NAMM 2026: British metal heavyweights Iron Maiden are the latest to be honored with a signature Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, with a special Killers edition of the iconic pedal paying homage to the band’s earliest days.

First launched in the mid-1960s and quickly immortalized by Jimi Hendrix on Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), the Cry Baby wah has long since been a pedalboard staple for many.

Over the years, everyone from Slash and Dimebag Darrell to Joe Bonamassa and Jerry Cantrell has been bestowed with signature editions as its empire has grown, and now the band that “emerged from the rough-and-gritty streets of late-’70s London” has joined the clan.

From classic Killers cuts like Wrathchild and Innocent Exile to The Number of the Beast – the wah has been a trademark effect for Maiden’s shredders. Cue this collector’s edition stompbox, emblazoned with Killers era Eddie for a pedal you won’t miss on a darkened stage floor.

Beneath that embossed tread – which looks pleasingly grippy – the pedal is essentially a redressed version of the GCB95 Cry Baby Standard Wah.

That means there are no bells and whistles with this edition, instead focusing on the classic sound that made the pedal one of the world's best-sellers in the first place. The Killers image that takes up the entire bottom plate, and the Iron Maiden logo along its side are neat touches, though.

Wah enthusiasts Kirk Hammett and John Petrucci are among the first players in the world to get their hands on the new pedal, with the pair sent mystery boxes to open for their social media followers.

While Hammett jokingly says he hopes it's food or coffee inside the box, there's an audible gasp when he sees what's inside.

“Oh my gosh, this is very special,” he purrs. “I love Iron Maiden, and I love this album. I'm getting a warm feeling in my heart right now.”

Petrucci is similarly impressed, beaming, “How cool is that?” as he holds it up to the camera.

“This collector’s edition Cry Baby Standard Wah celebrates that sonic connection with an exclusive collector’s edition finish and custom tread inspired by that record,” says Jim Dunlop.

“Whether it’s mounted on your pedalboard or standing at the heart of your shrine, this pedal is a torch held high for rock ’n’ roll.

The Jim Dunlop Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby wah is available now for $229.99.

See Jim Dunlop for more.

The pedal’s release comes quickly after Fender launched a band-wide run of signature guitars for Maiden, meaning Janick Gers finally got his moment in the limelight.

For many guitar fans, the term 'shred' evokes speed, precision and virtuosity. Desired and admired in equal measure, building your shred guitar skills lies in learning short patterns and sequences that can be repeated and varied. With enough learnt and playable at high speeds, you can reach Shred Heaven.

These shred patterns can be formed from many types of scales, typically derived from 2 note per string based pentatonic shapes and 3 note per string based modes such as Dorian, Mixolydian and Aeolian. Techniques-wise, you'll typically find a mix of picking (alternate, economy and sweeping), legato, and tapping.

A tried-and-trusted way to develop your shred chops is to use speed bursts. This typically involves a short pattern-based figure (a 'cell' sequence, typically 4, 6 or 8 notes long) that is (once mastered) played quickly for a brief duration before resting, giving your hands time to recover.

This process is repeated while gradually pushing up the metronome tempo and elongating the repetitions without stopping. Speed burst practice is a fantastic way to building strong left and right hand technique, as well as increase your speed and stamina.

Some of the biggest names in shred mastery make use of stunning speed patterns in their solos including Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, John Petrucci and many more. Paul Gilbert is a great advocate of patterns:. through his teaching videos, Paul has demonstrated stunning lead lines based around the minor pentatonic scale and three-note-per-string sequences.

In this tutorial, you will learn some of the best and most relied on patterns of the fast and famous. Ranging from pentatonics to modes, it's time for you to turbo boost your playing to whole new levels. Let's go!

Ex 1. A minor pentatonic pattern 1 with burst playing

Here's an A minor pentatonic (shape 1) sequence using the notes A-C-D-E-G. Inspired by Slash and John Petrucci, this starts with an 16th note pattern that involves 8 notes and repeats twice using alternate picking and pull-offs.

The second bar is where you catch your breath and lessen any tension in your hands as you only play a short E note on each beat. This burst approach (play fast then play slow) is a popular way to sharpen your technique, allowing you to increase speed without straining for too long.

The example concludes by continuing this sequence across the remaining string groups.

Ex 2. A minor pentatonic pattern 2 with burst playing

Here's a variation of Example 1, still based in A minor pentatonic. This ascending and descending fragment uses both alternate picking and fretting hand legato.

