“One of the customs guys in Canada decided he hated Black Sabbath, so he smashed the neck with a hammer”: How Geezer Butler’s P-Bass survived a Sabbath hater’s attack – and ended up on the band's most iconic tracks

Black Sabbath had their fair share of on-stage antics, internal turmoil, and adventures – and misadventures – throughout their decades-long lifespan. For Geezer Butler, one story that stands out in particular involves his old P-Bass, an angry customs officer, and a hammer.

“[This is] the second P-Bass [a 1968 Precision] that I ever had, and this one did the Paranoid album and the Master of Reality album – so Paranoid, War Pigs, Iron Man, Sweet Leaf, second Sabbath album, the third Sabbath album…” Butler tells Nate Mendel on an episode of Fender’s Lowdown on the Low End.

However, its original ’68 neck had to be replaced because of a particularly gnarly incident.

“This got wrecked,” Butler explains. “We were in Canada, and one of the customs guys in Canada decided he hated Black Sabbath, [and] smashed the neck with a hammer.”

Once Butler got to the venue and opened the case, he was met with a couple of unwanted surprises…

Lowdown on the Low End Episode 2 ft. Geezer Butler and Nate Mendel | Fender - YouTube

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“There [were] hammer marks all the way down the neck, so obviously it was unplayable,” he adds. “It was a Sunday afternoon, so the promoter knew a guy that owned a guitar shop. The only bass he had was one of the plexiglass ones. So I got lumbered with that.”

Butler’s beat-up bass neck was quickly replaced with a ’70s neck – and the Sabbath bassist could continue using his workhorse, albeit with a modified neck. And while he used a plethora of different basses throughout his career – including Lakland basses, a Rickenbacker 4001, and custom Martin Birch and JayDee ones – the no-frills ’68 P-bass would forever define his tone.

In a 2024 interview with Bass Player, Butler revealed how he achieved his sought-after tone and why he struggled to find a producer who understood his vision.