Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is facing a roadblock in retrieving his iconic 1964 Gibson “Monkey” SG guitar, which he used to craft some of the most famous riffs in heavy metal history. In a recent interview with Guitar World, Iommi shared his frustration with the Hard Rock Café, which now owns the prized instrument but is unwilling to honor a past deal that allowed him to buy it back at any time.
According to Iommi, the original agreement was made with a memorabilia collector who has since passed away, leading the Hard Rock Café to deny knowledge of the buy-back arrangement. “I retired the Monkey SG because it was too valuable to take on tour, and the deal seemed fair—display it safely and buy it back if I wanted,” Iommi explained. However, despite his efforts to retrieve it, the guitar remains out of his reach.
The Hard Rock Café has since made replicas of the Monkey SG, a rare edition featuring the original’s distinctive stickers and battle-worn look. While Iommi holds two of these replicas, he emphasizes that nothing compares to owning the original guitar he used to shape Black Sabbath’s sound on their early albums.
The situation has sparked interest among fans, many of whom view the Monkey SG as a legendary piece of rock history. As Iommi continues his quest to reclaim this cherished instrument, he remains optimistic about a resolution that will finally bring his guitar home.