Scorpions The sails of charon by Johnny Rushmore

[daviddidonato]

That is amazing. I bet even Uli Roth couldn't do this picking every note.

[stratboy1000]

so good!

[namkrad333565]

This is really great stuff :) You´re the man!

[vanhalen515084]

awesome

[SuspensionTruth]

You're really a pleasure to listen to, man! Looks like you've having a blast, too! Kudos on an awesome cover and sharing your tips with us!

[carlos1897dc]

great

[SKARKIBANEZ]

FFFUCK YEAH 80'S MOOD.......

;)

[dannyhood66]

@SKARKIBANEZ *80s? Nobody sounded like this in the 80s.Uli roth was hardly even known in the USA during 80s..There was a short lived faze for him in 85 with astral wind but it failed because the 80s was nerdy preppy and anti anything with feeling psychedelic or especially heavy metal shit..That changed in the late 80s and the bands that are big today where hated in mid 80s like metallica was underground in 80s up until the end of the late 80s..Even though they sold albums world wide this is 77?

[Mrbignutzful]

Not an easy piece to play and you killed it!!!

Hehehehe , great job bro'

Cheers,  \m/ \m/

[71CommodoreGSE]

Liked & faved. Really like your style. It fits this song perfectly.

[Moglichkeitz]

Impressive!

[EVILMORPHGOD]

Man, you are a BEAST! You rip...your picking is so aggressive to say the least.... I am a far daintier picker than that. You nailed that very hard solo! SKILLS.

[time412music]

dude you fucking rock this is amazing!

[time412music]

Dude you are fucking amazing !!!AAA+++

This one of my favorites of all time >very cool!!!

[necoco99]

i like it ! your style .

not super , but u looks cooool!!

[skinengine]

Uli was my "Yngwie", so to speak. I've loved this song, since the 70's, and think anyone who can nail those leads like he wrote them is a badass! Great job!

[MrExley]

fantastic

[MrTimthebassman]

do you ever not remember playing this memrable song live????

[GBJPhotoWorks]

Well, this guitar was only like a strat in body shape anyway. Look at the pick-ups. It's a total custom job, and with the reversed headstock the player can tune the guitar from the same side of the neck on which he is playing. Makes total sense. Besides, the guy totally shreds Sails of Charon and all you can do is get neg about the headstock. Douche.

[goldenaxeband]

W0w man, congrats. It sounds perfect. 5 stars.

[redozzman]

Rock on Brother, nice pick attack, guys don't understand what it took to rock out old non mastervolume Marshalls, It took very strong hands and a solid picking attack, you got em both!

[TheOriginalLHM]

Very good job!

I wish I could play half as good as you!!

[highintel]

wow....strange fingering on the intro solo. do you do that for tone, picking, or all the above?

[JohnnyTsak316]

I dunno sounded like that was a good place to play it so yeah I learned it way back in the 77 but no one showed me so I figured that's where he played it !

[highintel]

77 huh...damn...I wasn't even born....lol

I started playing in 1992 actually....you must be leagues ahead of me....Your really good man...as I have said in every video I have watched from ya.

Keep-em coming

[2112asm]

very nice bro

[JAMESLeadGuitarist]

Are you picking every note?

[JohnnyTsak316]

absolutely ?! Bluegrass technique or flatpicking , alternate-up and down etc..

[BurnElectric]

Great job man, don't get me wrong, you've got the skill, but you dig way too furiusly into those strings, also it seems you are rushing it a little, so it makes it sound unnatural. Tone is also great for this song. Cheers

[JohnnyTsak316]

no I think the harder you pick the more aggressive the better that way you can clean up your tone on the amp and play with natural distortion not over saturated distortion or too much gain like most neoclassical players talk about unnatural they overuse distortion and their picking is weak and their sound doesnt cut through - no thanks dude ! I pick with extra heavy picks 1.26 millimeter clatons and I can play any guitar thru any amp and kick serious butt with my aggressive picking technique .

[JohnnyTsak316]

Their was a guy in my neiborhood Alan Schwartz and He was the best electric lead guitar player in the world I swear I am not lying - He never made it and I dont know what happened to Him but He had a nasty picking hand and He told me to alternate pick every note and try to make it so the tone of each note is pure and heavy so that's what I did .

[NigelllBennn]

Haha, I'm trying to learn this song. It's pretty hard for me.

By the way, great job. You play great.

