“John was constantly seeking better solutions, which manifested as astonishing woodwork and innovative electronics”: Remembering John Diggins – the luthier who built guitars for Tony Iommi and the first Red Special replica

Though not all readers will recognise his name, it’s likely most of us have heard John Diggins’ craftsmanship – from Paranoid and Iron Man by Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath, to Slade booming out ‘Super Yob’ Christmas anthems on Top Of The Pops, along with any wonderfully dynamic slap bass from Mark King of Level 42. 

Fired up in the ’50s by the genius of Leo Fender and Les Paul, John – who would later become known as ‘Jaydee’ – made subtle improvements to classic guitar designs for many top musicians to play.

John’s roots serving musicians’ custom needs began in the post-war skiffle craze. Deprived of American guitars, as all UK musicians were at the time, he set about making his cheap European guitar playable in his woodworking classroom at school. He then had a military career and travelled the world as a musician in the army. 

I first met John while he was carrying out his apprenticeship at John Birch’s Birmingham workshop in 1974; he was then the woodworking genius behind some superb one-off instruments. 

John Birch had made the first 24-fret SG after Iommi’s requests to various big guitar companies were declined, and John Diggins swiftly built the famous ‘Old Boy’ for the musician on his kitchen table following an invite to join Black Sabbath as guitar tech on their 1975 US tour; the lacquer was still soft when it hit the road.

This model would go on to become Iommi’s main guitar and, eventually, John would also develop the blade pickup, which didn’t fade as the strings were bent away from conventional polepieces.

By 1977, John had founded Jaydee Custom Guitars. He always had an inquiring mind and was constantly seeking better solutions, which manifested as astonishing woodwork and finishes, or innovative electronics, all of which brought in a practical approach calling on his own experience as a gigging musician. 

From the balance of an instrument when worn, to the need for extreme screening in a world increasingly filled with stray radio frequencies and mobile phones, he always found answers to please his ever‑demanding clientele.

Among John’s clients was Mark King of Level 42, with whom he would help revolutionise the sound of bass guitar and make everybody think again about the use of natural wooden-cased pickups – all custom-wound and ‘Supernatural’ with active electronics.

Roy Orbison also visited John to have several custom guitars made, including a three-quarter size S-style for his son Wesley and a half-size T-style for his son Roy Jr. Having performed several services, repairs and pickup rewinds on Angus Young’s SG, John Diggins was commissioned to build a custom guitar, while Brian May’s Red Special also came to him for modifications and improvements in the early days of Queen; John would even make the first Red Special replica. 

In 2020, John and I began to document his long career and this culminated in a book called Jaydee, which comes out later this year. 

John sadly passed away in Birmingham on 2 January following complications from a longterm illness. The Jaydee enterprise continues in the safe hands of his wife, Helen, sons Michael and Andrew, and grandson Toby to uphold John’s passion for great fretted instruments and a great British guitar-making marque.