Gibson is revived a totem of 1970s rock with the limited edition 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue.

The '71 Flying V Medallion has been described by its maker as "one of the most sought-after and historically significant guitars ever produced by Gibson" – and for good reason.

It was a standout in the early hard rock era. Michael Schenker, with his black and white Medallion, quickly became the guitar’s poster boy. Kirk Hammett also has close ties to the model.

The reissues’s recipe is, of course, an echo of the past, with a two-piece mahogany body, three-piece mahogany neck with volute, and a 22 medium jumbo fret rosewood fingerboard and corian nut.

But there’s a touch of premium exclusivity to boot: the guitars each feature individually numbered 1.5” gold medallions.

Tonally, it has a pair of authentic unpotted 1968 T-Top humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets. They’re flanked with two Volume and one Tone knob, and a three-way selector.

Hardware specs, meanwhile, include an ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic bridge with Stop Bar, Kluson Deluxe tuners, and Black Witch Hat control knobs. Its pickup covers are chrome.

Handcrafted in Nashville, the body features a thinner two-piece mahogany design to mirror the original. The guitar is said to simultaneously deliver reduced weight and premium resonance and sustain.

The Flying V Medallion was originally created to commemorate the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, with an estimated run of 350 models produced. That makes it one of the rarest Gibsons around town, which only added to the mythos of Schenker’s monochrome companion.

“The 1971 Flying V Medallion holds a special place in Gibson history,” says Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson.

“As one of Gibson’s earliest limited-edition instruments, it helped establish a lasting legacy within hard rock guitar culture. This reissue brings back the details, feel, and sound of the original, giving players the opportunity to experience an iconic instrument.”

Speaking to Gibson Gazette, Kirk Hammett, who now owns Schenker’s #56 V, likened it to a “religious relic.”

“I spent so much time as a teenager just staring at this guitar on the back of UFO’s Force It album,” he says. “There’s a picture of Michael Schenker playing this very guitar – it’s red, you can see the medallion – and I used to stare at the guitar and go, ‘I need to get a Flying V.’ Little did I know that, decades later, I would have the very Flying V that I was staring at.”

The Gibson Custom 1971 Flying V Medallion Reissue is priced at $4,999/£4,399.

See Gibson for more.

In conversation, 70-year-old guitar hero Michael Schenker overflows with excitement like he’s 20, answering questions with effusive run-on sentences, making sure he expels every uncensored, elliptical thought that glides past his tongue.

This makes for lengthy yet revealing interviews. Each comment is a puzzle piece that helps reveal the full picture of his unorthodox approach to music and business. In short, the message is fairly straightforward: Enthusiasm, self-belief and impulsiveness are the keys to happiness. And he’s got plenty to be happy about.

Late last year, Schenker released Don’t Sell Your Soul, the 13th studio album of originals by his band, Michael Schenker Group (MSG). It’s a grand return to rip-rockin’ form and the second release in a three-album series. The first part of the package, My Years with UFO, came out in June 2024 and featured re-recorded, star-studded versions of 11 tracks Schenker wrote between 1972 and 1978 during his years with British powerhouse rockers UFO.

Schenker decided to record the album not just to play old favorites with Slash, Dee Snider, Roger Glover, Stephen Pearcy, Axl Rose and others. He created it as a history lesson for fans.

“Many people think I was born musically in the ’80s, because when you click ‘Michael Schenker’ on the internet, all you see is ‘Michael Schenker Group’; there’s nothing there about UFO or Scorpions,” Schenker says.

“With My Years with UFO, I wanted to show the songs I created in my developing years from age 17 to 23, because every year I improved my guitar playing and songwriting in some way. So the record reminds me of that and educates all the people who didn’t know where I came from.”

A refresher: Schenker left UFO in 1978 after growing friction between him and vocalist Phil Mogg ended with the guitarist getting sucker-punched – after telling Mogg he’d leave the band if he was ever hit. Schenker’s first offering with Michael Schenker Band was 1980’s self-titled album, and over the next four years (their most prolific era), MSG released three more studio records and two live albums.

Don’t Sell Your Soul revisits the driving and highly melodic style Schenker last showcased on 2022’s Universal and reflects the guitarist’s songwriting MO – “freedom of expression” – a technique that prioritizes spontaneity over premeditation, authenticity over trend, and instinct over theory.

“I’ve never known about anything technical,” Schenker says. “When I put a musical sketch together for a song, I can’t say if it’s major or minor. People say I switch between the two, but I don’t know. Maybe I play parts of scales, but I don’t know the names of them or the modes or whatever. I just don’t care about that stuff.”

While Schenker was working on Don’t Sell Your Soul, he was writing more experimental and atmospheric songs for Freedom of Expression, the third album of his trilogy.

Originally, that album was going to be instrumental, but when producer and singer Michael Voss impulsively added vocals one night, then played them for Schenker, the guitarist liked the way they complemented the song, and the direction of the album abruptly changed. Suddenly, Voss was singing across the tracks.

“I’ve always believed in doing exactly what I feel like,” Schenker says. “That’s freedom of expression. If I did something just because it was what people expected, or if I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul.”

Reflecting over the past 50 years, Schenker admits there were times he easily could have hopped the money wagon for a quick cash grab. When Uli Jon Roth quit Scorpions in 1978, Schenker returned to the band (of which he was a member between 1972 and 1974) to work with them on Lovedrive, but he didn’t stay.

After Randy Rhoads died, Schenker was the first guitarist Ozzy Osbourne approached, but he decided to pursue his own vision instead of following the Prince of Darkness.

“With Scorpions, I helped them out as a gesture to my brother [Rudolf],” Schenker says. “They were lost; they couldn’t do an album, so I worked with them as a jump-starter. And when Ozzy approached me, there was an inner warning light that said, ‘Don’t do that because you have just left UFO and Scorpions.’

“I had time to digest my situation and the message was clear to me. I wanted to carry on doing my thing and purely self-express, and not run after a trend, which Scorpions and UFO had been trying to do since I left.”

As for Don’t Sell Your Soul, the songs are rooted in the propulsive, driving riffs and neo-classical-tinged leads of classic MSG (Schenker used his old black Gibson Flying V for most takes), but with some production twists that make the songs more modern-sounding.

If nothing else, Don’t Sell Your Soul is an affirmation that Schenker continues to follow his instincts, whether that means foot-stomping anthems, heartstring-tugging love songs or rhythmically off-kilter cuts that defy dancing.

Between musings about the power of music and the best ways to achieve peace of mind, Schenker talked about each song on Don’t Sell Your Soul and explained how plugging in for another MSG album is like putting on a favorite pair of shoes.

1. Don’t Sell Your Soul

I wrote that in my head before I even picked up the guitar. I was humming a part and imagined a guitar to it, which is a rare way for me to work. I was on tour and I was driving, and I had time to contemplate things.

When I eventually picked up a guitar, the song kept progressing step by step, and it kept me going. I used a wah in it, and I haven’t used a wah-wah for a long time.

For some reason, I wanted to hear that sound, and I used it in some other songs, too. Michael Voss wanted to put delay and other effects on it, but I said, “Nah, I want to hear that rough sound,” so I kept it dry on purpose. It’s a very personal song about my story, which is why I wrote the lyrics, which I also rarely do.

2. Danger Zone

I collect gold pieces. I bump into them as I play guitar and when I’ve found one, I put it aside. For Danger Zone, I went back to one of these pieces of gold and used it to start the song. That inspired me to write the bridge and chorus parts.

It’s interesting because when I write riffs, I don’t know what songs they’re for. And then I start randomly putting them together. I don’t even look for the best piece of gold, I just start playing something in my collection, and if it works I use it. If it doesn’t, I reach for something else.

3. Eye of the Storm

I put together a sketch for the song, but then after Bodo [Schopf] put down his drums, there was more feel to it. I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to use the guitar parts I had put down. The next time I came into the studio, Michael Voss played the track back for me so I could hear how it sounded and evaluate it.

He had already worked on it, and the way he put it together sounded very unique, so I didn’t feel like I needed to do anything to it anymore. It didn’t stick out as a lead guitar song. It was more atmospheric and interesting. I said, “I think what I did yesterday is perfect.”

4. Janie the Fox

It’s a spooky song right from the beginning because it’s different. I think I was inspired by doing the acoustic instrumentals we started out with for Freedom of Expression. But I mixed together cleaner sounds with a distorted riff I had written, and that’s where the atmosphere comes from.

Michael took advantage of that, and then one night after I left the studio, he had a spiritual experience. He was working on the vocals and when he looked outside of his big glass window, there was a fox looking in. Michael looked at the fox, and the fox looked at Michael – right into his eyes.

He explained later that he felt like he was completely in tune with nature, so he wrote the lyrics and vocals. And that created a contrast because the beginning is more wild and spooky, and in the chorus he sings so melodiously and it’s beautiful.

5. I Can’t Stand Waiting

I put down a riff I had from my pieces of gold. I did verse, bridge, chorus. And then Michael did something with it, and when I came in the next day, he played me what he had. It was great, but it was catchier than what I did because Michael is a trendy guy.

It’s only me who does pure self-expression. When I put my music down, there’s a sketch. And then when all these people join in, they’re coming from a different world.

6. Sign of the Times

That was a fun song. I did this kind of palm-muted arpeggio that’s just part of what I do. I’ve used it for a long time to figure out how to use strings in different ways. And that goes along with the vocals and becomes a big part of the song.

7. The Chosen

When I did it, the fast part in the end came out of nowhere. It’s quite a spooky song. You have all these clean guitars in the background, and there’s off-time parts that just aren’t resolving.

While I was doing it, I had this vision of those Tom and Jerry cartoons where the cat is chasing the mouse. I thought it would be great to create this vision of somebody being chased and running away.

8. It’s You

That’s the only other song I wrote in my head and didn’t have a guitar when I came up with it. I can’t even describe what I did to make the feeling that’s in the song, where it’s maybe sad, but happy. It was just a feeling that comes out in the riffs.

There’s a story in between the riffs, and I’m playing along with it, I guess, and naturally capturing the feeling of it. I think the rock riff I played makes it more upbeat, but I didn’t think about doing that. It happened on its own.

9. Six String Shotgun

I put a musical sketch together that was instrumental. There was nothing particularly special about it. Then, [guest vocalist] Robin McAuley [McAuley Schenker Group] wrote the lyrics.

He told me it was called Six String Shotgun, and I thought maybe it was about someone shooting somebody. But maybe that’s ironic. There’s a reason Robin wrote those lyrics. I don’t have anything to do with that part, and sometimes the music has nothing to do with the music.

10. Flesh and Bone

It has a very hard-rock sound – not to balance a slow song or anything; I was just self-expressing. I wouldn’t express something I don’t want to do. So, obviously, everything I want to do is put on a recording because that’s what I want to work on and hear and let other people hear.

11. Surrender

There’s a gallop in that song. It’s funny because I once read one of the guys in Iron Maiden say they invented the gallop. First of all, the gallop was already there if you look at TV shows like Bonanza.

Also, the gallop was done a long time ago in rock; I played it in [UFO on] Lights Out. It’s just something I’ve always liked to do. It has this adventurous kind of sound that works well sometimes. It’s in my blood, and it’s the beat that never resolves, so you can’t really dance to it.

• Don't Sell Your Soul is out now via earMUSIC.
• Michael Schenker Group’s six-disc box set, Live & Ready: 1980–1984 is out now.
• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Michael Schenker has opened up on why he turned down Ozzy Osbourne, after the Prince of Darkness earmarked him as a potential Randy Rhoads replacement.

After Rhoads’ tragic death in 1982, Ozzy began reaching out to electric guitar players to find a suitable successor. The likes of Richie Ranno and Vito Bratta were asked to audition, and Brad Gillis and Bernie Tormé both briefly held down the role before Jake E. Lee was eventually appointed.

But before Lee was brought aboard The Good Ship Ozzy, Michael Schenker was mooted for the position. However, as the Scorpions legend explains in the new issue of Guitar World, the opportunity wasn’t the right one for him.

At the time, Schenker was coming off the back of stints in UFO and Scorpions, and was a few years into his solo career with the Michael Schenker Group. Joining another high-profile band just wasn’t on the cards for him.

“With Scorpions, I helped them out as a gesture to my brother [Rudolf],” Schenker says. “They were lost; they couldn’t do an album, so I worked with them as a jump-starter.

“And when Ozzy approached me, there was an inner warning light that said, ‘Don’t do that because you have just left UFO and Scorpions.’

“I had time to digest my situation and the message was clear to me. I wanted to carry on doing my thing and purely self-express, and not run after a trend, which Scorpions and UFO had been trying to do since I left.”

“I’ve always believed in doing exactly what I feel like,” Schenker adds. “That’s freedom of expression. If I did something just because it was what people expected, or if I stopped what I was doing because I was blinded by fame and money, that would be selling my soul.”

Schenker isn’t the only high-profile guitar star to have been linked with the coveted Ozzy spot. Over the years, the likes of Marty Friedman and Nuno Bettencourt were also close to joining the band.

Head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar World, which features interviews with Randy Bachman, Jerry Cantrell, Jimmy James and more.

Gibson has officially unveiled a Gibson Custom reissue of Michael Schenker’s half-and-half 1971 Flying V, following almost 18 months or rumors and teases.

The former UFO and Scorpions guitarist signed with Gibson back in 2024 after a prolonged spell with Dean, confirming at that time that a signature guitar was in the works. Patience, then, has been a virtue, and for those who have waited for the guitar with baited breath will have to be quick, as only 50 are being made.

It is, of course, inspired by his iconic Medallion Flying V, which originally had a Cherry Red finish. Its well-known Beetlejuice-esque design was its third makeover after a stint in all black. Naturally, Gibson has gone to excruciating lengths to recreate a guitar that defined the first three UFO albums, which Schenker himself has recently revisited with the help of Slash.

As such, the Gibson Custom Michael Schenker 1971 Flying V Collector’s Edition sports a mahogany body, while its three-piece mahogany neck gets a slim artist profile and volute. Capped with a one-piece rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and cellulose dots inlays, as it lovingly mimics the OG.

The headstock, which continues the split-color motif, is iced with Schaller M6 tuners and a corian nut. It’s completed with the recreation of a war wound on its flip side, for extra faithfulness.

On the other side of the neck, twin Alnico 5 magnet T-Top humbuckers have the bark, “bite and clarity,” of Schenker’s beloved workhorse. They’re wired with dedicated Volume controls and a shared Tone knob, which uses 500k CTS potentiometers. A three-way Switchcraft toggle rounds completes the electronics.

Its limited availability – 50% fewer than Gibson Custom’s new Mick Ronson-honoring run – makes these guitars as rare as rocking horse droppings, but for Schenker, it completes a poignant full-circle moment.

