Nod to The Legend · Happy accidents · Late 1960s
Tony Iommi's Fingertips
Black Sabbath guitarist
Iommi lost the tips of two fingers in a factory accident. He made his own thimbles, switched to lighter strings and later tuned down to ease the pain, and those slack, low, heavy riffs helped invent metal.
Still heard: Down-tuned guitars are the core of metal tone.
Related legends
- The 1176 Limiter: FET limiter by Bill Putnam
- Saul Walker and API: Designer of the 2520 op-amp and the 550 EQ
- Ernie Seeler and the SM57/SM58: Shure engineer
- Steve Albini: Recording engineer, Electrical Audio
- Rick Rubin: Producer, co-founder of Def Jam
- Sound City and the Neve 8028: Van Nuys, California