- Pro-Ject’s first Artist Collection turntable release of 2026 is available
- The Scorpions deck features artwork from the band’s 1982 album, Blackout
- Based on the Pro-Ject T2, priced at £629 (around $846 or AU$1,257, where sold)
Pro-Ject decks blow with the winds of change, don’t they? Not content with a delightfully stunning AC/DC-themed turntable and an Elvis-themed light-up turntable (which I had the opportunity to see recently at the Paris Audio Show), the Austrian turntable specialist has unveiled the Pro-Ject Scorpions turntable, showcasing striking artwork from the German band’s 1982 album, Blackout.
And just in case you don’t really know the importance of the band (or the album), since their formation in Hannover in 1965, Rudolf Schenker and co. have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Blackout was the band’s eighth studio album, and in 2017, rolling stone ranked it 73rd on its list of the 100 greatest metal albums of all time.
The album cover is not – how should I put it? – for sensitive souls. It is based on a self-portrait by the Viennese artist Gottfried Helnwein and shows Helnwein with a bandaged head, a mouth frozen mid-scream and crooked forks pointed at his eyes.
The cover art was also not created specifically for the album; it dates from around 1981-1982. Schenker and his colleague Klaus Meine are said to have discovered the image in Back magazine and got permission from Helnwein to use it. For the cover, Helnwein apparently made only minor adjustments to the colors and background to fit the LP format, leaving the central image intact.
Pro-Ject Scorpions turntable: hungry for play
And the story behind the album’s title track? It’s just like rock’n’roll. As Schenker previously told Las Vegas Review Journal: “Blackout is a song that actually came out of a situation where I was partying with the guys from Judas Priest, Glenn and KK, and with Def Leppard. It was a tough party – no doubt – and I had a blackout, which 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, artists, musicians and artwork that have shaped music and popular culture. The 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-drive design. The CNC-machined base has been enlarged here for greater stability, and its non-plastic construction should reduce unwanted vibrations. A heavy glass platter should also minimize resonance, and Pro-Ject tells me that the turntable feet will help isolate the unit from any external vibrations.
The platter features a straight 9-inch aluminum tonearm with an integrated shell and spring-loaded anti-skate mechanism. It is also equipped with a pre-adjusted Pick it 25A Ortofon Moving Magnet cartridge, ready to rock you like a hurricane right out of the box.
The price? Of course. The Pro-Ject Scorpions turntable is available now by special order in the UK, priced £629. European pricing is €649.00, with details for other regions to come – but those figures roughly equate to $846 or AU$1,257, if you can get your hands on one.
Chinese white? No, it only comes with the album art printed on the base, stupid. And thanks again, Pro-Ject. You give me everything I need…
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