“I was always getting everything second-hand, whatever my brother didn’t use anymore,” he says of his early playing days alongside Rudolf.

“I was 16 years old, and I broke a string at a show. My brother was playing a V, and I had to take a solo, and he quickly gave me his guitar. That's when I noticed there was something about my guitar and my amplifier. I went, ‘Wow!’

“It's a strange thing how everything comes back,” he continues. “It's the 50th anniversary of UFO, which is the beginning of this guitar, so I'm celebrating both things at the same time.

The electric guitars, priced at $16,999 apiece, are all hand-signed by Schenker, and arrive in a custom replica flight case featuring Michael Schenker Group graphics.

See Gibson for more.

Elsewhere, Michael Schenker has discussed rerecording UFO with Axl Rose, triangle guitars, and why there are no bad playing habits, opened up about the development of his killer vibrato technique, and jammed a UFO classic with Slash.

Rudolf Schenker was 17 when he founded the Scorpions 60 years ago. He was and is a guitar player – but his dream extended far beyond that. “I wanted to be one of the top 30 rock bands in the world,” he says.

Classic albums like 1976’s Virgin Killer, 1979’s Lovedrive, 1982’s Blackout, and 1984’s Love at First Sting saw Schenker fulfill that dream, and it’s continuing.

“The chemistry in the band is great,” the 77-year-old says. “That’s the most important thing. We haven’t had to suffer. We have the right people, and everything is good.”

That chemistry goes hand-in-hand with the Scorpions’ longevity. His longtime partners in crime are vocalist Klaus Meine, who joined in ’68, and Matthias Jabs, who joined a decade later. Jabs brought harmony to the band after previous guitarists Michael Schenker (Rudolf’s younger brother) and Uli Jon Roth offered anything but.

“This only worked because we have the right team,” Schenker says. “With that, you can make magic.”

What led you to pick up the guitar?

That’s hard to say! I asked my father when I was 16 if I could get a small motorbike and he said, “No way. I don’t want you to kill yourself!” I said, “If you won’t buy me a motorbike, maybe you can buy me a guitar.”

He came to me with a Framus guitar as a present. I ordered a teaching book from Holland and started playing chords. I had a feeling – “I don’t want to be alone on stage with this instrument. I want to be in a band.”

I started rehearsing pieces that were about three minutes long. Near where I lived, there was a club where, every Saturday and Sunday evening, there were bands playing. There was once called The Mushrooms, and that’s when I saw Klaus Meine.

So by 1968 I’d met Klaus and I was talking to him after he came back from the army. He was the right person – I saw immediately that he was my partner. He’s born under Mercury on the sun side and I’m born under Mercury on the moon side, so the cosmos were already with us.

That helped create a great compositional team. From that point on, I was extremely into the possibility of getting a record deal, which we did with Metronome. And then we recorded Lonesome Crow.

At that point, you also had your younger brother, Michael, in the band. What was your vision?

The goal was to become one of the 30 most important rock bands in the world. And the goal was to put people together who would build the right chemistry. Because if you have success, the people in the band can go high, where you can’t catch them anymore. Egos are very dangerous.

Is that what happened with Michael when he joined UFO?

Yeah; my brother left for England to be in UFO, and we had no guitar player, so I had to find a new one. The guy from our publishing company said, “Without your brother, you’re nothing.” I said, “Yeah? Want to see?” And we got Uli Jon Roth in the band.

With Uli, the Scorpions started to break through. You also started working with producer Dieter Dierks, who helped make the band’s sound more accessible.

My feeling was that we had to have a German producer. Uli Jon Roth wanted someone else, but we got Dieter, and he started working with us to get an international sound. We did one album after another, and in 1982, we had a hit with No One Like You, which was killer in America. It was the most played rock song in 1982.

Why do you think things didn’t work out with Uli?

Uli was very into Hendrix. We were playing in England, and we were in a speakeasy in London. While we were sitting there eating, Uli kicked me and said, “Look, that’s Monika Dannemann!” She was the last girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix.

Uli said, “What can I do?” I said, “Invite her to the concert we’re playing tomorrow.” So she went to the concert and Uli was in heaven, playing amazing because he was in love with Monika!

So he started going to think about this solo thing, and we said, “Do us a favor – let’s finish this part of the tour with a live album.” We thought it would be a great testament for later; but he said, “No, no, no!” Then he said, “Okay; because I had a good time with the Scorpions, let’s do it,” and we did it.

What led to Matthias Jabs joining?

I saw him at a concert in England but I didn’t talk to him then because it was too loud. I called him later and asked him to jam a little bit with us. We thought, “It’s great – it’s the perfect person.” Before that we’d checked out around 100 guitar players in London. Matthias was from Hanover, he knew a few of our songs, and he played well.

Since you had Matthias, why did Michael rejoin for the Lovedrive album?

For Matthias it was a very big step. My brother was on his honeymoon, and I called him, saying, “I’m here in Germany now. Can you come over and listen to the music?” We played him the parts that we couldn’t really fill. He played them, and he got a certain percent of the income from the album, and we had three guitar players on the album – which was very good!

Why did Michael leave again?

My brother couldn’t stay. He’s not a band guy. He’s like Jeff Beck; he’s not a team person. But Matthias is, and that’s what we were looking for. We found out we didn’t need a superstar; we needed a piece that fits into a puzzle. So we went on tour in Japan with Matthias and it worked out perfectly.

What was the recipe for your guitar tone on hit songs like No One Like You and Rock You Like a Hurricane?

The tone is the Flying V and a Marshall amplifier. But I found out that when I play on a Fender amp, it still sounds like me with the Flying V. The way you click the strings of the guitar is part of what makes the sound – that’s something that people always forget. We checked out a lot of amplifiers but the Marshall always sounds really good.

What led you to the Flying V?

I saw a picture of one and I said to my brother, “Do you think it would be too much for a rhythm guitar player?” He said, “No!” He had to go to Hamburg to pick up a Les Paul, which he’d ordered from America. He called me from there and said, “There’s a Flying V!”

It was a red one with the metal plate on it. I went up to Hamburg, checked it out, and thought, “This is fantastic!” I told them, “I have no money,” and they said, “It’s no problem – send 100 German marks until you’ve paid everything off.”

I think there’s a video of me playing that guitar with my brother, who’s playing his Les Paul. But he immediately sold it because it was too heavy! He couldn’t move, jump, or stuff like that.

Is it true that Michael ended up taking your guitar and making it his first Flying V?

We had a gig and he had no guitar. The only guitar I could find for him was a Gibson Melody Maker, but he said, “It’s not good enough.” I said, “Okay, take my guitar, the Flying V.”

Then, I said, “Maybe try a 50-watt Marshall.” So the end result was that I played rhythm guitar with the Melody Maker, and my brother played the Flying V. And when he came off the stage, he said, “I can’t give it back. It’s too good.” For my brother, I did everything I could… and still failed anyway!

But as the rhythm player, the Flying V was, at the time, making me look like a big deal. That wasn’t my thinking of what music was about, you know? So my brother took the guitar and left. And the first thing I did was buy a Flying V! It was just clear that it’s my guitar – like it was made for me. I started playing, and I thought, “You know, we have something special here.”

That story is a reminder of the relationship that you and Michael had. The perception is that you two don’t get along, but it’s probably more complex than that. Do you wish things were different, and that he’d stayed in the band?

Because I meditated so much, I learned about people. And I learned about my brother, and that he’s not a team player. He shines by himself. You could see it in UFO where he was running away – he was running away from the Scorpions.

And there’s great stuff that comes out of him; great things. But he’s not handleable. He has to make his own vision and his own direction. That’s the way it is with most lead guitar players at this level. For me, the band was about playing and having fun. Having Michael in the band was no fun, and a little bit stressful.

How do you hope to be remembered as a guitarist?

I’ve already won as the creator of the Scorpions! But I want to be remembered as a team player more than for playing. And for composing great, outstanding songs, and playing with the band around the world.

I’ve had people say, “You have to put your money here or there.” I’d say, “No, I don’t want to work with money. I want to work with music.’ If you concentrate on money, you’re losing the connection to the music.

You remember some people for investing money here and there; but I don’t want to make investments and stuff like that. I want to be a musician. I want to have the right people around me and just enjoy life on the planet.

• Catch the Scorpions on tour.

NAMM 2026: Gibson is celebrating 50-plus years of building electric guitars out of its Nashville, Tennessee headquarters with its 2026 roster, while simultaneously honoring “the blood, sweat, and tears” that have gone into their creation.

Founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1894, the firm relocated to Music City in 1975, and it says it's arrived at NAMM 2026 with “a powerful statement of innovation, craftsmanship, and artist-driven purpose.”

That translates into brand-new acoustic and electric models, a glut of signature guitars of all shapes and sizes, and cut-price access to one of its most celebrated pickup designs.

’50s- and ’60s-inspired Gibson Custom

It’s a three-pronged launch for Gibson Custom, as ES-330 reissues, ’50s- and ’60s-inspired ES-330s, and Les Paul Studio Double Trouble models rear their headstocks.

The ES-330, a thinline hollow-body electric guitar with twin f-holes, makes its Gibson Custom return after eight years in the dark. Saddled with P-90 pickups, which are having a bit of a glow-up right now, there are 1959 and 1962 ES-330 reissues, both of which are handcrafted by Gibson’s Nashville-based artisans, with “two distinct flavors in vintage-inspired colorways.”

Its center-block-loaded brother, the ES-335, also gets a look in, with these versatile guitars built using the same ES laminate press as the '50s and '60s originals they're inspired by. Again, vintage-inspired colorways feature, alongside a host of period-correct details, including their plastics, neck shapes, and pickups.

Both the ES models will be released in summer 2026.

Gibson Les Paul Studio Double Trouble 

After Gibson brought the Les Paul Standard ‘50 and ‘60s Double Trouble models to market last year, to much excitement, they’re now getting a Gibson Studio reimagining.

They’re based on the streamlined Les Paul Studio platform, but still feature Double Classic White Burstbucker Pro pickups with coil taps pre-loaded for snappier sounds. That’s a move that brings the celebrated pups to a record-low price point of $1,599, which is pretty big news.

The Double Troubles are coming in spring.

New signature guitars for vintage virtuosos and next-gen magicians

Gibson’s signature guitar range across 2026 is as much about honoring established legends as it is about celebrating those taking the electric guitar into the future.

That one-two is perfectly exemplified by a meticulously recreated Mick Ronson 1968 Les Paul Custom, for David Bowie’s late great foil, and a “soulful” new Gibson Custom ES‑355 for the Eric Clapton-approved Gary Clark Jr. It will be a limited edition run of the guitar he had custom-made for him six years ago, and a cheaper Epiphone model will follow.

As was teased by the former UFO and Scorpions man last year, there’s a reissue of the Michael Schenker 1971 Flying V, and yes, it’s got his trademark Black and White, Beetlejuice-esque Medalion colorway.

And at long last, a signature LP for Lamb of God’s Mark Morton is on the way. The Les Paul Modern Quilt has been thoroughly road-tested by the riff monster for several years now.

Legacy acoustics

For its new acoustic guitars, we’re headed 100 years into the past. The Gibson Century Collection serves up “a sound you can feel in your bones,” in light of the 100th anniversary of its flat-tops.

The guitars harken right back to then, with the no-frills 12-fret instruments “channeling the minimalist elegance of early 20th century design,” and an intimate playing experience. They’re expected in spring.

There’s also the return of the Gibson L-1, which was first introduced in 1902 and reinvented as a flat-top in 1926. An instrument that “has an indelible link to the blues,” it is limited to a 100-strong run and arrives with a Cremona Burst lacquer finish.

Its thermally aged red spruce top is partnered with mahogany back and sides – another historic 12-fret construction – and a 25” scaling, a bound ebony fingerboard, and a mother-of-pearl script headstock logo.

Honoring the craft

In 2026, Gibson says it wants to celebrate the people behind its guitars as much as the instruments themselves.

“We want to tell the handcrafted element of this, which is all of the work, the blood, sweat, and tears that go into these guitars,” Gibson's Mat Koehler tells Guitar World at NAMM 2026. “These are not guitars that go into machines that spit out guitars; they start as trees, and are finely crafted instruments.

“There are so many great stories within our crafteries, and that's going to be a huge focus for us this year – to finally start telling not only the stories of how the guitars are made, but the people behind them.”

There’s a lot of information to take in, then, but there’s also a lot to celebrate. With Gibson making inroads in Reverb’s best-selling guitars list of 2025, could this new collection improve its footing further still?

• Correction: January 24, 2026 – This article was updated as it initially incorrectly listed the Double Trouble Les Pauls as Gibson Custom, not Studio line, products.

At the time of writing, the Scorpions are set to round off a triumphant year with Coming Home Live, recorded at their 60th anniversary show, in their hometown of Hanover, Germany, last July.

This in-concert set is their second double album of 2025, arriving hot on the heels of From The First Sting, a career-spanning compilation showcasing the Scorpions’ unique ability to infuse radio-friendly hard rockers and cheese-free ballads with a standard of lead guitar work that's inspired countless aspiring six-stringers, and dazzled concert audiences.

In 2015, founding guitarist Rudolf Schenker told this writer of his original vision for the band; “When I started the Scorpions, it was very naive, thinking, four or five friends traveling around the world to play music. This philosophy of looking for good musicians, but also people I can build a friendship with, is why we're still standing. [Don’t] push the ego, push the vision.”

Schenker's team-centered vision has seen him devote himself to driving the Scorpions with a propulsive rhythm guitar attack, and to developing their crafted songwriting style, providing the perfect musical backdrop for lead guitarists Michael Schenker (1969-1973, 1978-1979), Uli Jon Roth (1973-1978), and Matthias Jabs (1979 to the present day) to shine.

Crucially, the Scorpions’ song-focused approach has required these players (along with Rudolf himself, on the rare occasions he plays a lead break) to showcase their distinctive styles with a concise blend of taste and technique appropriate to the setting.

Any rock guitarist seeking pointers on how to tailor a solo to serve the song would do well to investigate the Scorpions’ back catalog. With this in mind, let’s look at what each of the band’s six-string stingers has brought to the party through the years.

Michael Schenker – 1969-1973, 1978-1979

Michael's relationship with his elder sibling has been frosty of late. Nevertheless, many fans still associate him with his brother's band, as his two stints in the Scorpions resulted in albums that captured his playing at two pivotal stages.

Today, Michael invariably tells interviewers that he doesn't listen to music, to avoid compromising in his pursuit of “pure self-expression”. However, the Scorpions' 1972 debut album, Lonesome Crow, provides an intriguing insight into Michael's early development, when formative influences like Tony Iommi were discernible in the repeated string bends and use of dorian scale phrases in I’m Going Mad, comparable to Iommi’s playing across Sabbath’s Paranoid album (see Hand of Doom).

