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Epiphone now offer more affordable version Tony Iommi’s signature SG Special

The affordable model recreates Iommi’s iconic “Monkey” ‘64 SG Special

Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Special

Image: Epiphone

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Epiphone has just released the Tony Iommi SG Special, an affordable signature model based on the Black Sabbath legend’s “Monkey” guitar.

The guitar has a 24.75” scale length, and is constructed with a two-piece mahogany body in a Vintage Cherry finish, and a bound, one-piece mahogany neck with a custom, “Iommi C” profile and a 12” radius Indian laurel fretboard fitted with 22 medium-jumbo frets. Other hardware features include a graph tech nut and an adjustable wraparound bridge, and Grover Rotomatic tuners with contemporary buttons, similar to the original “Monkey”.

The axe’s lean electronics revolve around a pair of twin, chrome-covered Epiphone PRO-90 single coils, each routed to their own tone and volume controls and a 3-way pickup selector switch. The pickups are also wired with premium CTS pots and Orange Drop capacitors, ensuring more usable controls and thus a wider range of tones.

Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Special
Right- and Left-Handed Models. Credit: Epiphone

The guitar finally boasts Iommi’s signature at the back of its headstock, and will come in a hard case, along with a replica of the iconic monkey sticker for owners who want to bring the axe even closer to Iommi’s original ‘64 SG Special. In line with Iommi’s status as a left-handed player, the guitar will also be available as a left-handed model.

Retailing for $999, the guitar is an affordable option available for guitarists who want to pay tribute to one of rock history’s most revered figures. Additional details about the model can be found on Epiphone’s official website.

In 2020, Gibson Custom Shop released painstakingly detailed replicas of Iommi’s “Monkey” guitar in extremely limited quantities – 25 right-handed and 25 left-handed models – at Gibson’s NAMM showcase that year.

The drop was followed by Gibson’s release of the Tony Iommi SG Special in 2021, which takes after most of the original’s idiosyncratic details except some, such as the empty tailpiece studs from its original bridge.

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