The eight-note pattern repeats for one bar, and is once again followed with a 'chill out' bar, keeping time by playing a short D note on each beat. This example concludes by continuing the sequence across shape 1 and across the top three strings of shapes 2 and 3.

Ex 3. A minor pentatonic pattern 3 with burst playing

This is your final pentatonic example, evoking the shred style of Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. Here you're using shape 1 of the A minor pentatonic scale plus its b5 blue note, Eb.

Remember, A minor pentatonic + an Eb note (this is the diminished 5th/blue note interval for A minor) results in the six note A blues scale (A-C-D-Eb-E-G).

Once again, a fast 16th-note based repetitive sequence is followed by a one note per beat chill out bar for energy recuperation. To conclude, the sequence travels across the remaining string groups of A minor pentatonic, shape 1.

Ex 4. A Aeolian sequence 1 with burst playing

Here is your first three-notes-per-string sequence, as used by the likes of Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci and Steve Vai. It's based around the A Aeolian mode (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). The shred element is an eight note pattern that ascends and descends on the low sixth and fifth strings, using strict alternate picking.

Once again, you will use the repeating speed burst practice method, with a rest bar played. You then continue the sequence across all six strings, including position shifts as you climb the neck. It concludes by continuing the sequence on the top two strings.

Take care with this one, as the additional position shifts add to the complexity of the run. It sounds absolutely fantastic once you've got it to 'beast shred' levels (ie 4 notes per click from the metronome at 140 beats per minute or more).

Ex 5. A Dorian sequence with burst playing

Inspired by Eddie Van Halen and Paul Gilbert, this exercise is based around A Dorian (A-B-C-D-E-F#-G) and uses a 16th note triplet rhythm (othrwise known as sextuplets) to ascend on the top two strings.

The three notes on the second string should be played with legato and the first string's three notes are performed with alternate picking. Experiment with alternate picking for all notes, or if you find this too demanding, pick every three notes (ie pick, hammer-on, hammer-on).

This sequence is pretty demanding at the 100 bpm tempo – 6 notes per click at 100bpm is often considered shred speed territory – so practice slowly then gradually build up your speed. Pay attention to the timing of your fretting hand, as this is vital when synchronizing with your picking hand.

Ex 6. Mini Piece - putting it all together

To close the examples, this is a mini piece that combines the approaches you've worked on in the previous examples.

Bars 1-4 feature a repeating pentatonic sequence inspired by Zakk Wylde. You develop the phrase in the first bar, which repeats before continuing the sequence across the remaining string groups.

The pentatonic sequence has been embellished with additional notes, including the b5, resulting in the A Blues scale, plus the minor 6 interval which gives the lick an Aeolian vibe.

Bars 5 and 6 include a pattern that ascends and descends with the A minor pentatonic and include some double picked notes plus fretting hand legato. This concludes with a sequence that shifts through three positions of the A minor pentatonic on the top three strings.

Bars 9-10 include an ascending sequence based around A Aeolian. This includes position shifts, so take care with your hand synchronization. The solo concludes with an ascending sextuplet pattern on the top two strings using notes from A Dorian. This sequence uses both legato and alternate picking.

Shred speed burst classics

Paul Gilbert - Scarified

This is a shred instrumental classic originally recorded by Paul Gilbert's first big rock band, Racer X. It more than lives up to its name and is full of picking and legato licks, many of which are built on foundations of small 6 or 8 note cells/patterns. If you want proof of the benefits of this article, this is one of the best pieces to be inspired by. Prepare to have your face melted!

Ozzy Osbourne - Miracle Man

This was a new era for Ozzy Osbourne with Zakk Wylde. Hard rocking and powerful, Miracle Man is a full-on rock assault with a stunning solo!

Following a climbing arpeggio sequence, Zakk rips through an outrageous fast picking pentatonic sequence that still perplexes guitarists to this day.

Check out his blues scale lead licks at 2:21 – you will notice example 3 pays tribute to this. Much of Zakk’s playing makes use of fast pentatonic sequences, but this solo shows how far he (and in turn, you) can push it!

Dream Theater - As I Am

As I Am features a blistering solo that demonstrates why John Petrucci is hailed as one of the greatest rock guitarists to have emerged during the early '90s.