During the ensuing tour, Michael famously jumped ship when the Scorpions supported UFO, with Rudolf's encouragement.

By the time he returned in 1978, Michael had become a revered guitar hero, reaching the peak of his powers just as the Scorpions were crystalizing their classic sound, after the departure of Uli Jon Roth. The explosive results were captured on Lovedrive (1979).

Sparks fly, as Michael’s ability to combine feel, melody, and blazing bursts of speed, is buoyed by Rudolf’s slashing rhythms on Another Piece of Meat, and chugging triplets on Lovedrive. And when the dark, atmospheric instrumental Coast to Coast kicks in, it’s game over. Michael turns in a career-high solo, with quicksilver runs and emotive bends, as Rudolf flips dynamically from open chords to a palm-muted crescendo.

Michael soon quit to form MSG, but subsequently played highlights from Lovedrive with the Scorpions on their 2008 tour, and with his Temple of Rock band, which featured former Scorps Francis Buchholz (bass) and Herman Rarebell (drums).

Uli Jon Roth – 1973-1978

In 1973, when an 18-year-old lead guitarist left an obscure German rock band and nominated his 19-year-old pal as his replacement, it wasn’t exactly headline news. Today, the fact that Michael Schenker tapped none other than Uli Jon Roth to fill the spot he’d just vacated in the Scorpions seems incredible, in view of the status they later achieved as two of the most influential guitar heroes of the last fifty years.

It's been heartening to see Roth's resurgence since the 1998 G3 tour (alongside Joe Satriani and Michael Schenker), but his four-album run with the Scorpions contains moments of brilliance upon which his reputation as a unique, innovative player was founded.

Though influenced by Jimi Hendrix in his use of wah pedal, wang bar dive bombs, and long, wailing bends, these elements never overshadowed Roth's identity, evident in his clean, precise technique, and dazzling speed on Speedy’s Coming, which opened his Scorps debut, 1974's Fly to the Rainbow.

Over the next three years, Roth’s progression as a soloist was remarkable, from the stately, harmonized trills of In Trance, through Catch Your Train’s head-spinning Mixolydian fills and lead break, and culminating in the breathtaking Sails of Charon, on which he pretty much invented neo-classical shredding way back in 1977. Seeking to pursue his own singular creative vision, Roth left the Scorpions amicably in 1978, returning to tour with them between 2006 and 2008.

Matthias Jabs – 1978-present

When 22-year-old Jabs joined the Scorpions in June 1978, the daunting prospect of filling the stack-heeled boots of his two predecessors was complicated when one of them returned.

After both Jabs and Michael Schenker played on Lovedrive, Jabs was let go, only to be swiftly reinstated just weeks into the tour. 46 years later, he's still there, having played a vital role as the band achieved success on a global scale with albums like Blackout, Love at First Sting, and Crazy World.

For this writer, Jabs has proven himself to be Rudolf Schenker’s most compatible guitar partner, and the Scorpions' perfect lead player, as his soloing style embodies the team spirit and song-focused approach that defines the band.

His scorching lead breaks are integral, memorable interludes in many of the Scorpions' best known songs, shot through with a dynamic grasp of phrasing that flows according to the mood of each track.

On mid-'80s mega-hit Rock You Like A Hurricane, Jabs deftly combines pick tapping slides and gut-level blues bends, and echoes of the vocal melody. For the mid-paced Bad Boys Running Wild, he builds tension with short, biting licks, before unleashing a ripping sequence of pull-offs across the neck. And on Coming Home, Jabs proves that shredding and feel need not be mutually exclusive.

What’s more, he’s kept his chops up, as recent tracks like Roots In My Boots [from 2022's Rock Believer] illustrate.

Rudolf Schenker – 1965-present

As stated above, Rudolf’s primary contributions have been as a songwriter, and in laying down an unshakeable rhythm guitar bedrock.

In the 1985 World Wide Live concert/documentary film, he explained. “I saw myself as a composer. My dream was to make good songs like the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Rolling Stones, not to be the fastest or best guitar player in the world.”

Accordingly, his rare lead breaks, on songs like Big City Nights, display a songwriter’s ear for a winning melody.

Back in 2015, Rudolf told this writer, “We wanted to show the world after the Second World War, ‘Here is a new generation from Germany. They’re not coming with tanks and guns, making war. They’re coming with guitars, bringing love, peace, and rock and roll.’”

Mission accomplished.

Slash has made a surprise appearance during Michael Schenker’s Wacken Open Air set, with the pair joining forces for a UFO classic.

Last year, the former UFO guitarist put out a new album, My Years with UFO, which saw him revisiting his biggest hits with the band alongside an impressive cast, including Axl Rose and Adrian Vandenberg. But it was his retake of Mother Mary with Slash that stole the show, and the German festival was treated to a special rendition of the song.

Both guitarists donned their signature axes for the occasion: Slash, a Gibson Les Paul, and Schenker, an Olympic White Gibson Flying V. Together, they produced a thick wall of sound.

All eyes and ears are understandably on the guitar solos, and it's Slash who takes the lead with some warm, pentatonic blues that, if you were listening with your eyes closed, would be clear who is playing without any context. And of course, there's some wah pedal abuse to top it off.

The German, meanwhile, takes a backseat, watching on with a gleeful look on his face, a wall of Marshall amps behind him.

“Two fucking legends right there,” says vocalist Erik Grönwall after the performance. “Make some noise.”

Though blessed with a little German sunshine, the show was thankfully not as hot as GNR’s recent Saudi Arabia show that was so punishing it melted Richard Fortus’ pickups.

Last year, Schenker revealed that he has a Gibson signature guitar in the works. He’s since recalled how he fell in love with the flying V shape, and stated that he sees it as fate that he was “meant” to play that body shape.

It's not the first time Slash has joined another classic rock icon this year, having linked up with former Hanoi Rocks vocalist Michael Monroe at the Whisky a Go Go in April, and he traded licks across a fiery Purple Haze cover with Eric Gales last year, too.

The top-hatted shredder has also said he became “disillusioned” by Marshall Amps, which prompted his shock switch to Magnatone. And the B.C. Rich Warlock, with which he started his Guns N' Roses career, has returned to auction, nine years after it was last sold.

Michael Schenker put together his newest record, My Years with UFO, with two objectives – as a celebration, and as an education.

“It’s the 50th anniversary of my first album with UFO – Phenomenon, in 1974 – and so I wanted to do something special,” Schenker explains to Guitar World. In doing so, he continues, “It was a good opportunity to give newcomers more details and information about the band, who the songs were written by, and what this music is. Because we pass everything to the next generation.”

To be sure, UFO’s music has been lauded and absorbed by several generations since Schenker’s original run with the British band (prior to joining, the German-born Schenker had been playing with his older brother, Rudolf, in the original version of the Scorpions).

Their clutch of albums together in the Seventies, which includes classics like the aforementioned Phenomenon, 1975’s Force It, and 1977’s Lights Out, as well as the seminal 1979 live document, Strangers in the Night, constitutes one of the more impressive stretches of any hard rock act before or since.

To acknowledge that history, Schenker, who served as lead guitarist and, along with singer Phil Mogg, primary songwriter, tackles 11 UFO tracks from the era, from Doctor, Doctor and Lights Out to Rock Bottom and Natural Thing, on the new collection.

He also drafts a range of Schenker and UFO devotees – among them Axl Rose (on Love to Love), Slash (Mother Mary), Dee Snider (Natural Thing), Joel Hoekstra (also Natural Thing), and Stephen Pearcy (Shoot, Shoot) – to help him bring them to life once again.

The result is a record that demonstrates that this music is as dynamic and vital today as it was when it was first released a half-century ago. As is Schenker, whose jaw-dropping technique and aggressive attack have made him an inspiration to scores of rock and metal guitarists – a fact that is on full display in every riff and solo on My Years with UFO.

As for why the songs, and Schenker’s guitar playing, persist? The now 69-year-old artist has a theory.

“Ever since I was 15, I have been focusing on pure self-expression,” he says. “There was never a point in me doing what other people do. I needed to do something that came from inside me, where my uniqueness is. I was just being myself, and that’s all I’ve ever done. And it’s still so much fun.”

How did you go about choosing the artists that would perform with you on My Years with UFO?

“When I knew I wanted to do the recordings of my songs, we started to come up with ideas. And it was ‘Hey, why don’t you try…’ And people started to come from all sides. When I went to do the Monsters of Rock Cruise, I bumped into Stephen Pearcy on the boat and he said, ‘Hey, Michael, we love you!’ And so I took the opportunity to ask him if he was interested in singing.

“And then I went to an awards ceremony in Wales, and Dee Snider showed up and he was talking in my ear about how much he loves UFO. So I asked him, too, and I was absolutely amazed by what a great voice he has. When I heard Natural Thing, I was so impressed.

“Then with Slash, he is an absolute Michael Schenker fan. He came to the studio in Frankfurt where we were recording, and he was telling Axl that he was on his way to do this with me. And Axl told Slash that he was keen to sing a few songs.”

Axl does a great version of the epic Lights Out ballad, Love to Love. But were there other songs he tried in the studio?

“Yes. Axl ended up singing Too Hot to Handle and Only You Can Rock Me, but he decided to focus on Love to Love. He did an absolutely amazing job on that.”

The version of Mother Mary that Slash plays on has the two of you trading licks back and forth. It’s a great showcase for your styles. Did you record that together?

“That was the idea. When Slash came to the studio, I had my amp set up, and Slash actually played through it. But I had already recorded my parts, and so we decided it was much better if we kept that and had Slash fill in the gaps where I left space for him. And that’s what we ended up doing. It was much better and much easier that way.”

What gear did you use on the record?

“For guitars, I’m back into Gibsons. I asked them to send me a couple, and I started using them again for the first time after all these years. They gave me a black Flying V, and also a white one, and that’s exactly how I started out before I had the idea of a black-and-white guitar. It’s like a cycle going back to the beginning.

“So I got these guitars around June of last year, and I’ve used them for live concerts and for all the records I’ve recorded since, while they’re making me a Michael Schenker model. I’m not the guy who looks for numbers and models and all that; I don’t ask many questions. But I really like these two guitars. Gibson must have handpicked them for me and given me something that is the best they have, I would assume, because they sound really good.”

How about guitar amps and pedals?

“My amp was the usual [Marshall JCM800] 2205. People keep stealing amplifiers from me because they like my sound, and so I have to keep fishing for new ones. But it’s always the same model – the 2205.

“The last one that I got, I’ve played it for about five years without anybody taking it away from me. So I guess it’s the same one that I’ve been using live and for the last few records, including this one. As far as pedals, I have them in the studio, but I don’t really use them while I’m recording. But I connect them, because I’m basically in there with my live setup.”

How did you approach your solos? Did you want to stick closely to the originals, or did you try new things?

“It’s a bit like this: Some years back [producer] Mike Varney invited me to play on a couple of records with David Pattison [for a covers project called the Schenker-Pattison Summit].

“He said, ‘Michael, I want to send you the songs to listen to so you can do the solos.’ I said, ‘Don’t send them to me. I just want to play.’ I did the same thing with this album. I did what I remember of it, and then I just went from there. It became like a mixture between a studio recording and a live recording.”

It’s also, in a sense, a mixture of the past and the present.

“Well, my whole life is a development. Every day is a new day, with new surroundings. You can never compare anything from today with tomorrow or with yesterday, because it has a different scenery.

“It’s like a car that came out in the Fifties that maybe looked very good, but in the Sixties it started to look weird. It’s a bit like that. For me, I embrace what I embrace in the moment. But the next day, or the next year? That’s a different moment.”

You’ve had a tumultuous history with UFO, having left and rejoined them several times through the decades. The current version, led by Phil Mogg, disbanded earlier this year, not too long after Mogg suffered a heart attack. Were the group ever to reform again, would you consider playing with them?

“Well, UFO to me has always been about the original chemistry, and unfortunately [keyboardist] Paul Raymond and [bassist] Pete Way are not here anymore, so that cannot be done.

“The only ones left are [drummer] Andy Parker and Phil Mogg and myself, and Phil had a heart attack. So I have no idea what is going on. But I don’t focus on anything like that. I just wait until somebody taps me on the shoulder and then I review what the question is.”

You’ve been plenty busy in recent years with a variety of projects, including rebooting the Michael Schenker Group, aka MSG. What do you have coming up?

“My idea right now is to release three albums and sum up what I’ve been doing the last 50 years, which is basically UFO, MSG, and instrumental music. I wanted to focus on those three aspects.

“And so the next album I did after I finished My Years with UFO is a new MSG album, which is called Don’t Sell Your Soul. And the third album, which was supposed to be an acoustic-electric instrumental record, we took it a step further and now it has vocals and drums and all that.

“But it’s a very special album. I think people will be shocked when they hear it, that this is me. It’s called Freedom of Expression, and it probably won’t be out until 2026. But it’s my favorite album at the moment. It’s very timeless and just completely off the wall, but very beautiful.”

You’ve been so influential to so many musicians and bands. Are there newer acts that you listen to?

“Well, I haven’t really listened to other music for 50 years, so that is another anniversary as well! [Laughs] Because you know, the brain is like a sponge. In order to stay away from being influenced, you have to make a decision.

“And like I said, my mission is pure self-expression. So I have had to sacrifice being a consumer. Because of that, the only people that I really know are all the great ones from the late Sixties. I have Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page from the generation before me, and I’ve passed my music on to the next generation – bands like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses and so on.

“For a long time, I was confused how people would think that I was as important to them as Led Zeppelin was to me. That was hard for me to understand. But I’m starting to realize that’s how it works. It gets passed on and it goes forward, step by step. It’s a natural thing.”

• My Years With UFO is out now via EARmusic.

Brilliant, eccentric German guitar hero Michael Schenker debuted with the Scorpions before joining UFO in 1974, then breaking out on his own with The Michael Schenker Group. He favours a black and white Flying V and helped popularise cocked-wah guitar tone. His new album is an all-star celebration of his UFO days, featuring Slash, Axl Rose and other heavy friends.

What guitar did you learn on?

“It was a guitar that was lying around. It must have been an acoustic. My brother Rudolf [Scorpions guitarist] got a Gibson for his birthday instead of a motorbike. It must have been that one that I secretly played against his will!

“The first song I played was something to do with San Francisco. It was a hit in those days. [Hums San Francisco by The Mamas And The Papas] Yeah! And there was a solo in there, and I learnt that. I was nine years old and I was very happy.”

Was was there a moment when you felt you had arrived as a player?

