Geoff Nicholls’ John Birch SG Made By John Diggins Used With Quartz & Black Sabbath

Click on a photo to view full size image

Geoff Nicholls John Birch SG! This is the closest example of Tony Iommi’s Old Boy that was ever made. It is the brother of the Old Boy. And Tony said this as well. Geoff wanted an exact copy of Tony’s Jaydee SG (Old Boy} and had this made in circa 1976 by John Diggins (Jaydee) who was at that time with John Birch. A few more knobs were added on, per Geoff’s request, and the guitar was completed soon after Tony’s was made. It’s made out of a very special light maple body and in the same style as Tony’s Old Boy but without the cross inlays. Geoff said that the maple used for this guitar was originally intended for a guitar being made for Roy Orbison. However, Jaydee decided to use the maple for Geoff’s SG instead. Jaydee put the same pickups that were only made for Tony in this SG and he also had a preamp booster put in as well. As you can see, the finish has gone off just like the Old Boy’s, as the same paint that was used on the Old Boy was used on Geoff’s SG. Over the years, Geoff added several different eagle stickers to this guitar. Before selling it to me, he removed what remained of the two eagle stickers. I asked him, “Why did you take them off?” He replied, “It looks better without them!” Geoff used this guitar on tour and in the studio with Quartz and Black Sabbath. It can be seen in numerous Quartz photos and videos, including “Around & Around,” “Belinda,” “Street Fighting Lady,” and “Wildfire.”