Tony Iommi was just 17 when a gruesome run in with industrial-grade machinery saw him losing the ends of his middle and ring fingers on his fretting hand.
Django Reinhardt’s ability to keep on playing despite limited digits inspired Iommi to keep going, and he’s gone from thimbles as makeshift fingertips to fully-fledged prosthetic fingers since.
But the prosthetic solution isn’t quite as robust as one might expect. They have their own issues and truly, the problem-solving approach hasn’t evolved all that much.
In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Iommi revealed that he gets his prosthetic fix by bulk ordering full prosthetic arms, chopping off the necessary digits, and Frankenstein’ing them onto his right hand, with strips of leather for extra grip.
Speaking in the latest issue of Guitar World, the Black Sabbath legend has shed more light on the reality behind the hack that has helped prolong his playing days.
“I have to keep the fingertips in shape when I’m on tour,” he says. “I change the leather parts every couple of weeks, and it's a bit of a hassle, but I’ve got used to it.”
He also modifies his string-fiddling contraption to avoid any painful incidents.
“I put tape on those fingers, and then I put a bit of glue on the tape and push the thimble until it holds on,” he explains. “They used to fall off, and it was a bloody pain trying to find them.”
The process is a little crude, but considering the weight of Iommi’s reputation – and the weight of the music he has conjured with Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and as a solo artist – it clearly isn’t holding him back. But that’s not to say his experiences have always been pain-free.
Asked if he could use his injured fingers without their accessories, he issues a blunt “no”. It has happened before. And it was not pretty.
“I couldn’t get through the gig, because I couldn’t touch the strings with those fingers,” he elaborates. “The bone is right under the skin. One time, years ago, when it did come off, I fretted a string and it sliced right through my finger. There was blood all over the place.
“But I can play with the two other fingers – I learned to use my little finger [pinky] in the early days because I had to.”
Iommi’s full interview, as he discusses his first solo album in 21 years, is available to order in print and digital formats.
Head to Magazines Direct to pick up your copy today.