“No, it has always been the same for me. Right from the moment when I was nine years old and picked up a guitar, I was always amazed with what I could discover, and it never stopped. I am in the same place!

How much did you practise in those early days and how often do you practise now?

“It is more like play and discover. That’s different. It is less technical. It is more like looking for gold, and once in a while I find a piece of gold. This will automatically become part of my developed style.”

What is the one song or performance that you’re most proud of?

“I’m happy with everything. For me, it is never about a song. I am a lead guitarist! Ha! Lead guitarists think differently. My whole life has always been about development, so every moment is special, and every moment is different. We can never compare any of them."

What was your biggest motivation as a player?

“I wanted to express myself. That was my devotion. It still is and I have done it for 50 years, without listening to music so I don’t get influenced, and that’s where the uniqueness comes from. Focus on opening up what’s unique about yourself. Anybody who makes that decision can do it. I am a musical monk or something. That’s my mission. Self-expression is my mission.

“That’s what I want, in every sense, not just music. I just love to self-express and really do what I like to do. I am just in a place where I choose to do it this way instead of copying anyone else. What you do with the guitar expresses your personality.”

What technique did you have to work hardest to master?

“There is no technique for me. Technique is very, very much in the background. The important thing was to find the note. I felt like I knew it was there, somewhere, and I have to find it! And the last thing on my mind was if I do it the right way or the wrong way, as long as I found that note.

“And of course, that’s what I did. Day after day after day, I basically developed – technically – the wrong way of playing compared to today where you have the guitar schools, where you learn the perfect position of the hand, how to hold your fingers and play with all five fingers. But I couldn’t have found my notes. I couldn’t have written the songs I wrote if I would have followed that first. I just didn’t care if I did it the right or wrong way.”

As a player, do you have any bad habits?

“There are no bad habits! There is only one thing: to make good music however you do it. Hey, there is no right or wrong for me. I can get better technically because I have plenty of time to get my fingers into easier positions, but the thing is, there are certain ways of playing, like my style, that you cannot necessarily get across if I play it perfectly positioned with my fingers based on what’s taught at guitar schools.

“It’s like fishing. How you find the note, how you strike or sweep over the strings, how you hit them, that is how the sound comes together. It’s not technical. Technicality makes everything clinical.

“But fishing for notes as a priority makes everything three dimensional, analogue. It gives it warmth. It’s not perfect – it’s feeling. It’s more feeling than having the right position of your fingers playing guitar.”

In your early days, what guitar was the game changer for you?

“A triangle guitar! Yeah, very strange. I had never seen a Flying V, but when I was at school, doing this project, building something out of wood, I wanted to make a guitar and ended up building a triangle guitar, which is similar to a Flying V, but it’s not the Flying V.

“You put a Flying V next to a Les Paul, next to a Strat, on the floor, it won’t do anything. It becomes something with the person who picks up the guitar. That’s what that guitar becomes. I found the Flying V by coincidence. Like many things in my life, it happened by itself. So maybe I was meant to have that guitar.

“I discovered that guitar by accident. I liked the combination of my amplifier with that guitar. It was closer to the sound I imagined, and I found that I was able to do a really good vibrato by putting the V between my legs, so that the neck would not wobble around. I was able to lock it in and so that was one of the main reasons why I felt good about that guitar.”

With your new album of classic UFO material, was there anything you learned about your playing when revisiting songs you wrote 50 years ago?

“I don’t analyse things. I just do it. I don’t analyse what I have done, or why I did it, I just do it because that is the moment of being an artist. You just do it. Less thought!”

What do you play when you’re just relaxing and playing for fun?

“Again, I don’t think. I just pick up the guitar and play. But one thing I do in order to keep shape is I play to a metronome to make sure I am not slowing down in any way, because when you get older the way we perceive time is different from when we are younger, so sometimes you think you are playing as fast as you did the day before but it is do with the biological rhythm. I always measure by a metronome, at a certain speed. I have to make sure that I can play my old songs.”

Do you have any favourite tracks from revisiting your UFO years?

“I love This Kid’s with Biff [Byford, Saxon frontman]. I was amazed. I always wanted to do something with Biff. Every song is different but everybody did a great version. I don’t like comparing things. I just like to listen to it and not compare it like the Olympics! There are so many different qualities, different feelings, but all of them are unique in their own way, so I don’t give them points for their performances.

“It is all great stuff, what they did. When I heard Dee Snider [ex-Twisted Sister singer] I went, ‘Wow!’ I didn’t know he had a great voice like this. Kai Hansen [Helloween guitarist/vocalist] was another one. He did a fantastic job on Rock Bottom. And when I heard Joel Hoekstra, he sounds like a saxophone on his guitar. He’s really, really unique. It was fun. It still is fun listening to the different approaches. I didn’t expect anything, but when I heard it I was extremely happy with it.”

And Axl Rose?

“Axl originally sang three songs, but he didn’t like his versions of Only You Can Rock Me and Too Hot To Handle, so he decided to stick with Love To Love, which is a fantastic version.

Can you recall a moment when you felt like you’d failed as a player or felt embarrassed by a performance?

“That’s a big question. Of course you can feel embarrassed when you play a bum note. But I don’t really focus on that. I’d rather focus on the good moments. You know, I played bum notes on Strangers In The Night [UFO’s legendary 1979 live album], and today those bum notes are the right notes! Because everybody got used to it.

“And people ask me, ‘Michael, how do you make this work, playing a major over a minor?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ But they might have been asking about those bum notes!”

• My Years With UFO is out now via EarMUSIC.

German guitar hero Michael Schenker has had his fair share of projects. After debuting with the Scorpions, he joined the English classic rock group UFO, making a name for himself as a hard rock and heavy metal player before breaking out on his own with the Michael Schenker Group.

One constant throughout his illustrious career, however, has been his penchant for Flying Vs. Turns out, his love affair with this distinctive model began early – as far back as his school days in Germany.

“I had never seen a Flying V, but when I was at school, doing this project, building something out of wood, I wanted to make a guitar and ended up building a triangle guitar, which is similar to a Flying V,” he tells Total Guitar.

While his preference for Flying Vs is, by now, well-known, Schenker admits that what makes any guitar special is the player's skill and attitude.

“You put a Flying V next to a Les Paul, next to a Strat, on the floor, it won’t do anything. It becomes something with the person who picks up the guitar,” he imparts.

“That’s what that guitar becomes. I found the Flying V by coincidence. Like many things in my life, it happened by itself. So maybe I was meant to have that guitar. I discovered that guitar by accident.

“I liked the combination of my amplifier with that guitar. It was closer to the sound I imagined, and I found that I was able to do a really good vibrato by putting the V between my legs, so that the neck would not wobble around. I was able to lock it in and so that was one of the main reasons why I felt good about that guitar.”

As befitting a Flying V aficionado, the electric guitar virtuoso recently signed with Gibson, and revealed a new signature guitar (we can safely assume it's a Flying V) is in the works.

For more from Michael Schenker, plus new interviews with King Gizzard and Yungblud, pick up issue 389 of Total Guitar at Magazines Direct.

Michael Schenker has revealed he’s got a Gibson signature guitar on the way, having recently signed on as an official Gibson artist.

The German electric guitar virtuoso has been a Dean endorsee for some time and has even released a series of signature Vs, including a love-it-or-hate-it Flame V in 2007. But he has started playing Gibsons for recent solo shows, prompting MusicRadar to probe further.

“Oh yeah! I have a deal with them and we’re supposed to be coming up with a Michael Schenker signature,” the former UFO and Scorpions guitarist says, adding that he’ll be heavily involved in its creation.

“Usually the company designs something and I approve it,” he explains. “But this time I had an idea and sent it over just a few weeks ago. Now I’m waiting for them to finish it and surprise me with this new model.”

If it's an exclusive partnership, the move will be a loss for Dean, which is currently engaged in a legal battle with Gibson over their use of the V silhouette, among other shapes.

Schenker has been one of Dean's star signature artists over the years. However, before that, his talents had worked wonders in promoting Gibson Vs to the ‘70s hard rock audience.

“Yeah, and I did it all for free [laughs],” he continues. “I think an official Michael Schenker Gibson model will make a lot of people happy. I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends up!”

Dave Mustaine is another former Dean V advocate who has since released signatures under the Gibson family brand, including models with Epiphone and Kramer. It will be interesting to see what form Schenker's own signature guitar will take, and whether it will be released under both the Gibson and Epiphone names.

The timing of Schenker's new signature is handy, too. For his latest album, the guitarist has re-recorded his greatest UFO hits alongside a hefty cast of guests, headlined by Slash and Axl Rose.

Speaking to Classic Rock in January, Schenker says he turned down the chance to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band after Randy Rhoads’ untimely passing in 1982.

“I loved Sabbath, and I should have been delighted to join,” he said. “Ozzy knew that I was Randy’s favorite guitar player, so he thought I’d be the perfect fit, but it wasn’t the right time. I’d left UFO and Scorpions because I didn’t want to go any further with the fame thing, and I wanted freedom and peace.”

UFO's Michael Schenker has just announced a new album that celebrates the guitarist's tenure with the band – with a twist. Aptly titled My Years with UFO, the record finds Schenker inviting a Rolodex of rock luminaries to join him – including Slash, Adrian Vandenberg, Joel Hoekstra and Axl Rose.

My Years with UFO marks the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO between 1972 and 1978. Schenker joined the band when he was just 17 years old. He not only toured the world as a teenager, but also became the driving force behind some of the band's most popular tracks, including Rock Bottom, Doctor Doctor and Only You Can Rock.

The first single from My Years with UFO is Mother Mary, originally released in 1975. The new version features Slash's signature guitar work, including multiple ripping solos. H.E.AT's ex-vocalist Erik Grönwall lends his vocals to the reimagined track, which still manages to stay true to the quintessential UFO sound.

The other artists involved in this project are Axl Rose, Hansen, Roger Glover, Joey Tempest, Biff Byford, Jeff Scott Soto, John Norum, Dee Snider, Joel Hoekstra, Joe Lynn Turner, Carmine Appice, Adrian Vandenberg, Michael Voss, and Stephen Pearcy.

The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. Natural Thing feat. Dee Snider & Joel Hoekstra
2. Only You Can Rock Me feat. Joey Tempest & Roger Glover
3. Doctor Doctor feat. Joe Lynn Turner & Carmine Appice
4. Mother Mary feat. Slash & Erik Grönwall
5. This Kids feat. Biff Byford
6. Love to Love feat. Axl Rose
7. Lights Out feat. Jeff Scott Soto & John Norum
8. Rock Bottom feat. Kai Hansen
9. Too Hot Too Handle feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg & Carmen Appice
10. Let It Roll feat. Michael Voss
11. Shoot Shoot feat. Stephen Pearcy

In a recent interview with Classic Rock, Schenker discussed how he ended up joining UFO after the band he was in at the time, Scorpions, supported them in Germany. “About one month after the tour, they contacted me and asked me to join. I’d always said to the Scorpions, ‘If any band from England asks me to join, no matter who it is, I’m doing it.’

“No-one in Germany understood what I was doing, and the scene was lame. I said to Scorpions, 'Sorry guys, I told you I would do this,' and I left. It wasn’t so much about UFO, it was about the opportunity to play in England. I wanted to develop and go to the next level. I was full of energy and ideas, and I wasn’t afraid of anything.”

My Years with UFO will be released worldwide on September 20 and is now available for pre-order.

Michael Schenker has opened up about the time he was approached by Ozzy Osbourne to “help him out” following the death of the late Randy Rhoads – and revealed why he tactically turned down the invitation to become his new electric guitar player.

In a sprawling new interview with Classic Rock, the UFO and Scorpion virtuoso reflected on some key milestones from his guitar playing career – one of which occurred in the early ‘80s when he received a call from the Black Sabbath legend.

At the time, Schenker had just set the wheels in motion for the Michael Schenker Group, having left UFO and Scorpions to embark on a solo career in 1979. In 1981, he released MSG, which scored success in the UK and Japan.

But as Schenker was building the MSG repertoire, he was contacted by Osbourne: Randy Rhoads tragically died in a plane crash in 1982, and the Prince of Darkness was asking whether Schenker would “help him out” and become the band’s new guitar player.

“I got a phone call from Ozzy Osbourne in the middle of the night, stuttering, asking me to help him out because Randy Rhoads had died in that plane crash,” he explained. “I loved Sabbath, and I should have been delighted to join – I instantly had visions of Ozzy dragging me across the stage by my hair.”

But, as the German virtuoso recalls to Classic Rock, the timing of the offer wasn’t right, and the prospect of joining Osbourne’s band was not as appealing as it once might have been.

He explained, “A voice in my head said, ‘Michael, follow your vision.’ I’d left UFO and Scorpions because I didn’t want to go any further with the fame thing, and I wanted freedom and peace, so I felt it would be crazy to join. 

“Ozzy knew that I was Randy’s favorite guitar player, so he thought I’d be the perfect fit, but it wasn’t the right time: we were already rehearsing the Assault Attack album with Graham Bonnet.” 

However, rather than flat-out rejecting the proposition, Schenker claims he indirectly turned down the opportunity to join Osbourne’s band by tactically “making outrageous demands”.

“The only way I could think of getting out of the Ozzy gig was by making outrageous demands, so that’s what I did,” he admitted. “In his book [I Am Ozzy] Ozzy said I asked for a private jet, and that’s true, but it was only so that he’d turn me down.”

Ozzy Osbourne isn’t the only person Schenker has turned down during his career. Over the years, he’s rejected chances to become the guitarist of Motörhead, Thin Lizzy and more.

In an interview with Louder conducted back in 2021, Schenker elaborated on the list of job offers he’s rejected over the years, and doubled down on his stance that he did so in order to avoid fame and focus on his own material.

“Every generation, I have given something that was fresh. If everybody takes from the trend, it will eventually burn out, it will be dead,” he asserted. “Most people are after fame, money, success, instant gratification. It was never important for me. 

“What was important was the now, the moment, and to be happy as an artist. I couldn’t have done that with Ozzy Osbourne. I had to decline Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott, Ian Hunter, Motörhead. 

“So many asked me to join them as their number-one choice. I was tempted. But I always have to remember: Michael, you left the Scorpions and UFO because you had your own vision.”

After Schenker turned down the role, Brad Gillis was drafted in for a short period of time, before Jake E. Lee took the reins – despite almost costing himself the gig by rocking up 45 minutes to the audition.

German rock guitarist Michael Schenker has had a career that has so far lasted for more than 50 years, and he has been an integral member of UFO, The Scorpions alongside brother Rudolph, and MSG. 

He has also been linked with many bands that he didn’t join, including Deep Purple and Ozzy Osbourne. Schenker has also been the recipient of many awards over the years, and his contribution to the rock scene cannot be overstated. 