This solo is chock full of sequences including both pentatonic and three note per string, performed with precise alternate picking. The solo includes single string figures that develop into extended runs across multiple string groups. The pentatonic sequences are also breathtaking.

You may need a lie down after watching this, all born from Petrucci's admiration of Steve Morse's alternate picking style and his teenage years' intense shred pattern practicing.

Hello, and welcome to Guitar World’s gear round-up, your one-stop-shop for keeping up to date with what’s been happening in the big wide world of guitar gear over the past seven days.

From new electric guitars to amp modeler updates, the guitar industry is never short of fresh releases, and it can sometimes be hard to stay abreast of every new launch that may be of interest to you.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together an essential must-read guide that will cover the major releases, the boutique drops, and everything in between.

It's been a quiet one this week (the frenzy of the past few weeks was always going to be unsustainable) but that doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty of big hitters. The Dave Grohl DG-335 is back. So is John Petrucci's JP15 baritone guitar. Mark Lettieri's PRS Fiore just got an upgrade. We won't spoil it all for you...

Gibson Dave Grohl DG-335 Alpine White

Fan of Dave Grohl’s DG-335? Of course you are. Who ain’t? After all, the DG-335 isn’t just one of Gibson’s most popular signature guitars – it’s one of the company’s most popular electric guitars full stop. In the past, it’s been given a few limited-edition reissues in finishes such as Ebony, Gold Metallica and – perhaps its most famous – Pelham Blue.

Never, though, has it been released in white – a colorway that Grohl himself has been largely favoring for his own DG-335 models on stage since 2021. Well, after quite literally years of player requests, Gibson has finally obliged with a Alpine White variant.

It’s a DG-335 so, naturally, it’s a super-limited drop. Only 50 will be made. We get that it’s an $12k Custom model, but we wouldn’t have minded a USA Standard Alpine White version. These will sell out fast. We don’t want to think what they’ll go for on the second hand market.

Whatever the case, these are really, really classy guitars. We’re just happy to see a white version out in the wild. And who’s to say a USA Standard version might not arrive at some point in the future…

For more: Gibson

PRS Fiore HH

Now, this one is a bit of me. Mark Lettieri’s PRS Fiore is one of my favorite modern-day guitars, period. The HSS configuration. The finishes. The tones. The switching. The styling. The feel. It’s all gorgeous, not to mention it’s the signature guitar of one of my all-time favorite players. Now, it’s been released with a dual-humbucker setup and a rosewood fingerboard. Take all my money right now.

HH guitars may not be often associated with Lettieri, but he’d be the first to admit such guitars play a huge part in his tone in the studio. And this isn’t just any HH guitar. You get series/parallel switches, too, meaning there are plenty of options to get lost in. Just watch the demo. Comfortably the highlight of the week for me.

For more: PRS

Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic

What happens when one of the world’s most prestigious recording studios crosses paths with one of America’s most influential legacy guitar makers? Well, you’d probably get something that looks like the Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic – a purpose-built hollowbody that puts Abbey Road’s innovative studio tech in a guitar’s signal path for the first time.

Specifically, it features its own ‘Rumble Filter’. The original was developed in the 1950s by Abbey Road engineers to remove low-frequency noise. Now, a similar circuit has been developed and put in the RS201 – which, it should be said, is the first musical instrument to ever be given a ‘Recording Studio’ number. Very classy indeed.

For more: Gretsch

Epiphone Mike Dirnt Grabber G-3

When Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong’s old bass player left band practice to go to a dentist appointment, he probably had no idea the chain of events he’d set in motion. It reads like the ultimate butterfly effect: bassist leaves practice, Dirnt picks up his four-string, realizes it’s actually pretty fun, forms Green Day, becomes one the most influential punk bass players of his generation, gets a signature Epiphone Grabber G-3.

It’s fairytale stuff, but for Dirnt, it’s very much real. This week he was honored with an Epiphone signature bass inspired by his OG Grabber – a cult classic oddball model from the 1970s, which was actually reissued last year. And it all started when his mate went to the dentist. Crazy, eh?

For more: Epiphone

Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci JP 15 Baritone

John Petrucci’s Majesty is up there as one of the firm’s best-selling guitars. The baritone spin-off – not seen for around a decade – is also immensely popular and sought-after, but because of its scarcity, it’s rarely been seen.

That’s not to say there isn’t demand for it, though. Players have been ramping up their cries for a JP baritone reissue ever since Petrucci took one out on the road for Dream Theater’s 40th anniversary world tour. At last, it’s out in the wild.

