Guitar.com is reporting that when Tony Iommi sold his iconic Gibson “Monkey” SG to the Hard Rock Cafe, he did so under the condition that he could buy it back whenever he wanted for the same price, he reveals in a new interview with Guitar World.

However, when he did try to get it back some years ago, the Hard Rock “knew nothing about the deal”, because the man responsible for procuring memorabilia for the company, and with whom Iommi dealt to finalise the sale, had passed away.

“The guy who used to buy memorabilia for the Hard Rock came to England and visited me,” he says. “He wanted to buy some stuff and I said it should be fine. I’d retired the Monkey SG because it was too valuable to me; I didn’t want to take it on the road and risk it getting damaged.

“He offered to buy it and it seemed like a good idea because the guitar could be displayed for people to see and kept safe, instead of sitting in a case somewhere in my storage. But the deal was if I ever wanted it back, I could let him know and buy it back for the same price. It seemed fair enough, a good deal.”

Read more at Guitar.com.

Iommi recently reissued the two albums he recorded with Glenn Hughes - The 1996 The Dep Sessions and Fused, available via BMG. You can order the titles here.

The 1996 Dep Sessions tracklisting:

"Gone"
"From Another World"
"Don’t You Tell Me"
"Don’t Drag The River"
"Fine"
"Time Is The Healer"
"I’m Not The Same Man"
"It Falls Through Me"

"Time Is The Healer":

"I’m Not The Same Man":

"It Falls Through Me":

"From Another World":

"Gone" lyric video:

Fused tracklisting:

"Dopamine"
"Wasted Again"
"Saviour Of The Real"
"Resolution Song"
"Grace"
"Deep Inside A Shell"
"What You’re Living For"
"Face Your Fear"
"The Spell"
"I Go Insane"
"Slip Away" (Bonus Track)
"Let It Down Easy" (Bonus Track)
"The Innocence" (Bonus Track)

"What You’re Living For":

"Face Your Fear":

"Grace":

"Deep Inside A Shell":

"Wasted Again":

"Dopamine" lyric video:

"Saviour Of The Real":