New TONY IOMMI Signature Guitar Coming From EPIPHONE This Summer

Epiphone has announced that Tony Iommi, the iconic lead guitarist for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame legends BLACK SABBATH, will make a special appearance to sign autographs during the Musikmesse trade show on Friday, April 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Epiphone booth at Hall 4.0 Booth J60. This summer, Epiphone will also officially announce the new limited-edition Tony Iommi signature model, designed by Tony exclusively for Epiphone.

Tony Iommi has created some of the most famous and treasured riffs in rock and roll and is widely acknowledged as the godfather of heavy metal. This year, BLACK SABBATH celebrates the 45th anniversary of their debut album, which has since become a rock and roll classic.

The annual Musikmesse, held in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the world's premier music industry events, attracting the very best instrument manufactures and top artists from every genre. During the four-day event, manufacturers, dealers, and professional, semi-professional and lay musicians get together and look into the latest products.

Iommi discussed in a recent interview with the U.K.'s Mirror how his life is going three years after being diagnosed with lymphoma. The disease forced Iommi and his SABBATH bandmates to work around both his treatments and his recovery periods while recording, promoting and touring the group's 2013 reunion album, "13".

Iommi explained, "After we released the album we went on tour and played 81 shows in 28 countries. I really enjoyed it, but it was tough… Every six weeks I had to fly home for treatment at the Parkway Hospital in Solihull, just outside Birmingham. I was hooked up to a drip and given an antibody that sort of coats the cancer cells and stops them spreading. Then I had to be home for two or three weeks recovering before I could join up with the band again."

Iommi continued, "To make matters worse, flying affects my blood cells now because of the cancer. By the time I got to the hotel I'd have anxiety, the shakes, all sorts of things I'd never had before. It was so bad I began worrying whether I was going to be all right."

The guitarist said it took him two months to recover once the tour was over, adding that he completed his treatment last summer.

But Iommi added, "The surgeon told me he doesn't expect the cancer to go away. There's a 30 percent chance that it could, but more than likely, it will come back and it could be any time. I look at life differently now. I could be here another 10 years or just one year — I don't know."

"13", the first SABBATH release in 35 years to feature Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler playing together, was released in June 2013 and landed the band its first-ever No. 1 album in the U.S., also topping the chart in the U.K. and a number of other countries.

The band intends to work on one more album and head out on a final tour sometime in the next year.