Jaydee Custom Guitars Tony Iommi Custom 'Old Boy' electric g...

Hammer

£4,000

Jaydee Custom Guitars Tony Iommi Custom 'Old Boy' electric guitar, made in England; Body: aged mahogany with Perspex back plate; Neck: good; Fretboard: ebony with crucifix inlay; Electrics: working; Hardware: good; Case: Hiscox hard case; Weight: 3.46kg; Overall condition: very good

*John Diggins and Tony Iommi first met in 1970 when he was working with John Birch. In those days, Tony used a Gibson SG, which were fitted with a set of Birch's mechanically noiseless pickups. Tony would later go on to use some early John Birch prototype guitars, including the one with crucifix inlays that he used up until around 1980.

In 1975, Tony invited John to be his tech on tour of the east coast of the US. With reluctance and giving into Tony's persistence, he agreed and thought it would be a good idea to make him another guitar as a spare. This guitar could also be used to experiment with different pickups. 

John could not make the guitars on John Birch's time, so he had to make the guitar at home on the kitchen table, managing to complete the project in two weeks. The lacquer was still soft when it was taken out to the US and with the humidity and temperature changes, the paint quickly began to crack and fall off, giving the guitar its worn finish that we see today. The guitar was not given its proper unveiling until John had produced the pickups that provided the sound that Tony was happy with.  

The original Jaydee 'Old Boy' became one of Tony's most used and iconic guitars, however the guitar is now retired and Tony uses a selection of recently made replicas.

This guitar is a replica 'old boy' that John makes to order for clients. It is understood that there is an ever-growing waiting list for this model.