A R T I S T   S P O T L I G H T

John Petrucci - Dream Theater

John with his new Road King & Lone Star Heads. ''On this album, I ditched my trusted Mark II C+'s and recorded the entire thing with a Mesa/Boogie Road King". The Lone Star wasn't available in time for the recording but did make it in time for their world tour.

John Petrucci is unquestionably one of the world's greatest guitar players and along with his exceptional abilities to operate a guitar, he's arguably one of the world's ''great ears for guitar tone". Together with drummer Mike Portnoy, the two produced Dream Theater's latest release, ''Train of Thought" (2003) and are on tour across North America through September 2004 in support of this latest release.

John Petrucci with his Lone Star Heads - “The Lone Star’s clean was so huge and brilliant, we had to use them”.

John's live rigs over the years have been some of rock's finest, but this years latest rig is a culmination of all of his staple live outboard gear for effects processing but with a core change in amplifiers. ''On this album, I ditched my trusted Mark II C+'s and recorded the entire thing with a Mesa/Boogie Road King", John explains. ''Recording this CD was like riding a Harley… it was entirely enjoyable". Initially inspired by the Road Kings obvious versatility and intrigued by ''Progressive Linkage" power section variations beyond his normal Rectifier experiences, John set out to ''challenge myself to experiment, which inspired tons of new ideas, both tonally and musically. Power section options were totally useful, especially when we recorded at, and above, live volumes. The four 6L6's and Silicon Diodes settings were a staple and familiar for tightness and accuracy in the feel, but adding the EL-34's gave rhythm tracks an extra cut and haze that tracked amazingly well. Lower wattage settings were great for searing leads and melody lines but I still stuck to higher power settings for the faster, more technical runs and for separation and detail between notes".

While in preparation for the world tour to support Train of Thought early in 04', the Lone Star was released and another tone-jones for John was fulfilled. ''The Lone Star's clean was so huge and brilliant, we had to use them live. Channel 2 on the Lone Star was configured to be a second tighter, faster clean with a pinch more punch. Plus, this opened up Channel 2 on the Road King for ''Brit" Crunch, which was previously a second clean channel".

JP on top of the World of Tone with this 2x12 & 4x12 Rectifier Cabinets

Recognized as being comprised of some of the most technically proficient musicians alive, Dream Theater continues to defy the rock rehash herd. Their lush, dynamic and conceptual songs showcase the band's ability to create complex arrangements and perform them with passionate musicianship! Guitar freaks, tone heads and Dream Theater fans all seem to agree - ''Train of Thought" is a tonal freight train of epic proportions. Catch the latest news and visit the archives of John's previous rigs at www.johnpetrucci.com - Plus, keep your eyes peeled for John's first solo album, scheduled for release toward the end of the year. You can also find Dream Theater tour dates and other news at www.dreamtheater.net

More of this month's Artist Spotlights:

• Lamb of God
• Rob Derhak