[Droneunimatrix]

bravo

[theshyguitarist]

You are just way to good to not be performing in front of 30,000 screaming people in a huge stadium. I am in awe. I'm 37 and just now picked up the guitar. You have inspired me. Pure and raw guitar skills.

[An0k1n]

amazing

[thoomoo]

that was shit hot

[tajmahodge]

Was that About the time when you did the show at the PG Ballroom in Landover?

[JohnnyTsak316]

No it was 3 years before !

[tekofslayer]

great cover dude!!!

[jryan123]

Jesus Dude!!!

[YTTuco]

Dude, I really like these Scorpions/Electric Sun era videos you have uploaded here. Thank you very much for them! Have you played any of Uli's later stuff - like from Metamorphosis or the new album Under a dark sky?

[D0g63rt]

Do you pick every third note only on the quick scale runs?

[JohnnyTsak316]

No sir - I pick every note alternate picking as you can hear and see .

[ioanap84]

Gr8 song to choose SCORPIONS with Roth are the best!!!

good job with the fast soloing man

[yerfy]

Very impressive! You make it look easy. You should fire your lighting guy!

[weretarantula]

That was awesome man. Absolutely superb job.

Love your picking style aswell never seen anyone attack the strings in that motion before.

[JohnnyTsak316]

Right on bro ! It's a bluegrass technique of hard flatpicking with an extra heavy pick . This is how us rednecks do it . No fooling around with overstaurated gain or some type of easier method - if you can't play it on a regular acostic guitar then you can't play it approach to guitar attack ! Keep on wailing !

[speedwagon1213]

Hey man great advice what you just wrote here. I feel what you wrote about Malmsteen. I got into Malmsteen before Uli, but I think Uli is better and you hit the nail on the head when you said why.

[unklesamz]

Nice job Johnny Mt Rushmore!

[gabomor]

Hi mi friend, great playing sounds =, hey do you have backing track for this song?? do you think you could send to me plz?, thx man... greetings from Mexico

[JohnnyTsak316]

No I just am playing to the CD !

[Glephniven]

Good playing!!!

[OLIE80SCHILD]

It is very good in certain moments but sloppy in some others keep practicing the tune.

[artgonedog]

This guy was playing this tune a week after it originally came out. He is having fun, not a 10th of what he can do on the axe.

[Usercool]

Uli is probably one of my favourite guitarists ever.

I've never heard anyone else who could articulate those vibratos like Uli can.

Great job.

[tickledpinksock]

Not bad at all. You pick it differently than Uli, but you get 99% of the notes right and you have a cool tone and a fine vibrato. Rock on.

[id6klub]

im not even a rock listener.. but that's hot.

[JohnnyTsak316]

really ?!! Who is your stepdad ?

[Spankymunoz]

hey dude, my stepdad grew up with you and told me to check you out. i have been blown away.

ill tell my friends to check you out.

[megabestia]

AMAZING, PERFECT, congratulations!

[brooksgeo2]

lol...

[JohnnyTsak316]

Tone you say ! I am the world's most direct and deliberate tone chaser and Mastro concerning Rock Guitar Godlike tonality and What ever you don't know about tonality I can teach you .

[doosky78]

best i've seen next to Uli! Great tone!

[durianlychee]

your sound is bare and rare distinct tone!! man without the aid of those expensive pedals love it. Pls post more songs.

[JohnnyTsak316]

Pedals !?! Pedals should only be added after your sound is established as a work of tone genius not to make up your sound ! If your guitar doesn't sound good plugged straight into an amp burn it ! Don't even sell it , why should you be guilty of perpetuating bad guitar sounds ?! Tone is everything without it you will never be as good as you could , every guitar player knows that ! You need a Rushmore guitar bro. don't be a loser get a Rushmore today and stop making excuses !

[thehebrewhammer08]

Finally someone who does the song justice and plays it the correct way! 5/5!!

[gregremlin]

That is a GODLY tone that i wantwantwant. I'm primarily a hard rock and metal player, but I love this song, and you completely nailed it. THAT is the tone that should be revered and worshipped! I've checked out your website, and I'n truly interested in buying one of your guitars if they're all as well made and tone consciously constructed!!

[JohnnyTsak316]

Right on Gregremlin ! Tone is what your after than I know how to get it ! I jut built a 1 piece guitar that rocks !

[dennster]

perfect!!! You are entitled to call yourself a BAD ASS!!!!!!!!

