In this issue

TONY IOMMI
ON SURVIVING SABBATH AND THE GUITAR THAT STARTED IT ALL.

The Iron Man of rock joins us to introduce his Gibson Tony Iommi ‘Monkey’ 1964 SG Special Replica, an exacting recreation of the guitar that would go on to define Black Sabbath’s sound, while Gibson’s Cesar Gueikian explains how this passion project has been “the highlight” of his life.

THE LONG WAY

Raised by the banks of the Mississippi, Jonathon Long’s electrifying fusion of jazz, blues and country brings to mind Danny Gatton’s eclectic brilliance on a Telecaster. We joined the slick but soulful guitarist from Baton Rouge to talk bayou blues – and pick up some of his best licks…

9 mins

IRON MAN

TONY IOMMI TRULY IS THE IRON MAN OF ROCK. AFTER A HAND INJURY THAT WOULD HAVE HALTED MOST GUITARISTS IN THEIR TRACKS HE BATTLED A CONSTANT “YOU CAN’T DO THAT” FROM PARENTS, RECORD COMPANIES AND GUITAR BUILDERS, SURVIVED A REVOLVING DOOR OF BANDMATES (SINCE 1968 HE’S BEEN BLACK SABBATH’S ONLY CONSTANT MEMBER), AND EVEN BEAT CANCER. TO HONOUR HIS ASTOUNDING CAREER, GIBSON HAS RECREATED HIS HEAVILY MODIFIED SG SPECIAL, THE ‘MONKEY’ GUITAR. HERE, TONY WEAVES THE TALE OF THIS INSTRUMENT INTO THE STORY OF A CAREER THAT, WITHOUT SUCH DOGGED DETERMINATION, MIGHT NEVER HAVE HAPPENED…

10+ mins

ROCK SOLID

We take a close look at Gibson’s iconic SG range from past to present with Mat Koehler, head of Product Development at Gibson, and David Davidson, owner of Well Strung Guitars and COO and curator of the Songsbirds vintage guitar museum

9 mins

JOEY LANDRETH

He’s lauded worldwide as a songwriter, vocalist and guitar stylist par excellence – and he’s no slouch as a slide player, either. We caught up with the Canadian guitarist to find out what makes him tick

8 mins

SE Uprising

They may be a lot more affordable than PRS’s USA guitars, but the SE range is on a roll, epitomised by the new Hollowbody models. We track down the man behind the mark: Jack Higginbotham

7 mins

FYLDE GUITARS

If Roger Bucknall were a chef he’d have two Michelin stars, possibly three. After all, in nearly 60 years of guitar making he’s served up bespoke tonewood recipes to some of the world’s principal gourmets of acoustic guitar tone…

10 mins

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Guitarist Magazine Description:

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine. You'll find authoritative gear reviews, artist interviews, technique lessons and advice. Plus, Guitarist's digital edition now includes all of the same audio and video content as the print edition; available to download from a special area of the Guitarist website!