“This unique model has been a long time coming” Petrucci said. “Been playing this beast live on stage on DT’s 40th Anniversary/Parasomnia world tour and it absolutely rages with pure aggression and delivers the goods with tremendous clarity and precision, despite the super low baritone tuning.”

Unfortunately, it’s limited to just 100 examples worldwide. Hopefully a standard run version arrives in the not-too-distant future…

For more: Ernie Ball Music Man

Line 6 Helix Stadium XL Floor

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but finally the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor XL has been released. Months after the next-gen modeler was announced, weeks after it made its public debut at Guitar Summit, days after a string of hands-on demos were launched, and the $2k+ multi-effects amp modeler is officially here.

It’s been worth the wait, though. I took some time at Guitar Summit getting familiar with it, and was pretty impressed. Of course, I wouldn’t mind a closer deep diver, but the early signs were promising.

Now we just need the slightly smaller Helix Stadium to come out, too…

For more: Line 6

As the co-founder of the Dixie Dregs, the longest-serving guitarist for Deep Purple, and with over five decades of gigging experience under his belt, Steve Morse knows a thing or two about the importance of warming up before a show.

“There's technical practice, there's stretching, there's left-hand strength, right-hand strength, and I've got this condition that has developed from 50 years of playing,” he says on The No Cover Charge Podcast, referring to his struggles with arthritis.

According to Morse, one guitarist whose commitment to a warm-up routine is particularly impeccable is Dream Theater’s John Petrucci.

“We did some shows with Dream Theater. One thing I love seeing is how John Petrucci will just sit down and do a warm-up, no matter what, even if you're talking to him, he's going to keep on,” he explains.

“Got a metronome going. He's going to build it up, build it up. And when he goes up on stage, it's no problem. And of course, he keeps getting better with his musical ideas and everything, too.

“So he's blown me away with the level that he's been able to keep that alternate picking and even incorporating some hybrid things, just to serve the music. That's as high of a level [as] I've seen of somebody preparing for a gig.”

And for those interested in putting themself through the paces of Petrucci's regimented warm-up routine, the shredder did share his ultimate warm-up regime in a 2012 interview with Total Guitar for us mere mortals to try out.

Steve Morse will release his first album since leaving Deep Purple on November 14, with Eric Johnson and John Petrucci as guest recruits for the Steve Morse Band.

Triangulation is the group’s first album since 2009’s Out Standing in Their Field. It will see Morse team up with bass player Dave LaRue and Enrique Iglesias drummer Van Romaine as the core trio. His son, Kevin, stars on the closing track, Taken by an Angel.

All eyes will be on Johnson and Petrucci, though, with the two greats of blues guitar and prog metal, respectively, trading licks with Morse on the songs TexUS and Triangulation.

Lead single Break Through is guest-free, with its music video nodding to Morse’s aviation past. For Morse, it was important to pull the spotlight away from his guitar playing with the first single.

“This may start with a guitar riff, but the bass carries the melody,” he says. “It's just a great feel to play over, and a positive vibe to start the album.

“Dave and Van have been the bedrock of this trio, and this recording shows why. These guys are unique and incredible musicians on their own, and together, our chemistry is magical. While making the album, we played together, working through parts, riffing off each other, and collaborating on arrangements. We made this album together, and you can hear it.”

While the arrivals of Johnson and Pettruci will excite the guitar community, its third guest appears on the song’s most poignant track. Taken by an Angel is a tribute to Morse’s late wife, Janine.

“That song is new territory for me,” he explains. “It was put together for my late wife's memorial service, with my son Kevin playing along. It brought tears to many folks' eyes because Janine was a huge part of my life and career. People knew her from the Steve Morse Band tours. She was the smiling face opening CDs for me to sign, selling t-shirts, listening to people's stories in the crowd, and taking photos for VIP visits.”

In related news, Morse was recently put through his paces when he was tasked with adding a tasteful solo to a Coldplay classic, which came after he joined a covers band for an intimate showing of his talents.

He spent 28 years in Deep Purple, making him the band’s longest-serving six-stringer. Simon McBride, who has discussed the differing styles of his predecessors, replaced him.

Triangulation releases November 14 via Music Theories Recordings.

Visit Steve Morse for more.

