Matthias Jabs (Scorpions)

[Tone Slinger]

This guy is SO underrated !

I mean, from his first album with the Scorpions (Lovedrive, love that album cover, and back and sleeve ) he had great tone and solo ideas.
Animal Magnetism was a bit restrained but by 'Black Out',, Jabs was a modern hard Rock/Metal FORCE !

On 'Love At First Sting', I have to say that I think 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' is probably one of the greatest solo's of all time.

[chrisom]

Great Marshall tone, too. I remember reading in an interview where he said he was using Marshalls with something called "transformer killers" on them... Anybody know what those are?

[SteadyEddie]

I used to have World Wide Live when I was in high school. He is a great player. Maybe he just never really measured up to Uli, but all of their greatest hits were the songs with Jabs. He mainly used the Explorer, but he had a Bill Lawrence L90XL in his strat, I've got one and it is a great rock pickup.

[Winder]

Jabs is a guitar stud. Great chops. Michael Schenker actually played lead on a few songs on Lovedrive, but Jabs certainly was no step back in quality from Schenker or Roth.

[Tone Slinger]

I got to agree ! Michael played the solo on like 3 tracks on that LOVEDRIVE album. On 'That Metal Show' I was pleased that Eddie Trump got it right (on 'Stump The Trump') 'Another Piece Of Meat',, 'Coast To Coast' and 'Lovedrive'. Michal said that he played more,. but I dont hear it.

'Another Piece Of Meat' and 'Anybody There ?' are easily the two best solo's on there imo.

'I'm Leaving You',,, 'Bad Boy's Running Wild',, Comin Home, Arizona,, etc, all qualify as superb solo's.

TRANSFORMER KILLERS,,, I to have that old '88 Guitar World with Malmsteen on the cover. Jabs said that he used Sylvania output tubes (6ca7's for sure) and Fender pre amp tubes (at that time probably 12ax7 A's from China ?)

I dont know what that 'Transformer Killer' could be other than some sort of attenuator or power soak. That '78 jmp 1987 top of Jabs is a GREAT sounding top. He said he got it new after he got the 'call'.

[stump]

Jabs has always been one of my favorites. The solo in Arizona and the rest of the Blackout album are excellent. I have some Fender branded 12ax7's from '88 or early '89 that are Tungsram. Maybe that's what he had at the time. At some point he was using Fender Prosonic combo's, I have an article somewhere, and he said that they did all of the Marshall stuff but had an additional preamp tube that gave them a boost over the head version. Regardless of what he plays for gear he flat out rocks.

[somethin'else]

Ah, love the Jabs too. I crawled up on stage at the OMNI in Atlanta in like '83 (yeah, I'm crusty) and I'm not kidding, I GRABBED HIS FOOT! LOL. Next thing I saw was the ceiling of the arena as I crowd surfed on my back about 20 rows backwards! Didn't get kicked out, 'caused security in the 80's was cool, but man, I love that guy, still do.

[Tone Slinger]

Ha Ha, cool story . I hate to say it but there are 3 players/bands that I havent seen live. The Scorpions, Michael Schenker/UFO and Uli Jon Roth.

I've seen some GREAT shows over the years, but have missed these .

[garbeaj]

Jabs and Rudolf are really great together. "Still Loving You" is the shit...right up there with "Purple Rain" for emotion. What a tone! I can't wait to get my Destroyer and dig into those artificial harmonics on "No One Like You"!

[Spinoo]

So to get tones from the Savage Amusement which spec would be a good start? I'm really in love with this growl and mids on the rythm parts as well!

[Tone Slinger]

I'll pull out that old magazine from that era, both guitarist (Rudolph and Matthias) tell of what they used.

I remember what Matthias said though, he said that he used the same 50 watt Marshall head (1987 model #) that he bought new in 1978 after getting the Scorpions gig. He said that he used one 4/12 cab with Celestion 25 watt speakers. He mentioned that the amp is 'stock' except for a 'transformer killer' ? This sounds like an attenuating device of some sort.

There are a few different specs that can get you there (Savage Amusement) but I would go to the EVH forum and look at the topic 'EVH style mods'. The Mod 5 spec is gonna be pretty close to what Jabs was actually doing, tonewise, which was 'cranking' that amp up to at least 6 or 7 on the volumes. This spec gets you there, but at more 'useable' volumes.

[Spinoo]

Thanks! So Jabs was using a NMV cranked, that's interesting. Yes in this era the mids are quite close to the brown sound so I think your advice is a good one Would be great if you manage find this article!

[Tone Slinger]

Found the magazine, 'June 1988' Guitar World'. Jabs used his 1978 Marshall 1987 head into one 16 ohm cab. He mainly used his 1978 Explorer and his '63 black strat with the floyd Rose (his tech said that Jabs was very 'particular' about that guitar and 'Nobody can touch it') The tech said that it has a Gibson humbucker in it, but up to and including the '84-'85 tour, it still had the Bill Lawrence hb'er in it.

Jabs said that he also used a 1984 Les Paul Standard that he picked up at the Gibson factory in Nashville. He said he used a '64 Tele some as well.


Rudy, said that he ran in to Paul Rivera at a German Music Fair. He said he picked up a Rivera, and that Rivera sent him several models shortly there after. Rudy said he used a stereo amp that is 2x60 watts into 16ohm or 8ohm (if two cabs were plugged in) Marshall cabs. He said he used his '74 flying V mainly, but also used other V's along with a Gibson B.B King 'Lucille'. He said he picked it up at the Gibson factory in Nashville.

[Spinoo]

Well thanks a lot! It's quite surprising for me; I didn't associate the Rudy rythm to Rivera

The Gibson humbucker must be a high output one to drive a NMV as such, even with an attenuator! Maybe a dirty finger?

[Tone Slinger]

See thats the thing, concerning Matthias Jabs gain. The Bill Lawerence pu (L500 I think) is a medium output ceramic magnet pu. Jabs had this pu in that '63 strat on the 'BlackOut' and 'Love At First Sting' records. A Gibson hb'er like a 'dirty fingers' would be a higher output pu than the L500 I believe, so Jabs would be getting a hair more gain than before from his '63 black strat with original, non fine tuner floyd Rose. That would make sense.

Concerning Jabs 'stock' 50 watt Marshall. I still do not understand what he meant by "A set of Transformer Killers was installed" An attenuator is not installed. Whatever Jabs had done to that head, it was installed 'internally'.

One thing is for sure, he got some GREAT tone out of that thing .