Last summer, Gibson unveiled an Artist Collection edition of its Tony Iommi signature SG Special electric guitar.
A more affordable version of the ultra-limited edition Custom Shop run of the guitar that was released in 2020, it was based on the Black Sabbath guitarist's legendary "Monkey" 1964 SG Special.
Now, Epiphone has unveiled a take on the six-string that's more affordable still, while retaining the trademark look of one of the guitars that birthed heavy metal.
Iommi's newest signature guitar features a two-piece solid mahogany body and a bound one-piece mahogany neck with a uniquely rounded profile and a 24.75", 12" radius Indian Laurel fretboard with 22 Medium Jumbo frets.
The SG is powered by a pair of chrome-covered Epiphone PRO P-90s (as opposed to the Gibson Artist edition's wax-potted P-90s, and the Custom Shop version's hand-wound pickups) that are controlled by the same layout of a three-way pickup switch and two pairs of volume and tone knobs.
Like the Gibson Artist version, the Epiphone Iommi SG Special features Grover Rotomatic tuners, a multi-ply pickguard, Graph Tech nut and an adjustable wraparound bridge. All hardware on the Epiphone is finished in nickel, as opposed to the chrome hardware finish on its Gibson Artist counterpart.
A reproduction of Iommi's signature can also be found on the back of the SG's headstock.
The Epiphone Tony Iommi SG Special guitar is available now – in a Vintage Cherry finish, and in both left- and right-handed versions – for $999. The guitar comes with a hardshell case that contains a static cling reproduction of the famous "Monkey" sticker that graced Iommi's original guitar.
For more info on the new model, visit Epiphone.