Michael Schenker began playing guitar at a young age when brother Rudy was given a Flying V. He was influenced early in his playing career by the likes of Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. This is where he learnt to play many of his easily recognisable pentatonic and blues scale phrases. 

He actually left The Scorpions to join UFO while UFO were supporting the band on tour, although this was done with the rest of the band’s blessing.

Schenker’s style is about as ‘classic’ as it is possible to get, and he was one of the pioneers of this style of early heavy metal era playing, going on to influence well-known players like Paul Gilbert, Slash, Kirk Hammett and Randy Rhoads. Schenker has joined and left bands like UFO a number of times, and also had stints as the lynchpin of the Michael Schenker Group and McAuley Schenker Group, with singer Robin McAuley, and he continues to record and tour to this day.

The track below is in the key of A Minor A-B-C-D-E-F-G and doesn’t include any notes outside of that key. The time signature is 4/4 but the track has a shuffle feel, which means that the rhythm is played more as ‘1 & a, 2 & a, 3 & a, 4 & a’ part. The reason that the chart isn’t written in 12/8 is that the actual played rhythm of this track is ‘1 a, 2 a, 3 a, 4 a’. Basically the front of each beat is heavily accented.

With all powerchords and no 3rd to make them Major or Minor, the implied harmony is still from that key, so the corresponding chords are A Minor, C Major, F Major, G Major and E Minor.

The solo uses A Minor Pentatonic (A-C-D-E-G) and A Natural Minor scale (A-B-C-D-E-F-G) throughout. But it’s Schenker’s personal inflections that make it so much more interesting to play. 

Get the tone

Amp settings: Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Reverb 2

Michael Schenker is best known for playing his Gibson Flying V, but he also had a V-style signature guitar from Dean. Guitar amps are Marshall Plexi-style, so it’s a classic Brit-type rock tone with plenty of power amp gain to aim for. Effects are minimal, but Schenker often uses a wah pedal set ‘half cocked’ as an EQ, rather than for a traditional wah-wah effect.

Rhythm example

Make sure the triplet-style shuffle rhythm is played accurately throughout and don’t rush ahead of the beat. There is more of a classic rock feel to the parts than traditional heavy metal feel, so don’t allow the rhythm to become too ‘metal’.

Solo example

Near the beginning of the solo there are a number of typical Schenker-style bends around the 8th fret. It’s most important that these are bent as accurately as possible (Schenker is a stickler for this), and then don’t overbend when playing the higher frets later on in the solo. Make sure you follow the other inflections, too.

For the entirety of their near six-decade existence, German hard rock legends Scorpions have been anchored by electric guitar player Rudolf Schenker.

Before he embarked on a stellar career of his own – first with UFO and later with a number of his own groups – Rudolf's younger brother, Michael, was also a Scorpion. Michael played on the band's very first album, 1972's Lonesome Crow, and made significant contributions to the band's influential 1979 effort, Lovedrive. 

Relations between the brothers in recent years, though, have been... less than stellar, with Michael frequently taking rather public potshots at his older brother for any number of reasons. 

In a new interview with Guitar Player though, Rudolf shrugged off his younger brother's volleys, maintaining his hope that the two could perform together again one day.

"I tell you one thing: I love my brother," Rudolf said. "He can say whatever he wants to say. He’s an amazing guitar player, an amazing person – whatever he wants to say, why not say it? [laughs] If that is what makes him happy, then okay. I wish him all the best. 

"I think, sooner or later, we will all be friends again and we will play together again. My life is too happy to put myself into a dustbin over it. I want to live in the sky. I am so happy for my life."

Though last an official member of the group during the Lovedrive sessions, Michael Schenker has performed with Scorpions a handful of times in recent years. Along with fellow former Scorpion Uli Jon Roth, Michael played with the band during their headlining performance at the 2006 Wacken Open Air festival. 

He also joined the group onstage for a handful of songs at the Hammersmith Apollo in London in October 2008.

For now though, both Schenker brothers have new albums to focus on.

Scorpions recently released their first studio album in seven years and 19th overall, Rock Believer. Michael Schenker, meanwhile, is prepping for the release of Universal, his second album in as many years. 

To read the full interview with Rudolf Schenker and current Scorpions lead guitarist Matthias Jabs – in which the two guitar greats also discuss the making of Rock Believer and the band's remarkable longevity – pick up a copy of the latest issue of Guitar Player at Magazines Direct.

Derek Sherinian has announced his new album Vortex, for which he’s recruited an entire legion of electric guitar A-listers.

For his upcoming effort, the ex-Dream Theater keyboardist has recruited Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather, Steve Stevens, Nuno Bettencourt and Zakk Wylde, as well as Mike Stern, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Michael Schenker.

It will also see Sherinian reunite with longtime collaborator, drummer Simon Phillips – who co-wrote and co-produced the album – and bass guitar player Tony Franklin.

Due July 1 via InsideOutMusic, the eight-track Vortex will serve as a continuation of 2020’s The Phoenix, with Sherinian saying he’s confident the upcoming effort will outdo all his previous releases.

Of the album itself, Sherinian commented, “Simon and I always try and outdo ourselves with every release, and I am confident we achieved our goal.

“Vortex is a continuation of The Phoenix,” he continues. “However, I feel the composition is stronger on the new album, and I would describe it as a modern day ‘70s-style fusion record, but with newer heavier tonality.”

According to Sherinian, his list of guest guitarists assembled naturally during the writing process, having worked with Bonamassa, Stevens, Lukather, Wylde and Bumblefoot on other projects in the past.

For his newer collaborators, though, Sherinian sounded out Bettencourt – who features on a track called Fire Horse – for his “Van Halen swing and swagger”, and enlisted Schenker as he “wanted to write a great song inspired by my favorite Schenker tracks”.

“The choice of guitarist works itself out in the writing,” the prog-rock titan reflected. “Also, like in the case of Steve Stevens, we co-wrote the song together, so it was natural for him to play on it.

“I have always been a fan of [Bettencourt’s] playing, and I am glad that we finally got to record together. He has the Van Halen swing and swagger to his playing that I love. We were both born in 1966, the Chinese year of the Fire Horse.” 

As for Schenker, Sherinian continued, “Michael Schenker has been one of my heroes for many years. He asked me to play on his Immortal album, and in return, he agreed to play on Die Kobra.“

Tracks that catch the eye include Key Lime Blues, which features both Bonamassa and Lukather on the same song, as well as the aforementioned Die Kobra, which contains some dual-guitar action from Michael Schenker and Zakk Wylde.

The full tracklist for Vortex can be found below:

1. The Vortex feat. Steve Stevens
2. Fire Horse feat. Nuno Bettencourt
3. Scorpion
4. Seven Seas feat. Steve Stevens
5. Key Lime Blues feat. Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather
6. Die Kobra feat. Michael Schenker, Zakk Wylde
7. Nomad's Land feat. Mike Stern
8. Aurora Australis feat. Bumblefoot

Keep your eyes peeled on Derek Sherinian's official website for further updates.

The Michael Schenker Group have announced a new studio album, called Universal.

Set for a May 27 release via Atomic Fire Records, Universal is the follow-up to the group's most recent album, 2021's Immortal. It was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss, who also worked on Immortal and the 2018 and 2019 Michael Schenker Fest albums Resurrection and Revelation.

“Michael Voss is happy to wait until I have worked out an idea and takes the time to really get to know the song, simultaneously developing ideas for the vocals,” Schenker said of his co-producer in a statement. “Then we work out the drums, bass and some keyboard parts together. He always has plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.”

Notably, Universal features Calling Baal/A King Has Gone, a tribute to the late metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, and his work with Rainbow. The song features an impressive band that includes Schenker, former Rainbow/Ozzy Osbourne bass guitar player Bob Daisley, ex-Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli, and former Rainbow keyboardist Tony Carey on Moog synth.

Ronnie Romero – who also sings in the current lineup of, you guessed it, Rainbow – serves as Universal's primary vocalist, with additional vocal contributions on the album coming from Helloween's Michael Kiske and Primal Fear's Ralf Scheepers.

We don't seem to have any singles from the record quite yet, but we do have its cover art, which is – we must say – fantastic.

Universal also features keyboardist Steve Mann, bassists Barry Sparks and Barend Courbois, and drummers Simon Phillips, Brian Tichy, and Bodo Schopf.

Keep your eyes on Schenker's website for more info on the album, and any future singles.

Just as Eddie Van Halen was the American pioneer of shred guitar in the late 70s, so Michael Schenker was his counterpart in Europe. The German guitarist started out early – he was just 16 when he played alongside his elder brother Rudolf on the Scorpions’ debut album Lonesome Crow, released in 1972, six years before the first Van Halen album. 

It was with British band UFO that Michael made his reputation as a guitar hero. But in his quest for what he calls “pure artistic expression”, he formed The Michael Schenker Group in the 80s, and has remained his own master ever since.

It was Schenker’s sense of timing, vibrato and feel that set him apart early on, and made him an inspiration for metal players such as Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner and Opeth’s Fredrik Åkesson. And now, at the age 66, Schenker’s chops are as finely tuned as ever, his new album, Immortal, full of hair-raising fretboard pyrotechnics. 

“I’m an inventive person,” he tells TG as he explains how he found the right vocabulary for many a classic recording… 

Develop all aspects of your technique, especially vibrato…

“On the album version of [UFO classic] Doctor Doctor, that was the sound of me developing. You can hear it in the vibrato, particularly. Back then, every day of my life felt like a tone quest!

“I started sounding more and more the way I wanted to in my head. The main thing about Doctor Doctor is that it started off as an instrumental. [UFO singer] Phil Mogg heard it and said, ‘Michael, this is great... Can you get rid of the instrumental part, leave me the rhythm chords and I can do something to it?’ So my instrumental would turn into a lead break or refreshment after each verse of chorus. 

“I was always very fascinated by vibrato, so it’s something I naturally wanted to work on and improve. When we got to [1979 live album] Strangers In The Night and started touring, I was the only guitarist in the band so had to figure out how to play the harmony guitar part at the same time. I made it my mission to play both parts in one go... and I managed! Up to this day, that’s exactly how I play it.”

Remember to play and discover…

“On songs like Captain Nemo, I was using a lot of open-string pull-offs. I broke a string while I was recording it, and that made me jump! I had to discover and develop something on the spot... Maybe without that broken string the song wouldn’t have happened! I like to play around. 

“That’s when unusual things happen out of the blue – like my ‘Howler’ technique using a different kind of pick. I’m an inventive person. I always do things on the spot – that’s why I call guitar practice ‘play and discover’. The two go hand-in-hand. And quite often I’ll be left there thinking, ‘Wow, this is unique and different!’ 

Experiment with how you attack the strings...

“When I wrote Into The Arena [from The Michael Schenker Group’s first album] I was plugged into my Marshall amp trying to find new ideas. As guitar players develop, they start automatically understanding when to mute and when to open up... Because when it sounds ugly, you have to do something! It’s all about what works best in terms of how you strike the strings. 

“I liked the attack from muting and then opening up for more of an ‘Arrrgh’ sound, which is more like a saw [laughs]. It all comes from practice, learning and developing. When you find sounds that you like, you start to use them more and more. It might be a technique or scale or sound, but it’s something that your ear gravitates towards. Eventually, you know exactly what to do and when to do it. Try playing an open string and changing how much you mute it... I find that is a great exercise in itself.” 

Don’t feel forced to accept the sounds you don’t like...

“Originally I got a wah pedal because of Mick Ronson. Listening to what he was doing, I really heard something that I liked. The first time I tried one out, I plugged it in the wrong way and it went off like a siren (laughs). Then after plugging it in the right way, I soon discovered there was a particular frequency that was speaking to me. 

“I tried to figure out a way to get that particular sound by having the wah pedal all the way down so I didn’t have to search for it in between treble and bass. I didn’t want to have to find it and then keep it in position... I’m not a technician. I knew nothing about what the wah pedal looked like inside but tried to see if there was a way of making that sound more accessible. 

“I opened it up and there was a wheel, so I unscrewed it and moved the wheel – which looks like something you’d find inside a clock – and then screwed it back together. And now I had the sound I wanted, by simply clicking the wah on and keeping it always down!” 

If one guitar makes you play better, why not stick with that?

“My favourite guitar is my very first Dean that was built for me. I even recorded my entire new album Immortal with it! Instead of bringing 15 or 20 guitars to the studio in order to choose from, that one was all I needed. I always use that guitar live for Rock Bottom. 

“It plays very well and is more suitable for having an adventure. It has a really warm sound and for some reason I’ve been using it more and more in recent years, especially for that solo. Of course, I can play that solo on any guitar, but I’ve gotten so used to that specific guitar, so why play anything else?” 

Build up legato power almost like you’re exercising at the gym...

“Quick legato is a very valuable thing to have in your arsenal, and learning how to use quick legato lines is one of the things I stumbled on early on. It doesn’t come out of nowhere perfectly, you have to keep developing it step-by-step. The more I played live, the better I got at legato. It’s a bit like exercise! 

“Any time you play the guitar ends up being like exercise, so you need to put in the time to build on fretting hand fluidity. I like to loosen up my fingers before going on stage. The tendons need to be warmed up just like any sports person. You need to get loose. 

“Of course, things like fast picking are also very important to be on peak level when you get out there. Make sure you do a bit of work on picking hand to get in shape. The right hand is as important as the left, after all. Every player is different and will know what they need to work on most.” 

Don’t let yourself get too caught up in scales...

“You have to remember that music is basically a language. Different players have different accents. For example, in a lot of Spanish music, they go from the E major chord to the F major chord. But I don’t work like that. I break out of things before they become a pattern. It’s a personal expression of how I feel and what I want to do right there and then. 

“It’s never based on any structure. Once a person repeats a scale too often, especially one that already exists going all the way back to Mozart and those guys, the more you become that scale. The longer you do it, the deeper the groove and the less chance you have of breaking out of it.” 

Ask yourself how to find the notes that please you...

“If your note choices end up pleasing anyone else, that’s the icing on the cake, but always start with you. When I taught guitar, I used to tell people to sing something from the heart and make that their scale – at least for that moment in time. Then you have a scale that nobody else has played and if you keep repeating it, people will still find it original. 

“My favourite way of creating is finding three simple notes that could create goose pimples. That’s always been my fascination. So if you feel like you have to play scales, make sure they are your own and not someone else’s. Make your own melodies from inside your head, that way it’s not something that someone else has already done a million times. Be yourself, don’t try to be anybody else.” 

You’ll know when you’ve found your signature tone...

