- Pro-Ject’s first Artist Collection turntable release in 2026 is ready
- The Scorpions deck features artwork from the band’s 1982 album, Blackout
- Based on the Pro-Ject T2, price £629 (about $846 or AU$1,257 where sold)
Pro-Ject’s tires are blowing with the winds of change, right? Not content with a delightfully thunderous AC/DC-themed turntable and an Elvis-themed light-up deck (which I recently got to see at the Paris Audio Show), the Austrian record label has unveiled the Pro-Ject Scorpions turntable, featuring the striking artwork from the German band’s 1982 album, Blackout.
And just in case you’re not entirely familiar with the band’s (or the album’s) meaning, since forming in Hanover in 1965, Rudolf Schenker and co. has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Blackout was the band’s eighth studio album, and in 2017 Rolling Stone ranked it number 73 on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.
The album cover is not – how to say it? – for the faint of heart. Based on a self-portrait by the Vienna-born artist Gottfried Helnwein, it shows Helnwein with a bandaged head, a mouth frozen in mid-scream and twisted forks pointing into the eyes.
The artwork was also not created specifically for the album; it dates from around 1981-82. Schenker and band member Klaus Meine allegedly discovered the image in Stern magazine and got Helnwein’s permission to use it. For the cover, Helnwein apparently only made minor adjustments to the colors and background to fit the LP format, leaving the central image intact.
Pro-Ject’s Scorpions turntable: hungry to play
And the story behind the album’s title track? It’s just like rock ‘n’ roll. As Schenker previously said Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Blackout was a song that actually came out of a situation where I was partying with the Judas Priest guys, Glenn and KK, and with Def Leppard. It was a hard party—no doubt—and I had a blackout that I didn’t even know existed. I told Herman the story. He said, “You know what you had? You had a blackout.” Then he added, ‘Oh, by the way, that’s a great title for an album’.”
The Pro-Ject Artist Collection celebrates the bands, acts, musicians and artworks that have shaped music and popular culture. Scorpions Turntable is handcrafted in Europe, designed and built by Pro-Ject. It is based on the Pro-Ject T2 turntable and uses a belt-driven design. The CNC-machined base has been enlarged here for greater stability, and its non-plastic construction should reduce unwanted vibrations. A heavy glass top should also minimize resonance, and Pro-Ject tells me the turntable’s feet will help isolate the unit from any external vibration.
The deck includes a straight 9-inch aluminum tonearm with integrated headshell and spring-based anti-skating mechanism. It is also equipped with a pre-adjusted Pick it 25A Moving Magnet Ortofon cartridge, ready to rock you like a hurricane right out of the box.
Pricing? Of course. The Pro-Ject Scorpion turntable is available now by special order in the UK, priced at £629. European pricing is €649.00, with details for additional regions coming soon – but those figures equate to roughly $846, or AU$1,257 if you can get your hands on one.
China white? No, it only comes with the album art printed on the plinth, silly. And thanks again, Pro-Ject. You give me everything I need…
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