Audio taper pots. Instead of increasing resistance slowly, they start off fast and slow down further into the range. Otherwise, great info on an iconic instrument and artist.

[@daveb9370]

Thank you. I was scrolling down to see if anyone else picked up on that. Simple fix - feed the positive and ground opposite of the way they are wired on a right hand guitar.

[@Djarra]

@@daveb9370 My guess is that it was reversed because of prewiring parts at the factory, like McCartney's Les Paul, and Tony got used to it so Birch kept it wired backward.

[@annihilation777]

Holy shit. That's literally the dark lords axe.