It's a truth universally acknowledged that social media can make or break you. In Mateus Asato's case, social media has proven to be a way for him to carve a path to the higher echelons of the music industry, leading to an ever-evolving résumé that includes names like Bruno Mars, Tori Kelly, Jessie J, Joe Satriani, and John Petrucci, as well as a signature guitar with Suhr.

However, back in 2016, Asato's role as an A-list sideman left him questioning his future. While traveling to South Korea for a guitar clinic – and confronted with real-life human beings who had discovered him through Instagram and were actually invested in his personal career – he realized there was tremendous potential to switch gears from “sideman” to “artist.”

“I had no idea of the impact that these little Instagram videos were having until I actually went to South Korea,” he tells Guitar.com. “There were 500 people there just to see this ‘Mateus Asato guy’. That totally changed the game for me: ‘Wait a minute, I play for an artist… but also there’s a big potential for me to just do my own stuff’.”

Working on his own material has been far from easy, however. Discussions with friend and producer Matt Mainhard made him realize that “it’s not okay to just have a list of songs. We gotta have a theme. We gotta have some sort of concept, or something that will tell you where to go”.

As for what we can expect from his hotly anticipated debut record, Asato sums it up as, “The album is definitely a journey through all the sides of Mateus. The Mateus who’s a sideman, Mateus as the Instagram boy, and then the Mateus that got more mature over the years. Who developed a different vision regarding music, regarding how I see guitar.”

So-called “Instagram guitarists” have been in hot water recently, with the Giacomo Turra controversy putting into question the lengths some go to to achieve virality and reap the benefits that guitar stardom offers.

Do you need to be a music theory savant to compose hard-hitting guitar parts (or, any guitar part, for that matter)? Or is playing by ear enough?

While music theory and building a lexicon of sorts does help you find your way around the fretboard a lot quicker, it's not the be-all and end-all. Progressive electric guitar virtuoso Jason Richardson is the latest to give his take on this timeless debate – with a little help from Al Di Meola by way of John Petrucci.

“Theory is important because it helps expedite the writing process, but it’s obviously not a necessity,” he tells Guitar World when asked about constructing the dual harmony lead lines on AntiFragile, the band's latest album. “I know plenty of players who write the craziest-sounding stuff, and some of them don’t know anything about theory.”

Richardson goes on to say that, in some sense, it's “almost better for them” because they aren’t constrained by conventions or perceptions that might inform what they're going to write – rather, are just “playing what sounds cool to them.”

“The bluntest way I’ve ever heard it put is this: Al Di Meola was at one of the John Petrucci camps [John Petrucci’s Guitar Universe] and he said, ‘Learn as much theory as you possibly can and then forget it!’” he recalls with a laugh. “That way it’s subconscious; it’s in the back of your head, not the front.”

As the six-stringer aptly puts it, “Remember, it’s called music ‘theory,’ not ‘law.’ It’s just there to guide you, to be a suggestion and help make things work better together with each other.”

Richardson was officially named All That Remains' new guitarist in 2019, after the death of original lead guitarist and co-founding member Oli Herbert a year prior.

For more Jason Richardson, plus new interviews with Robin Nolan and Gary Holt, pick up issue 592 of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.

For Dream Theater, it was a nightmare scenario. On September 8, 2010, after months of emotional turmoil, original drummer Mike Portnoy announced he was leaving the band.

The move came as a shock to the band’s fans, many of whom viewed Portnoy as the group’s heartbeat, the precise, polyrhythmic pulse that anchored the songs and gave guitarist John Petrucci a colorful, well-lit lane in which to fervently speed, randomly meander, or passionately roll.

The natural chemistry between Petrucci and Portnoy dates back to their early days jamming together. The story began when the guitarist and his middle school buddy and bassist John Myung met the drummer in 1985 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and started the band Majesty.

For nearly 25 years, they had a nearly insatiable hunger for writing, recording, and performing experimental prog-metal and rarely allowed personal matters to interrupt their musical ambition.

“We had lofty goals from the very beginning,” Petrucci says from his hotel room in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where Dream Theater just finished a show with Portnoy for their 40th Anniversary Tour. “We looked up to bands like Iron Maiden and Rush, who had long careers and were always putting out records. We wanted to do the same thing.”

Starting with their 1989 debut, When Dream and Day Unite, the band combined their diverse influences (including Rush, Yes, Metallica, Dixie Dregs, Iron Maiden, King Crimson, and Al Di Meola) and created iconoclastic, mathematically complex prog-metal that shattered boundaries.

