Tony’s favourite wah pedal is an old Tychobrahe Parapedal. It was made in the early seventies. They have not been available new for many years now although I believe there is someone who has now started making clones called the Parachute.
Tychobrahe was a PA company that was founded in 1969 by Bob Bogdanovich, brother of the famous film director Peter Bogdanovich. They worked with Sabbath on some of their early tours of the US. Their chief engineer was Jim Gamble who designed their speaker cabinets, amplifiers and mixing consoles. He also designed the three guitar effects that were sold under the Tychobrahe name, the Octavia, the Paraflanger and the Parapedal. It was on these tours in the early seventies that Tony was introduced to the Parapedal and he has used it ever since.
It has an unusual circuit with two frequency peaks being tracked by the pedal operation. It also has a dive bomb effect when the heel of the pedal is pressed down hard against the rubber stopper.
They are very rare nowadays and we have a stable of three complete units and a couple of original circuit boards. Here is a picture of it on the studio effects board. It is on the right of the board.
FAQs
Tony's favourite wah pedal is an old Tychobrahe Parapedal. It was made in the early seventies. They have not been available new for many years now although I believe there is someone who has now started making clones called the Parachute.
What amps did Tony Iommi use? ›
Amplification was by Laney GH100TI amplifiers, a Laney VC30 amplifier, a Marshall 2554 amplifier and Laney speakers. Guitar effects were provided by a Peavey TubeFex unit.
What pick does Tony Iommi use? ›
Dunlop Delrin 500 0.96mm Guitar Picks
According to Dunlop's website, Iommi uses Dunlop Delrin guitar picks.
What pedals did Tony Iommi use on paranoid? ›
When recording Paranoid with Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi was playing a Gibson SG through Laney amps with a Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster boost pedal.
What wah wah pedal does slash use? ›
For some parts, he also makes use of a Cry Baby wah pedal ("Mr. Brownstone", "Civil War", "Be The Ball", "Shine", "By The Sword", "Apocalyptic Love") or a Dunlop talk box ("Anything Goes", "Dust And Bones", "Lower", "Get Out The Door", "Watch This", "Carolina", "C'est La Vie").
Did Tony Iommi use a fuzz pedal? ›
Though Iommi didn't use fuzz or distortion pedals in Sabbath's early days (though I've read he started using Tube Screamers in the aughts), a good fuzz with some meaty trebly midrange should get your take on the opening chords of “War Pigs” suitably metallic.
What size strings did Tony Iommi use? ›
For example — Tony Iommi used the following gauges (from high to low) on his SG guitars tuned down to C#: . 009, . 010, . 012, .
What is Tony Iommi tuning? ›
First, he started down-tuning his guitar, to D# and C# standard. This lowered the tension against his fingers, making it easier for him to play for longer periods of time. Iommi and the rest of Black Sabbath found out that these lower tunings also made the music sound heavier, and an entire genre of music was born.
How good of a guitarist is Tony Iommi? ›
He is considered one of the pioneers of heavy metal music and is responsible for inspiring numerous subgenres of metal, most notably doom metal. Iommi was ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the “250 Greatest Guitarists of all Time. Anthony Frank Iommi Jr.
Can Tony Iommi read music? ›
You might think the above guitarists are just an exception to the rule, but there are actually quite a lot of guitarists out there that don't read music. Guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young and Tony Iommi are among some of the notable self-taught guitarists.
While losing two fingertips ultimately couldn't keep Iommi from playing the guitar, it dramatically shaped his sound going forward.
What p90 did Tony Iommi use? ›
This is the original SG that was used on the majority of the original line-up albums and tours. It has been identified by Gibson as a 1965 SG Special. It has a Gibson P90 pick up in the bridge position that was fitted into a metal case by John Birch.
What guitar did Tony Iommi use on Master of Reality? ›
Iommi's "Monkey" guitar, a 1964 Gibson SG Special, was used as his main guitar on Black Sabbath's second, third and fourth albums: "Paranoid" (1970), "Master Of Reality" (1971) and "Vol.
Why does Tony Iommi play left handed? ›
Famously left-handed, Iommi actually lost the tips of two fingers on his right hand in a sheet metal factory accident. To continue playing, he fashioned thimbles out of dish soap bottles to protect his fingers and used slackened, light-gauge guitar strings, thus altering his sound.
Did Tony Iommi use the P90s? ›
I had the pickups potted because they used to whistle, but otherwise I just really liked the sound of the P90s. "And I used to have a treble booster that I would use to overload the amp. And that combination, with the guitar, made my sound.
What pedals did Black Sabbath use? ›
Iommi's Pedals
Iommi is famous for using a Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, although it's not so well known that it was modified.
What wah pedal did Dimebag use? ›
DUNLOP CRYBABY WAH
“Because I used the Whammy Pedal on the rhythm part, I decided to use it on the lead as well,” said Dimebag of the song 'Becoming' from Far Beyond Driven.
What kind of wah pedal did Jimi Hendrix use? ›
Hendrix usually used a Vox Wah pedal alongside a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe pedal, and an Octavia stompbox built by Roger Mayer.