“Here’s a weird story for you. My main amp that I used in UFO broke down in 1983 while I was in America, it came back from the repair place and I think they’d stolen everything out of it. What I got back was a completely different amplifier that was unusable. I had to start from scratch and find something. 

“I looked at 20 or 30 different types of amps and ended up with a JCM800. Some guy in New York told me that I actually designed that particular amplifier and I said, ‘You must be joking!’ But then I remembered in 1980, I was invited by Jim Marshall to go to the factory and design a Michael Schenker signature. It was never completed. 

“Those papers had been lying around, stored somewhere. At some point later, someone found it and they must have decided to make that amplifier. The strangest thing is that I chose the amplifier without knowing! It was my sound. Remember that deep down inside you must also have your own sound, too.”'

• Michael Schenker Group's new album, Immortal, is out now via Nuclear Blast.

It’s been almost 50 years Since Michael Schenker made his recording debut at age 16 on the Scorpions’ debut album, 1972’s Lonesome Crow. From the start it was obvious he was at a playing level that was well beyond many of his contemporaries. 

This little detail was noticed by UK rockers UFO, who poached Schenker from the Scorpions in 1974 after witnessing his chops first-hand. Their first album together, Phenomenon, was a game-changer for UFO in terms of their commercial appeal.

Schenker had everything - the guitar-hero image, the chops and the iconic Gibson Flying V. Fame didn’t sit well with him, however, and he developed a reputation for unreliability and unpredictability. He left UFO in 1978 ahead of the release of 1979’s Strangers in the Night, an oft-cited contender for the title of greatest live album of all time.

After a brief return to the Scorpions for Lovedrive in 1978, Schenker filled guitar hot seats with Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Ian Hunter. He calls this period - the era leading up to forming The Michael Schenker Group with vocalist Gary Barden - his “first phase.”

The ensuing “second phase” saw Schenker endure a roller-coaster of highs and lows. The highs included his time with McAuley Schenker Group and a brief return to UFO; the lows involved personal problems that saw him endure a costly divorce, and a period where he seemed to have cut himself adrift from the world of rock. 

Schenker’s current “third phase” kicked in when he realized he was no longer suffering from stage fright in 2008 - and he began to actively relish performing.

Schenker is eloquent and animated when he describes the travails of a life where success came before he was ready, and where he feels the lessons life has taught him have ultimately brought him the happiness he feels today. 

His latest release, Revelation - under the banner Michael Schenker Fest - is a hard-rocking and celebratory confirmation from Schenker that he’s the happiest and hungriest he’s ever been.

Revelation has come out relatively quickly after the last release [2018’s Resurrection]. Are you feeling prolific?

"I’m used to doing one album a year from my UFO days. I’m 64. I’m not gonna sit around not doing anything. I always play and discover. I go treasure hunting - I enjoy my journey, and when I find a piece of gold, I put it on a cassette recorder. 

"I keep collecting pieces. I never get any kind of writer’s block. We had a lot of space in the schedule and time is ticking quickly; I’m not going to wait forever, you know? It was just the right time for me."

Given that Michael Schenker Fest involves four singers, how do you decide which vocalist will get which song?

"I let the universe do the work. I send the same pieces out to everyone at the same time and see who comes back first. I work on a first come, first served basis, so whoever responds first gets the song.

"Doogie [White] usually comes to me quickly and picks a few. Robin [McAuley] came back immediately and picked one. Graham Bonnet picked two and insisted on writing his own lyrics and melodies. I’m very happy he did, because he did such a great job.

"I had four songs where I wanted everybody singing. I love Gary Barden’s low voice, so I always try to keep some aside for him, as he is so bluesy and full-sounding. The funny thing is that everybody picked fast songs, so the whole album is really up-tempo. You can’t control everything, so you let it go and develop itself and see what transpires."

Behind the Smile takes an unexpected turn, with that almost folk-like intro before the main song kicks in.

"It’s a great song. I think maybe Doogie picked it because it was an almost Scottish intro. I can see him in a kilt singing that one. I love the keyboards; it lifts the song and makes everything move around. It’s very catchy as well."

There’s a very upbeat feel to the album. Do you feel positive these days? I know you’ve had some tough times over the years.

"At this point, I can see very clearly what happened to me. Everything had to be the way it went. The first part of my life, unconsciously, I was just playing around. I didn’t compete with anybody, I didn’t want to be famous: I just wanted to have fun. 

"All of a sudden, by the time of Strangers in the Night, people are saying Michael Schenker is God. I’m thinking, 'What!?' I helped the Scorpions with the Lovedrive album, then I looked at myself and I thought, 'I’ve experienced what it is to be successful and famous, so I have a choice now. Do I want to stay there and keep chasing the same thing everybody is chasing, or do I want to see this as one chapter, and focus on a new chapter?'

"That next phase - where I started to play the black-and-white Flying V - Ozzy, Aerosmith, Ian Hunter - anyone who’d asked me to join them would have been very unhappy with me. They would have had to put up with my experiments."

You had great success with MSG then, so you must have had some focus on what you were looking for.

"All I wanted to do was find an unknown singer - which I found in Gary [Barden] - an easygoing guy with a great bluesy voice. I have two tattoos; one says “Born to overcome” and the other says “Born to be free.” They symbolize my middle years. 

"I intuitively knew I did what I had to do in those years. I was bubbling with creativity. I made too many albums, almost, but I got everything out of my system — the fame and status.

"I think I made my musical contribution in the 70s, which everyone then used in the 80s. People would ring me up in the early 80s, saying, 'Michael, they’re all playing your guitar style.' 

"I said, 'don’t worry about it. I have other things to do.' I think my assignment was to jump-start things in the 70s. I jump-started the Scorpions and UFO - they should be happy about it - then I carried on with my own style.

"I always had terrible stage fright, but in 2008 something inside me said, 'Michael, go on stage,' and I realized I wanted to be on stage. Everything changed, 180 degrees. I became a different person, but that’s because of those middle years, when things weren’t always great for me. 

"I always stayed true to myself. Maybe I could have joined Ozzy or something, but then who knows where I might be now. Maybe not even alive, you know? I believe if you stay true to yourself, everything will come to you. I never sold out, and I built a really big foundation for my present phase. If I’d not had those difficult periods when I was trusting myself and my vision, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now."

Your solos are often very memorable. Do you consciously work out what you’re going to play?

"In Search of the Peace of Mind is the first song I’d ever written. It was credited to all the Scorpions, but I wrote the music and Klaus [Meine] wrote the lyrics. That first solo I recorded was just perfect, unbelievable. It came out of nowhere. It will be forever just right. 

"I wrote all the music for the songs in the Scorpions, although they credited themselves for it incidentally. They were nearly seven years older than me, so I guess they took advantage. It didn’t matter to me at the time as I was an artist, and I enjoyed the reward of the music.

"I did have a period, when I was interested in harmony guitar solos, where I did write the parts, as you need to have that more planned out, but for the last 20 years or so I’ve wanted to play more bluesy and rocky - since [2011’s] Temple of Rock. 

"Everything is improvised now. I don’t write any solos these days. I don’t play ballads or slow songs, so there isn’t really a space for writing a solo. It is interesting what you say, as when I listen back to my solos, I think it does sound like I composed them."

The break on Only You Can Rock Me is the perfect example of what a solo should do.

"The funny thing is that it’s entirely improvised. I’m sure when I first played it, it didn’t sound the way it came out, but it sounds so structured and so well thought out. It isn’t, though. I just improvised it in the studio. 

"That solo is me without making any efforts - every nuance of it is Michael. Every note needs to have a meaning. Many people can play many notes, but it doesn’t have any meaning."

Given your association with the Flying V, did Gibson ever offer to make you a signature model?

"[Laughs uproariously] Rudolf [Schenker, Scorpions guitarist and Michael’s brother] took care of that! He’s been working so hard at distorting my image, so people don’t know anymore which one is Michael and which one is Rudolf. 

"Sometimes Rudolf would come up to me and proudly report who’d tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'Hey, Michael, how are you doing?' Slash and Joe Perry, for example. 

"[Laughs] While I wasn’t looking, he managed for years to distort the hell out of the image of the Schenker brothers. People don’t have a clue anymore who is who. Because I’m younger and I was successful earlier and had the first hit in 1976, I was playing in America when I was 19 and Rudolph was 33 before he got to America for the first time.

People are so confused because I was six-and-a-half years younger. The Scorpions became so successful that people forget what the band was like at the start. It’s incredible how he managed to distort the whole thing. Rudolf made a deal with Gibson for black-and-white guitars. 

"He asked me if I minded if he played a black-and-white Flying V. I asked myself why he wants to be me, but I just said, 'Go ahead.' Then he pushed it so far in trying to make the black-and-white image his. He doesn’t know who he is. Then he had the cheek to make a deal with Gibson for a signature Flying V. 

"I’m playing a Dean and he’s got the Gibson, and then people probably think he’s also the guy who used to play with UFO. It is remarkable. He’s a very strange guy, one of a kind. [Laughs]"

Perhaps as the older brother, he was expecting things might come to him first?

"Well, that is true. As the younger brother, I probably ended up wearing his underpants and school uniform, and riding his bike. He was the oldest and I got the hand-me-downs. I didn’t look for fame and success, but I became successful. 

"I didn’t look to become an icon, but I became one, it became me. Rudolf focused on those things, but he couldn’t get it. It’s a strange message - that existence of two brothers who made such a weird success in their own way. The puzzle is not completed yet between us.

"I know there is a reason for this peculiar journey through life between Rudolf and me. I hope I will understand it if I can get another 10 years on the planet. I’m not bitter about the stupid games he played. He was probably very frustrated that everything he wanted was coming to his much younger brother without even trying for it. 

"I believe I was born to make him successful. Rudolf doesn’t have much talent as a guitarist. Without direction, he is lost. He copied everything I did. [Laughs] I needed to pave the path for him.

"I’m not saying that competitively, but with an open heart. I jumpstarted the Scorpions. They should be happy instead of acting like I’m some little shit. [Laughs]"

What initially drew you to the Flying V?

"It is meaningless in a way, but when I was 14 when we had an hour in woodwork class, I decided to build a guitar and it was a triangle shape. So, the shape came to me; I didn’t look for it. I was never interested in the instrument itself, more what I could do with it.

"Then when I heard Leslie West and Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, I’d wonder what they played, you know? I identified with the ones who played how I wanted to play, but I started going my own way. There was no point in copying someone else."

What was the situation when you were giving guitar lessons some years ago? People regarded it as a sign that life was going badly for you, given the heights your career had reached prior to that.

"It was more therapeutic, a part of my middle years. I did so many self-improvement programs and stuff like that. I was thirsty for it. I ended up in the country I was most intimidated by - America - to do most of my work, which seems really weird in a way. 

"Americans used to intimidate me, but that was where I did all my self-improvement work. I had such a thirst to learn and know who I was. Because of that, I understood who I was. I wanted to learn to be social. I used it to invite people into my privacy. 

"It wasn’t so much guitar lessons, more about how they can become something individual or unique. I’d show them how I wrote songs - practical things. Sometimes I just talked. It wasn’t how to become famous, more about the whole Michael philosophy."

What’s the one thing that kept you going through everything?

"I think there’s something inside of me that is untouchable; a connection to the creator of creations. I’m connected to the essence of myself. I can feel that essence and that connection. 

"I used to say I may be shaky on the outside, but I have the strength of pure gold in the center of my being that is always with me. That is where all the intuition comes from. I don’t have a high IQ or anything. I’m working with something I don’t consciously understand.

"We don’t know a lot about our lives, but that belief in the inner-self - self-acceptance - it is very important. You need something to hold on to, then you need to trust yourself, and accept yourself. Everything that needs to happen will happen, and all will come to pass."

RELEASED: JANUARY 2
Standout Track: Only You Can Rock Me

This double live album, selected from performances from six 1978 US dates, spawned the minor hit singles Doctor Doctor and Shoot Shoot.

This was the last UFO album to feature 'mad axeman' Michael Schenker - who left at the end of the tour - until 1993.

For many fans, these live takes of UFO classics have become the definitive versions, with their studio counterparts sounding limp by comparison. This, along with Judas Priest’s Unleashed in the East, is one of those 'greatest live album of all time' contenders.

For fans of Schenker, the obvious highlights are Only You Can Rock Me and Rock Bottom, where he demonstrates how to build a solo that has a beginning, middle and end, rather than a string of random licks.

We recently caught up with Schenker and asked him to share a few Strangers in the Night-centric tidbits with us, and it went a little something like this:

What was your guitar, amp and effects setup for the album?

"It was my 50-watt Marshall stack, my Gibson V and a wah-wah pedal."

The solo on Only You Can Rock Me is a fantastic composition in its own right. Did you spend time working on it on the original studio version or was it a spur-of-the-moment thing?

"It was improvised in the studio, and live I always played a similar version."

Strangers is often cited as one of the best live rock albums and is many UFO fans’ favorite release. Do you have fond memories of it or are the memories colored by the circumstances surrounding your parting ways with the band at the time?

"At the time of Strangers in the Night, I knew I had reached the end of a chapter, and it was time for me to start the next one, which was to carry on experimenting with music rather than being part of a machine."

What are your favorite tracks on the album?

"I’m not sure. The album is great as a whole and it’s fun to keep playing the songs live. I see it as a summit of my development as a guitarist up to that point."

When you look back, are you impressed by your younger self or do see faults and wish you could have done things differently?

"I had no clue what I was doing… I just had fun playing guitar and discovering new things!"

Michael Schenker Fest, headed by the legendary UFO and Scorpions six-stringer himself, have shared a new song, Sleeping with the Light On, from their forthcoming album, Revelation.

The rather power-ballad-esque track is the second cut we’ve heard from the new effort, following Rock Steady back in June.

True to Schenker Fest form, Sleeping with the Light On features not one, not two, not three, but four vocalists – Gary Barden, Robin McAuley, Graham Bonnet and Doogie White. But fear not – the lead guitar acrobatics, not to mention the shades of that classic “half-cocked” tone, are all Schenker.

Revelation, meanwhile, is out September 20. The album is up for pre-order at Nuclear Blast.

Michael Schenker Fest, headed by legendary UFO and Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker, have announced the release of their second studio album, Revelation, on September 20 via Nuclear Blast. In advance of the album, the band has issued the official video for the first single, "Rock Steady." You can check it out above.

Said Schenker about “Rock Steady,” "This song almost did not make it on the album. It developed from a 'maybe' into a definite, after we swapped things around like an added solo, psychedelic pieces, the lyrics, the slide plus all the other goodies and sprinkles. It turned out to be a party song telling my story, capturing many aspects of music.”

Revelation was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss. It was recorded and mixed by Michael Voss at Kidpool Studio Greven & Kidwood Studio Münstertal, Germany.

