Tony Iommi calls out YouTuber for getting his tone wrong

A word of advice to all YouTube guitarists out there: your heroes may be watching, and they’re not always impressed by what they’re seeing and hearing.

Take the case of poor YouTuber Circle of Tone, who in August of 2018 posted a roughly 19-minute video originally titled 'Tony Iommi used THIS on Black Sabbath's biggest hit?' in which he made some bold, and, as it turns out, wrong, assertions about Iommi’s tone and general guitar approach.

Which, like most things on the internet, went by with little notice – until now.

In a post yesterday on his official Facebook page, Iommi himself chimed in about Circle of Tone’s instructional video, and he didn’t exactly have kind words to offer.

Don't Miss

Tony Iommi performs live

(Image credit: Erica Echenberg / Getty)

The 25 best metal guitar tones of all time

Wrote Iommi, “Totally wrong information about using my neck pick up for the rhythm sound and using a right handed guitar upside down for the recording of the first album. Where do they get it from.”

Mr. Circle of Tone, for his part, accepted the criticism graciously. In a new comment pinned to his original video, he wrote:

“I just got owned by the guy who invented heavy metal. How is your Monday going? I got stuff wrong on this one. Again.”

Getting recognized, and criticized, by your idol... heaven and hell, indeed.

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.