“One of the customs guys in Canada decided he hated Black Sabbath, so he smashed the neck with a hammer”: How Geezer Butler’s P-Bass survived a Sabbath hater’s attack – and ended up on the band's most iconic tracks

Black Sabbath June 17,1970 Geezer Butler at Regents Sounds during Paranoid sessions.

Black Sabbath had their fair share of on-stage antics, internal turmoil, and adventures – and misadventures – throughout their decades-long lifespan. For Geezer Butler, one story that stands out in particular involves his old P-Bass, an angry customs officer, and a hammer.

“[This is] the second P-Bass [a 1968 Precision] that I ever had, and this one did the Paranoid album and the Master of Reality album – so Paranoid, War Pigs, Iron Man, Sweet Leaf, second Sabbath album, the third Sabbath album…” Butler tells Nate Mendel on an episode of Fender’s Lowdown on the Low End.