Said Schenker, “Based on the fun that we had recording Resurrection, the success of the album and the surrounding tours we undertook that were just fantastic, I was deeply inspired to start on writing new songs for a new Michael Schenker Fest album," Schenker said in a statement. "It is even a step up from Resurrection with amazing input from all singers and all musicians—I could not ask for a better result. The songs are blazing, snappy, energetic, melodic, and, with drummers like Simon Philips and Bodo Shopf, we got amazing results. This time we even managed to record three great mid-tempo songs with all singers involved, singing their hearts out.”

Revelation features Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, Doogie White and, on one track, Ronnie Romeo of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on vocals. Simon Philipps played drums on the album, while Bodo Schopf will take his place as the band's permanent drummer moving forward, due to scheduling conflicts for Phillips. 

The album is available for pre-order here.

For more information, head to Michael Schenker Fest.

Legendary UFO and Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker recently wrapped a North American tour with his latest outfit, Michael Schenker Fest, playing 30-plus song setlists that ran upwards of two hours. Schenker ended the shows each night with a run-through of one of his most famous tunes, UFO’s “Lights Out,” from the band’s 1977 album of the same name. You can check out video of Schenker performing the song at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts Theatre on April 16.

Michael Schenker Fest will release their sophomore album, Revelation, on August 23 via Nuclear Blast. It was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss, and recorded and mixed by Voss at Kidpool Studio Greven & Kidwood Studio in Münstertal, Germany. 

“Based on the fun that we had recording Resurrection, the success of the album and the surrounding tours we undertook that were just fantastic, I was deeply inspired to start on writing new songs for a new Michael Schenker Fest album," Schenker said in a statement. "It is even a step up from Resurrection with amazing input from all singers and all musicians—I could not ask for a better result. The songs are blazing, snappy, energetic, melodic, and, with drummers like Simon Philips and Bodo Shopf, we got amazing results. This time we even managed to record three great mid-tempo songs with all singers involved, singing their hearts out.”

Revelation features Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, Doogie White and, on one track, Ronnie Romeo of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on vocals. Simon Philipps played drums on the album, while Bodo Schopf will take his place as the band's permanent drummer moving forward, due to scheduling conflicts for Phillips. 

For more information, head to MichaelSchenkerFest.com.

Michael Schenker Fest kicked off a new leg of their North American tour last night at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. The run continues through May 18 in Austin, Texas.

Today, the band also released a lyric video for the song “The Girl With the Stars in Her Eyes,” from their 2018 debut album, Resurrection. You can check it out above.

Joining guitarist Michael Schenker onstage for this leg of dates will be Michael Schenker Group singers Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley, as well as Doogie White of Schenker’s Temple of Rock, Chris Glen (bass) and Steve Mann (guitar/keys) and former Michael Schenker Group drummer Bodo Schopf. You can see the full tour itinerary below.

For more information, head to MichaelSchenkerFest.com.

Michael Schenker Fest North American tour dates:

4/16/2019  Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA

4/17/2019  Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA

4/19/2019  Palace of Fine Arts - San Francisco, CA

4/20/2019  Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA

4/21/2019  Revolution Hall - Portland, OR

4/22/2019  Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC

4/24/2019  The Palace formerly Flames Central – Calgary, AB CANADA

4/27/2019  Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO       

4/28/2019  The Truman - Kansas City, MO

4/30/2019  Bourbon Hall -  St Louisville, KY

5/03/2019  The Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI

5/04/2019  Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL

5/05/2019  Lafayette Theater - Lafayette, IN

5/07/2019  Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON

5/09/2019  The Egg - Albany, NY

5/10/2019  The Palladium - Worcester, MA

5/11/2019  Irving Plaza – New York City, NY         

5/12/2019  The Space at Westbury - Westbury, NY

5/14/2019  Ram's Head Live 20 Market Place Baltimore, MD       

5/15/2019  The National – Richmond, VA

5/16/2019  Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA

5/18/2019  Empire Garage – Austin, TX

Michael Schenker Fest have announced a new album, Revelation.

The band's second LP, Revelation will be released via Nuclear Blast on August 23. It was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss, and recorded and mixed by Voss at Kidpool Studio Greven & Kidwood Studio in Münstertal, Germany. 

“Based on the fun that we had recording Resurrection, the success of the album and the surrounding tours we undertook that were just fantastic, I was deeply inspired to start on writing new songs for a new Michael Schenker Fest album," Schenker said in a statement. "It is even a step up from Resurrection with amazing input from all singers and all musicians—I could not ask for a better result. The songs are blazing, snappy, energetic, melodic, and, with drummers like Simon Philips and Bodo Shopf, we got amazing results. This time we even managed to record three great mid-tempo songs with all singers involved, singing their hearts out.“ 

Of the album's title, Schenker said “The album title and cover concept express things that have happened in my past as well as what is still happening at the present time. It’s about passion and purity versus greed and corruption. There is much to say. It’s about time I let people know about some of this.”

Revelation features Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, Doogie White and, on one track, Ronnie Romeo of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow on vocals. Simon Philipps played drums on the album, while Bodo Schopf will take his place as the band's permanent drummer moving forward, due to scheduling conflicts for Phillips. 

Michael Schenker Fest also announced that they would be embarking on a North American tour next month. You can check out the band's full itinerary below.

For more on Michael Schenker Fest, head on over to michaelschenkerfest.com.

Michael Schenker Fest 2019 Tour Dates:

4/15/2019 Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
4/16/2019 Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
4/17/2019 Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
4/19/2019 Palace of Fine Arts - San Francisco, CA
4/20/2019 Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA
4/21/2019 Revolution Hall - Portland, OR
4/22/2019 Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, BC
4/24/2019 The Palace formerly Flames Central – Calgary, AB
4/27/2019 Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
4/28/2019 The Truman - Kansas City, MO
4/30/2019 Bourbon Hall 116 West Jefferson St Louisville, KY
5/03/2019 The Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI
5/04/2019 Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
5/05/2019 Lafayette Theater - Lafayette, IN
5/07/2019 Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
5/09/2019 The Egg - Albany, NY
5/10/2019 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
5/11/2019 Irving Plaza – New York City, NY
5/12/2019 The Space at Westbury - Westbury, NY
5/14/2019 Ram's Head Live 20 Market Place Baltimore, MD
5/15/2019 The National – Richmond, VA
5/16/2019 Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
5/18/2019 Empire Garage – Austin, TX

The April 18, 2015 episode of That Metal Show featured the first-ever Kirk Hammett-Michael Schenker jam session.

Below, you can watch the pair rehearsing on the set right before taping started.

Things kicked off with “chord progression that would be good for us to jam on,” which the Metallica guitarist showed the UFO/Michael Schenker Group guitarist. And then they were off.

“In the 14 seasons of That Metal Show,” Trunk said afterwards. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a moment like that, because Kirk Hammett and Michael Schenker just warmed up on the set before we taped he episode. I was jokingly saying this may be as proud [an] accomplishment as [the] day my kids were born to have been able to orchestrate this to happen on the show.”

Trunk added that he and Hammett originally bonded over their love of UFO, and that Hammett was willing to to fly across the country to finally play with Schenker, whom he had met on a few occasions.

Hammett's appreciation for Schenker is no secret. When Guitar World asked him to select the record that changed his life, he chose UFO's Force It (1975).

"When it got to the guitar solo, I was just blown away by Michael Schenker's tone, phrasing and technique," he said. "By the time the second solo came on with the fastest descending lick I'd ever heard, I was totally hooked! I immediately grabbed the album cover and saw the picture of Schenker playing a Flying V."

Michael Schenker Fest have premiered the music video for their song, "Take Me to the Church." You can watch it above. 

The video was shot during the band's recent trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, and was directed by Aleksander Makov.

"We filmed the video in an old church in St Petersburg, Russia as well as at our live show there that same evening," Schenker said of the video's creation. "The process was an interesting experience. The fans in Russia were great for the video, too."

Of course, you may remember that Guitar World premiered Schenker's guitar playthrough video for "Take Me to the Church" all the way back in March. You can watch that—if curiosity so strikes you—right here.

For more on all things Michael Schenker, follow along on Facebook.

For the recording of UFO’s Obsession album, producer Ron Nevison rented a building that formerly was a U.S. Postal Service sorting facility, located on West Third Street near the center of Beverly Hills, and employed the services of the Record Plant Mobile recording truck. In interviews, band members recalled that the idea was to replicate the band’s live sound in a more controlled environment, but this is only partially true as few tracks actually benefited from the acoustics of this large, empty warehouse with high ceilings and concrete floors—mostly just the drums, bass and Michael Schenker’s lead fills and solos.

The end result of Nevison’s approach was more of a combination of studio polish and live energy. This is most apparent in Schenker’s various guitar textures on the album, which provide a great example of how contrasting tones can be a very useful approach in the studio. Schenker’s lead tones sound massive and powerful, especially on “Only You Can Rock Me” where Nevison recorded Schenker playing his trademark Gibson Flying V through a 50-watt Marshall stack turned up full blast, with the natural reverb of the warehouse setting providing the “larger than life” live sound the band was seeking.

The rhythm tracks, however, were created using an almost opposite approach, with Schenker plugging into a tiny, battery-powered five-watt Pignose 7-100 with a five-inch speaker that was recorded bone dry. The crunchy, nasal midrange of the Pignose occupies a relatively narrow range of the sonic spectrum, making Schenker’s solos sound much bigger in comparison than they would with the accompaniment of the usual wall of rhythm guitars also played through Marshalls. Schenker also used the Pignose with a Cry Baby wah pedal for the horn-like melodic parts he played on “Ain’t No Baby,” “Born to Lose” and “Lookin’ Out For No. 1 (Reprise),” but on “Only You Can Rock Me” his solos are pure, unadulterated Gibson-into-Marshall nirvana.

ORIGINAL GEAR

GUITAR: 1971 Gibson Flying V (bridge pickup); volume: 10, tone: 10 Amps: 1977 Marshall model 1987 JMP MK2 50-watt head with two 4x12 Marshall cabs with Celestion 25-watt G12M “greenback” speakers (lead and solo tracks) (Input I upper left, Presence: 7, Bass: 5, Middle: 6, Treble: 1, Volume I: 9); Pignose 7-100 (rhythm tracks) (Volume: 10)
EFFECTS: None
STRINGS/TUNING: Fender Rock N’ Roll .009-.040/Standard
PICK: Herco Heavy nylon

GET THE SOUND, CHEAP!

● Dean V 79
● Marshall DSL20CR
● Pignose 7-100

TONE TIP: For the solos, use the Marshall’s Classic Gain channel with the Gain between 7 and 8 and the Volume all the way up, and dial in just enough reverb (but not too much) to sound more like a spacious hall than a large room.

Today, we've teamed up with legendary metal guitarist Michael Schenker to premiere his newest guitar playthrough, for the Michael Schenker Fest song, "Take Me to the Church." You can check it out above.

The song is taken from his band's aptly titled new album, Resurrection, which features guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen, and is out today via Nuclear Blast.

Resurrection includes songs like "Warrior," which is unique in that it features Voss-Schoen and all three of Michael Schenker Fest's vocalists, Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley. It also features "Heart and Soul," an energetic collaboration with Kirk Hammett.

You can pick up a copy of Resurrection for yourself right here.

For more on all things Michael Schenker, follow along on Facebook.

Back in December, Michael Schenker announced a new album, Resurrection. In the announcement, it was mentioned that Schenker would be joined by an array of guests on Resurrection, including Wayne Findlay, Michael Voss-Schoen and—notably—Metallica's Kirk Hammett.

Today, we finally get to hear Hammett's collaboration with Schenker, the energetic "Heart and Soul." You can check it out above.

"Kirk is a fan [of mine] that's well known, but he has also become a friend," Schenker told Revolver. Hammett recorded his fretwork at Metallica's Hawaii studio.

You can preorder Resurrection here.

For more on Michael Schenker, be sure to follow him on Facebook.

Michael Schenker Fest have announced a new album, Resurrection.

The new album—which is set for a March 2 release via Nuclear Blast—features guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen.

Along with the announcement of Resurrection, the group also premiered the album's first single, "Warrior."

"Warrior," which you can listen to below, is unique in that it features Voss-Schoen and all three of the group's vocalists, Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley.

"When Michael Voss-Schoen showed me his lyrical and vocals ideas, it instantly came to my mind that all four singers should be involved," Schenker said in a press release. "I'm really fascinated by the result. It's really interesting how the different voices complement each other. 'Warrior' is really heavy but at the same time ear-friendly and catchy!"

For more on Schenker and the new album, stop by michaelschenkerfest.com.

Thirty-five years have passed since the Michael Schenker Group released their legendary 1982 live album, One Night at Budokan.

However, last summer, Schenker—one of rock’s most respected guitarists—returned to Japan with three of the vocalists who helped him achieve worldwide success in the Eighties to record a new live disc.The show, which was shot and recorded in front of 5,000 fans at Tokyo’s International Forum, will be released March 24 as Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally. The album reunites Schenker with MSG vocalists Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet, plus Robin McAuley of the McAuley Schenker Group. Also performing were MSG alumni Chris Glen (bass), Steve Mann (guitar) and Ted McKenna (drums).

The album celebrates the music and guitar wizardry of Schenker—and gives longtime fans a chance to re-live some incredible rock and roll moments.

I recently spoke to Schenker about Michael Schenker Fest Tokyo and more in this new interview.

How did the Michael Schenker Fest come together, and when did the idea for this live album begin?
It started about two years ago. A promoter had the idea of having Graham Bonnet and his band support Temple of Rock and sing a couple of songs with us. When we did that, I was like, wait a minute. There are so many songs from different eras and I’m playing all of this past material with different singers. I thought that if I could put Robin and Gary and Graham together I could do all of the Eighties material and perform those songs with the original singers—and it would be fantastic!

So I started thinking about a group of musicians: Steve Mann, who is a fantastic guy and player and was connected to McAuley and myself from the McAuley Schenker days, and Chris Glen and Ted McKenna, who had both worked with Graham and were also the original rhythm section [after Cozy Powell] for the Michael Schenker Group with Gary. It couldn’t be better than that.

A promoter in Japan eventually found out about it and set us up on tour. One of the shows was Tokyo, a beautiful place that sold out immediately. I decided to record it and make sure it would be captured forever. In a way, it’s like a déjà vu of Budokan.

What was it like performing with Graham, Gary and Robin again?
It was fantastic. It was a celebration of music and about enjoying it with fans and just having a blast. The first part of my life in the Seventies was the development; making a blueprint and focusing on the art of lead guitar playing with self-expression. I had finished both Lights Out and Strangers in the Night [UFO] and Lovedrive [Scorpions] by the time I was 23, so I already had a taste of the peak and the fame. But I also was able to decide between continuing to do that or having the freedom to experiment with music.

