One Way To Sound Like … John Petrucci

John Petrucci is considered by many metal fans and guitarists as the guitarist of our time. The combination of songwriting, technique and feel, fit together perfectly and is highly respected among musicians. In today’s “One Way To Sound Like…” we present to you how Petrucci gets his exceptional sound. Please note: The right equipment alone does not make you a John Petrucci. It’s the combination of gear and guitarist that does and well maybe some practice too. 😉

In this blog you will find among other things, exactly the equipment that Petrucci plays, but we will of course also present alternatives for smaller budgets. So to set things off, let’s begin with the guitar. In our video, Kris plays a Sterling by Music Man John Petrucci JP70TPB 7-String, which comes close to its bigger Music Man siblings. An alternative would be for e.g. the Music Man John Petrucci Majesty 7 PN, his current signature model which he also plays live and in the studio.

His new signature model Mesa Boogie JP-2C Head was only available just a few weeks ago. In our video, however, you can see a slightly cheaper version, the Mesa Boogie Mark Five: 25, of which the sound comes very close. At the end of the clip, there is also a part involving a Peavey 6505 Head Mini, which also does a really good job.

Our first choice regarding the speaker is the Mesa Boogie Thiele Box. It works beautifully with the amps and the Celestion 90 loudspeaker. After much experimenting and comparing we came to the conclusion that pretty much every box fits perfectly with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. Which brings us to the Harley Benton G212 Vintage for the bargain hunters among you. This box is loaded with two Celestion Vintage 30 and is yours for just €222.

Effects are in no way less important to Petrucci’s sound. For several years he worked closely with TC Electronics and also plays their pedals live. The Delay he uses is the TC Electronic Flashback, which our Kris plays in the video together with Petrucci’s “Aurora” Toneprint. For a few euros less and well worth considering is the T-Rex Playback 60th Anniversary. In the video, we used The Dreamscape as a chorus, this is a chorus/flanger/vibrato in one, which Petrucci developed together with TC. The Boss CH-1 for example will also cater to your chorus needs.

To round off his clean and rhythm sound with a compressor to match is the TC Electronic Hyper Gravity. Have I already mentioned that he closely cooperates with TC? ? But even here there is a suitable equivalent and that is the Fender Micro Compressor. And finally, the only thing missing is a nasty, aggressive wah. Option A would be a Dunlop John Petrucci Cry Baby and Option B, a Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q CB, which thanks to the “Q-Control” you can adjust pretty mean.

That was it from our side, but certainly some of you already attempted the Dream Theater sound. What equipment has proven to be most suitable to you? Who would you like to see next in our “One Way To Sound Like …”?

Lawrence started playing the electric guitar because of his passion for rock music. Back in the day he played in a metal band, but now plays more for himself.

Show all blog posts by Larry