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Scorpions - Sails of Charon - Guitar Tab

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Scorpions - Sails of Charon guitar tab video
Guillaume Vrac
Guillaume Vrac Top Contributor
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Scorpions Hard Rock

About Sails of Charon

Few guitar instrumentals from the late seventies demand as much as "Sails of Charon." Uli Jon Roth wrote and recorded this piece for Scorpions, and the lead guitar work sits at the absolute centre of the track, blending classical phrasing with raw hard rock power. In E Standard at 120 BPM, the tempo feels brisk the moment the signature neoclassical riff arrives, so do not underestimate how precise your picking and left-hand fretting need to be to keep the lines clean. The main riff involves wide stretches and fast melodic runs that catch most players off guard on a first read. Spend real time with the Practice Toolbar, looping the opening riff and the solo passages slowed down before you try them at full speed. Vibrato control is equally important here: Roth's phrasing relies on wide, violin-style vibrato, and rushing that detail will flatten the character of the whole piece.

  • The signature riff blends neoclassical melodic runs with hard rock picking, requiring clean alternate picking and accurate left-hand stretches throughout.
  • Uli Jon Roth favoured wide, violin-influenced vibrato, so practising that technique slowly is essential before attempting the solo at full tempo.
  • The track sits in E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, which sounds moderate but leaves little room for sloppy fretting in the fast scalar passages.

How to Play Sails of Charon

Tuning: E Standard · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Matthias Jabs adopted Fender Stratocasters with humbuckers in later years, using their brighter character for cleaner ballad tones and more articulate lead work than his earlier Explorer guitars. The single-coil versatility lets him dial back aggression while maintaining the Scorpions' signature sustain.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While less documented than their Custom models, the Les Paul Standard's thick body and stock humbuckers provide the warm, sustained tone the Scorpions need for layered lead harmonies and heavy power chord work in the studio.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Matthias Jabs relied heavily on Gibson Les Paul Customs in the studio for their superior sustain and thick tonal character on solos, using the guitar's humbuckers and weight to achieve the band's signature fat, compressed lead sound.

Gibson Flying V
Guitar

Gibson Flying V

Rudolf Schenker's iconic Gibson Flying V since the mid-70s delivers his aggressive, palm-muted rhythm tone through hot PAF-style humbuckers, becoming synonymous with the Scorpions' raw, pointed attack and distinctive visual identity.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

Matthias Jabs built his lead style around the Gibson Explorer's angular design and humbucker tone, using the guitar's focused midrange and sustain for expressive solos before transitioning to signature ESP and Fender models.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Both Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs powered the Scorpions' classic 80s sound through Marshall JCM800 heads, with Schenker running moderate preamp gain for defined rhythm crunch and Jabs pushing higher gain for lead work and sustain.

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