Although I decided to experiment and have fun doing instrumentals, I’d always get phone calls from people asking me to join them for various projects. When I look back to the past, the things that went down were just incredible. Then in 2008, I got the urge to step on stage again. I took it as a sign that I needed to be back in the scene and carry on the things I started in the first part of my life. Only this time, I was ready to enjoy everything consciously, and things developed very quickly. It started off with Gary and the reunion album and has snowballed from there.

Can you tell me how you came up with the track “Into the Arena”?
I was in the middle of writing and had booked a rehearsal studio with a drummer and bass player and was just jamming around. I sat down and played to discover and just started working it all out. By that point, we had already written a lot of material, but that particular song came about in the studio all by myself.

Has your gear changed much over the years?
I’m still using Dean guitars and my usual stuff: the Marshall amp along with a simple delay, chorus and wah-wah pedal. That’s it.

Do you ever see yourself writing a book about your life and career?
I’m a musician. I let the music do the talking [laughs].

Of all the highlights of your career, are there any that stand out to you as particularly memorable?
My life has been a journey, and I remember every step of it. Every step was an important one that led to the next one. Life is designed to bring new challenges in order for you to learn, create and make choices. I look at it the same way with my music. So if you ask me if there’s anything in particular, I’d say no.

The journey is the highlight and it fits together just like the book you were talking about. It’s step by step recognizing the development of my guitar playing and where I’m going. It’s about moving forward all the time and never looking back.

James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.

Former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker has released a trailer for his new album, Bridge the Gap, which will be released January 7 through the inakustik label.

The album features his old rhythm section from Scorpions days — bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell — plus ex-Rainbow singer Doogie White and guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay. People who pick up the deluxe version of the album will get to hear Don Dokken's vocals on a bonus track, "Faith."

The album was produced by Schenker and Michael Voss and engineered by Voss.

Schenker will kick off the first round of 2014 dates with a U.S. trek, which will feature Schenker, White and Findlay, as well as bassist Rev Jones and drummer Pete Holmes. You can see all the dates below the video.

"I'm very much looking forward to touring the States in January/February and to introducing my new singer, Doogie White, and material from our new album," Schenker said in a statement. "Doogie, Wayne Findlay and I will be promoting our new album in the States before teaming up with the album lineup for a world tour starting in March in Japan. We are all looking forward to rock you. 'Til then, keep on rocking!"

For more information, visit michaelschenkerhimself.com.

Bridge the Gap Track List:

• 01. Where The Wild Winds Blow
• 02. Horizons
• 03. Lord Of The Lost And Lonely
• 04. Rock n Roll Symphony
• 05. To Live For The King
• 06. Land Of Thunder
• 07. Temple Of The Holy
• 08. Shine On
• 09. Bridges We Have Burned
• 10. Because You Lied
• 11. Black Moon Rising
• 12. Dance For The Piper
• 13. Faith (Deluxe Edition only)

Michael Schenker Bridge The Gap US Tour 2014

Jan-09 LAS VEGAS, NV LVCS
Jan-10 CORONA, CA M -15 CONCERT THEATRE
Jan-11 RAMONA, CA RAMONA MAIN STAGE THEATRE
Jan-14 DENVER, CO ECKS SALOON
Jan-16 LIBERTYVILLE, IL AUSTINS
Jan-17 LIBERTYVILLE, IL AUSTINS
Jan-18 TORONTO, CANADA ROCKPILE WEST
Jan-19 TORONTO, CANADA ROCKPILE EAST
Jan-20 ENGLEWOOD, NJ BERGAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Jan-21 LONDONBERRY, NH TUEPELO MUSIC HALL
Jan-22 NEW YORK, NY BB KINGS CONCERT HALL
Jan-24 SAYREVILLE, NJ STARLAND BALLROOM
Jan-25 POUGHKEEPSIE, NY CHANCE THEATRE
Jan-27 SELLERSVILLE, PA SELLERSVILLE THEATRE
Jan-28 CLEVELAND, OH AGORA BALLROOM
Jan-30 OAKLAHOMA CITY, OK CHAMELEON BALLROOM
Jan-31 HOUSTON, TX CONCERT PUB NORTH
Feb-01 SAN ANTONIO, TX BACKSTAGE LIVE
Feb-06 SAN FRANCISCO, CA YOSHI'S
Feb-07 ORANGEVALE, CA BOARDWALK
Feb-08 PORTLAND, OR TBA
Feb-09 SEATTLE, WA EL CORAZON
Feb-12 HOLLYWOOD, CA HOUSE OF BLUES
Feb-15 SAN JUAN, CAPISTRANO, CA THE COACH HOUSE
Feb-16 HERMOSA BEACH, CA ST ROCKE

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Metallica's Kirk Hammett chooses (and discusses) the record that changed his life.

UFO
Force It (1975)

I was 15 years old and a friend of mine brought it over to my house insisting I had to hear it.

I was still living at my parents' house at the time, and they had a very loud stereo system. My friends would come over and we would blast it up to what we thought was concert level. Boy, was I naive!

The first track my friend played was "Mother Mary" [See video below], and I thought, Wow, these guys are just as heavy as Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Montrose and all the other hard rock stuff that I was listening to before I got into heavy metal.

When it got to the guitar solo, I was just blown away by Michael Schenker's tone, phrasing and technique. By the time the second solo came on with the fastest descending lick I'd ever heard, I was totally hooked! I immediately grabbed the album cover and saw the picture of Schenker playing a Flying V.

From that point on I knew there was an entire rock vocabulary out there that was not just based on pentatonic scales, and I set out to learn as many Schenker solos as possible while trying to write heavy riffs just like UFO. i also wanted a Flying V so bad!

That record taught me a lot about solo structure, phasing and melody, as well as playing for the song. I was amazed how UFO could be so heavy and so melodic in the course of one song. I think the band I was in at the time added two UFO songs to its set that week.

For me the standout tracks on Force It are "Mother Mary," "Shoot Shoot," "This Kid's," "Out on the Street" and "Let It Roll." Every time I pick up the guitar and start improvising, I think a lick or two from that album squeaks out subconsciously. I probably spew the most Schenker licks on Kill 'Em All because everything was still kind of new to me at that time.

Michael Schenker and his band, Temple of Rock, have announced a 12-date U.K. tour in April 2013. The tour kicks off at the ARC, Stockton-on-Tees, England, on Tuesday, April 9.

The band lineup includes ex-Scorpions stars Herman Rarebell (drums) and Francis Buchholz (bass), MSG man Wayne Findlay (keyboards) and Scottish vocalist Doogie White (Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen).

The Temple of Rock concerts will highlight Schenker’s time with the Scorpions, UFO and MSG.

For more information, click here.

Michael Schenker, April U.K. Tour:

• April 9 - Stockton Arc
• April 10 - Aberdeen Lemon Tree
• April 11 - Edinburgh Picture House
• April 12 - Newcastle O2 Academy
• April 13 - Holmfirth Picturedrome
• April 14 - Warrington Parr Hall
• April 16 - Falmouth Princess Pavilion
• April 17 - Bristol O2 Academy
• April 18 - Salisbury City Hall
• April 19 - Oxford 02 Academy
• April 20 - Nottingham Rock City
• April 21 - Norwich Waterfront

Danava is a band based out of Portland, Oregon, that has been steadily rising in the metal underground over the past eight years.

Even though their music has a doom element people can compare to early Sabbath, their influences are so eclectic that an attempt to put a label on them would almost be a disservice to their abilities, so the best way to get an idea of what they sound like is to listen to them.

Speaking of music, they have released two full-length albums in the past, the self-titled debut in 2006 and UnonoU in 2008. And now, three years since that release, they are ready to put out their third album, Hemisphere Of Shadows. which hits the North American market October 4. I've already heard the album quite a few times, and trust me, it's not going to disappoint anyone.

While the band is on their European run, I got a chance to do an interview with Gregory Meleney, the man behind the vocals, guitars and synthesizers. Read the conversation below, and check out the band's official Facebook page for more updates as the album release draws to a close.

I believe you are on a European tour with Lecherous Gaze. How is that going for you?

It's been great! Even the smaller towns rule here. We're halfway done and in Slovenia at the minute.

Have you been able to debut some songs off of Hemisphere Of Shadows on this tour?

Yeah, we do about four or five in the set.

The album has been a rather long-awaited one, taking three years since the previous full-length release. What's the reason for this gap?

The lineup change put a dent in everything as far as timing goes. It's for the best, though, We're happy. We took a year off from playing live to form the bond.

Can you talk about the idea behind the album's title and overall lyrical theme?

I seem to stay with the theme of good and evil. There are undertones of a darker nature with this one. The human condition is an endless well of possibilities. I tend to write about things that are very real in concept. As much as we've been called sci-fi / fantasy, I've never written a damn thing about it other than "Eyes In Disguise" and "Longdance" from our first album. And those are really just one song split into two.

This one sounds like a totally guitar-driven record, probably more than the previous ones. Would you agree?

Definitely. It was done out of necessity, really. There is no hope for us finding a synth player good enough to execute what we'd like to do live for that realm, so we added a second guitar and now we can play this record in its entirety, live. The last album should have been a little more guitar driven, but we were challenged to make that record so fast that we only had all our most epic songs available and had to smash them together. In hindsight it's a little ambitious, that last one.

I was interested to read that you described the album as "less Michael Moorcock and more Michael Schenker." How much of an influence has Schenker been on your guitar playing?

A very big one. The first record I ever had as was UFO's Force It. When I was 5, it was the first record given to me by my dad. It has left its mark, and I still listen to it a lot.

I think Schenker is criminally underrated as a guitarist. Would you agree?

Yes he is. But those of us who love him, LOVE him. I've taken the most influence from him in that I like to play guitar with very little effects crap. Just raw. You can hear Schenker's hands doing their job. So many of these gear nerds today trying to chase tones and sounds get so far gone that they completely forget the most important aspect being in your hands. It all starts and ends there. Iommi wasn't using Orange and Big Muffs either ... Straight into a Rangemaster and a Laney and the rest is the hands. I wish people would realize this. Then guitar playing might get interesting again for me.

Monte Mattsson left the band to pursue his studies in biology. I mean, band members leave for various reasons, but that's a new one for me. Did that come as a shock to you?

No, not at all. He had been working his way toward leaving the band for a while. He had family at home, and it was hard for him to get out and tour as much as we should have been; because he's a brother, we accepted things the way they had to be until we found Matt, and Monte could be free to live his life. He hung on as long as he could, and we miss the hell out of him.

You toured with Down in 2009, and I was at the House of Blues Anaheim show. Phil Anselmo joined you on stage to perform the song "Black Sabbath." That gave me the chills. How did you feel performing with him up on that stage?

Great. Those guys are like brothers. They take care of us when we're with 'em, and we have nothing but fun. We did that every night. We love them and sadly were unable to join them in the States for this September run because we're in Europe. Great guys.

Talking of gear, what is the kind of guitar you mainly use, and why did you choose that particular kind to begin with?

This is where things get funny. I use a crappy Epiphone and some other SG copy thing with a John Birch in the bridge. To be honest, man, I've never had guitars that played as good as these. My buddy Clint in Portland loans me guitars from his collection all the time, and they're awesome but they still don't work as well as my beaters. If I had more money, I'd probably go crazy and get a few different guitars. But for now, I'm happy with these old crappy guys I have.

Do you try to experiment with different tones and gear set-up before recording an album, in order to get a better sound?

Not much, man. I like the sound of as straight-in as possible. I either use a boost or a Big Muff very lightly to send things just over the edge. We do mic the hell out of two completely different rigs, but the difference is one that one amp is a bit cleaner than the other.

Does your set-up change from studio to stage, or do you try to keep it exactly the same?

Nope. Exactly the same.

Because of the psychedelic element in your music, the term "stoner metal" is often thrown around. I think it's almost an insulting or derogatory way to describe your music, because that means a person can't enjoy it without really being stoned out of his mind, which is very far from the truth. What do you feel about this subject?

I agree. I don't even agree with our music being psychedelic. I've never said that we were anything but a rock band. We do go out on the edge every once in a while but we really are just a rock band. I've always been a little irked by journalists saying we sound like Hawkwind too. NOT EVEN CLOSE! Hawkwind is the only one who sounds like that. I think people have forgotten how to use their ears and we get crap for other journalists' comparisons. Not cool.

Andrew Bansal is a Los Angeles-based writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, reviews and pictures on his website -- with the help of a small group of people. Besides being hugely passionate about heavy metal, he is an avid follower of jazz music and recently started a blog called Jazz Explorer to pursue that interest.

Leslie West, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker will be joining forces for what's being called the 3 Guitar Heroes Tour this fall. The tour will included individual sets by each guitarist, plus a jam with all three afterwards. The three will also be joined by special guests on most dates of the tour.

On the touring plans, Leslie West said: "I am honored to be a part of the '3 Guitar Heroes' tour with Uli Roth and Michael Schenker. My manager Bob and I have been discussing a run like this for ages, and when the opportunity came up I hopped on board. That's right - the guy who just had his leg amputated. These guys are monster players and this should be a lot of fun."

Michael Schenker added: "It is very exciting to be part of a tour that has very deeply rooted connections with two guitarists that have been at their best since the start of their careers. When I was around 14 years-old, I saw a guy on stage playing amazing guitar. It was Uli, and he was around my age. Three years later while with the Scorpions, I chose to join UFO and found the best possible replacement in Uli. I knew my brother Rudolf and Klaus were in good hands.

When I was 16 years old, Leslie West was one of my favorite guitarists. He had just recorded 'Theme For An Imaginary Western' with MOUNTAIN, a song featuring one of my all-time favorite lead-breaks on it. Looking back, Leslie is the last guitarist I ever copied seeing that from when I was 17 on, I went completely my own way.

So, here we are after all these years on stage together, celebrating the phenomenon - rock guitar."

3 Guitar Heroes Tour Dates:

• October
• 6 - Norfolk, CT Infinity Music Hall & Bistro
• 8 - Ridgefield, CT The Ridgefield Playhouse
• 9 - Plymouth, NH The Flying Monkey
• 12 - Foxborough, MA Showcase Live
• 13 - Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
• 14 - New York, NY Irving Plaza
• 15 - Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
• 16 - Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre At Westbury
• 19 - Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
• 20 - Cleveland, OH House of Blues
• 21 - Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
• 22 - Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
• 26 - Milwaukee, WI The Pabst Theater
• 27 - Chicago, IL House of Blues

November
4 - Dallas, TX House of Blues
5 - Houston, TX House of Blues
11 - Las Vegas, NV Boulder Station Hotel & Casino

More dates will be announced shortly.