[blahman178]

I like that aggressive style.Finally, someone knows that the tone is in the hands!5/5

[JohnnyTsak316]

Thank you Blahman178 ! When I was growing up in siver spring there was a guy names Alan Schwartz who was the best flat picker I ever saw ! He smoked everybody and when I say everybody I mean that to include all the legends , Page , Hendrix ,clapton ,Blackmore So I saw how high He had raised the bar and determined within myself I had to be that good !Alan knew all the yes stuff too and was able to play anything He wanted too!I didn't stop till I had wrestled this style of picking down oldschool !

[blahman178]

you are amazing.

[yaithoughtso121]

magical! XD

[EVILMORPHGOD]

YOU SHRED!!!!! So clean and you dig in!!!

I hate YOU!!!!!

Uli Roth is amazing and that solo was light years before its time.... That lead makes me wants to kill my guitar!

[JohnnyTsak316]

The style of lead guitar that I learned is old school , before the saturated distortion/compression became the popular style like Yngwie and others who overly use distortion to pick in small movements instead of pluging straight into an old Fender or marshall and use the aggressive blues flat picking technique where the tone is not in the amp but in the player's hands !

[JollyRigger]

Dude ROCKS!!!!! God job, man.

[zoidburg111]

is that a strat with a left hand neck and what appears to be gibson humbuckers?? mus be a meaty sounding strat,great playing btw

[JohnnyTsak316]

Yes it is ! Two mini's from the 60's and 1 full size Trini Lopez 1972 !

[zoidburg111]

i have a 71 sg and a strat,i never had the guts to merge the 2 lol,i use the sg for chunky metal riffs and the strat for everything else,i know ppl are gonna say im a retard but thats just what i like ya know,(btw im never gonna deface my 71 sg special (all orig. hardware) its my emergency fund if i need it hehe

[JohnnyTsak316]

Well I dont know about your finacial status but I just find the old pickups on ebay and then go and build the thing myself as you see here ! I build some intense guitars and I have built several for all kinds of folks !

[AXEFLYERFV]

Just loved it man,Thnx for continuing posting these great clips!

Jeeper!

[jdeasel]

hey johnny, that's one solo you never taught me over the years, i hope someday you can find the time to show me that solo, i'm with drizd, that is still one of my favorites, and so are you

[GBJPhotoWorks]

Awesome!

[GBJPhotoWorks]

This things been driving me nuts for awhile, but I finally figured it out. Chunks of this solo/tune are drawn from the main melodic theme of the Big Band standard, Caravan. It's a melody, using a Middle Eastern scale, alluded to several times here(:45-:55, 1:00-1:04).

[GBJPhotoWorks]

I had to hum the tune for my parents to get the name of the old standard.

[JohnnyTsak316]

Yeah Duke ellington's caravan was to jazz what Uli's sails is to rock ! Youre right about that , brian Setzer orchestra does a swing rockabilly version of it that is awesome !

[05rsx]

I used to play this tune 95% correct,but man you nail it 99.9%

[JohnnyTsak316]

Yeah I will post another version that is really good as well ! It is awesome to learn and then get the picking down strong I use a country style or acoustic bluegrass flatpicking technique which is super agressive and not like Yngwie or Roth at all but more like a redneck Dimeola ! strings are 10 - 46 .

[GBJPhotoWorks]

Wow! A redneck DiMeola! On one side of the issue, DiMeola just cringed. On the other side of the issue... rednecks everywhere just said, "Who?"

[joem18853]

Man that's freakin awesome! Uli couldn't do it better himself!

[chefjameso]

dude you rock

[jdrizd2]

Johnny, you're such a badass! That solo is one of my favorites!

[jmpeterson55]

Dude! I can't even think that fast. But then again I don't believe Johnny is thinking either, he's just playing. Like all the greats, the guitar is an extension of his conciousness. All the thinking was done way back when in his bedroom he went into hybernation with his axe, and like a bear didn't come out until it was time to eat. ;()

[squyres]

I agree---very Kool !!! Peace/Love

[ddrumsrock]

Milly Vanilly does guitar!! While the playing is over the top impressive the part I find most impressive is how well he stays with the track playing at that speed since the track is buried way back in the mix and difficult to hear. That's a statement to Johnny's time awareness (playing with Kevin and Fox didn't hurt). Of the handful that can actually play Sails well few could do it in time with the track.

[beakys]

Cool!