Solo Tone
Voodoo
Black Sabbath
Guitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG 'Monkey' (early 1970s, heavily modded, P-90 in bridge)
AmpLaney Supergroup 100-watt head (early 1970s, likely LA100BL or LA100SM)
PickupsJohn Birch custom pickup (bridge, P-90 style, single coil, high output)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6.5
mid7.5
treble6.5
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1980, Heaven and Hell album sessions. Tony Iommi used his iconic 'Monkey' SG with a custom John Birch pickup in the bridge. No evidence of pedal use for the solo; distortion from amp. No evidence of effects loop or studio pedals. No evidence of live rig for this specific solo.
Tone Character(10)
singing sustainfat, saturated lead tonerich harmonic overtonessmooth, violin-like sustaintight low endarticulate single-note clarityslightly scooped mids but not thinclassic Sabbath lead soundno audible modulation or time-based effectsamp-driven distortion
Difficulty
The solo requires intermediate to advanced control of bends, vibrato, and sustain, with precise phrasing and dynamic control to achieve the signature Iommi lead sound.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarmetal1980s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson SG 'Monkey' (early 1970s, heavily modded, P-90 in bridge)
AmpLaney Supergroup 100-watt head (early 1970s, likely LA100BL or LA100SM)
PickupsJohn Birch custom pickup (bridge, P-90 style, single coil, high output)
Amp Settings
gain7.5
bass6.5
mid7.5
treble6.5
reverb1
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1980, Heaven and Hell album sessions. Tony Iommi used his iconic 'Monkey' SG with a custom John Birch pickup in the bridge. No evidence of pedal use for the solo; distortion from amp. No evidence of effects loop or studio pedals. No evidence of live rig for this specific solo.
Tone Character(10)
singing sustainfat, saturated lead tonerich harmonic overtonessmooth, violin-like sustaintight low endarticulate single-note clarityslightly scooped mids but not thinclassic Sabbath lead soundno audible modulation or time-based effectsamp-driven distortion
Difficulty
The solo requires intermediate to advanced control of bends, vibrato, and sustain, with precise phrasing and dynamic control to achieve the signature Iommi lead sound.
More Black Sabbath tones
- Paranoid · riff
- Iron man · riff
- War Pigs · riff
- Into the Void · riff
- Sabbath Bloody Sabbath · riff
- Paranoid · solo
- Children of the Grave · riff
- N.I.B. · riff
- A National Acrobat · riff
- Sweet Leaf · riff