The band became tighter and more adventurous with time. Multi-faceted full-lengths were followed by world tours, and soon after one album cycle ended, the next would begin. It was how Dream Theater flowed – like a huge, glittering waterfall in constant motion – and it allowed the band to maintain visibility through the grunge, alternative, and nu-metal movements and retain a dedicated fanbase.

But the decades of churning and burning took its toll on Portnoy. Having devoted 25 years to the band, the acrobatic drummer wanted to take at least a year off to decompress and focus on other projects. Such a request was unacceptable to his bandmates, so Portnoy bailed.

“It just came down to priorities,” Petrucci says. “He wanted to take some time off, and we wanted to keep going with our busy schedule, writing and recording and then going on a full world tour that could last for a year and half or more. He wanted to stop, we didn’t, and that was the decision we made. We did what we needed to do in order to keep going.”

“I was starting to feel trapped, and they wanted me to commit to a certain date to start the next record, and I just wasn’t ready,” Portnoy told the podcast Everyone Loves Guitar in 2020. “I went with my heart and said, ‘Look, I’d rather regret something I have done than something I haven’t.’”

Soon after Portnoy quit, Dream Theater held rigorous auditions and hired Berklee professor and ex-Steve Vai tour drummer Mike Mangini, who more than capably played on Dream Theater’s next five albums. Seeing someone else behind the kit created tension between Portnoy and Petrucci, but they stayed in touch and their daughters even shared an apartment in New York for about five years.

During the 13 years Portnoy was out of Dream Theater, he played on 40 albums with many bands, including the power trio the Winery Dogs (Portnoy, guitarist Richie Kotzen, and bassist Billy Sheehan), which released four albums. As early as 2013, however, Portnoy said he was ready to return to Dream Theater, but wasn’t overly optimistic that it would happen.

“I would do it in a heartbeat,” he told MetalInjection.com. “But I honestly don’t think they ever will; they’ve closed their door on it and I think they’re too headstrong in having to prove themselves without me. So I wouldn’t count on it. But my door is always open.”

Then when the Covid pandemic hit, tensions between Petrucci and Portnoy substantially dissipated. Life was just too short for lingering animosity over life choices. So, when Petrucci was working on his second solo album, 2020’s Terminal Velocity, he invited Portnoy to play drums.

The two had such a good time reminiscing and reconnecting that they decided to reform their instrumental prog supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment and recorded Liquid Tension Experiment 3 – the follow-up to 1999’s Liquid Tension Experiment 2, with King Crimson bassist Tony Levin and Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

Many Dream Theater fans thought the writing was on the wall for Portnoy’s return, but the rest of the band were happy with Mangini, and some were unsure how bringing Portnoy back would change the vibe in the band.

“Fans speculated that all the signs were leading to this, but we had no definite plans and it wasn’t a sure thing,” Petrucci says. “Then, one day the timing felt right and we all got together.”

For Petrucci, the hardest part of the reconciliation was getting everyone into the rehearsal room at the same time. Yet he knew that once they were all together and started playing, the band would bond like a video of an exploding car projected in reverse.

“We met Mike when we were teenagers and we played together as Dream Theater for 25 years, so we know exactly how to play together and sound great,” he says. “When we finally did it, there were no surprises. Mike didn’t miss a beat and everything was easy and exciting.”

In February 2024, Dream Theater started writing new songs and setting up the conceptual threads for their 16th album, Parasomnia, their most adventurous, energetic, and darkly metallic album in more than a decade.

Determined to recapture the impulsiveness, experimentation, heaviness, and technical proficiency of records like 2003’s Train of Thought and 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings, the band assembled an epic concept album about the dark side of sleep disorders that plunges into realms of terror, paralysis, and even murder.

“From the moment we started writing it, we knew it was going to be a heavy, aggressive album,” Petrucci says. “Having Mike back, and all of us being together in the studio made us feel like we were 18 again. We just wanted to write super-heavy riffs and rock out.”

When Petrucci uses words like “heavy” and “aggressive,” he’s not being hyperbolic. Not only is Parasomnia turbulent, dense, and often fast, but some passages in Night Terror, A Broken Man, and Midnight Messiah feature guitar tones, palm-muted riffs, and angular rhythms reminiscent of Metallica.

“To me, that’s a huge compliment,” Petrucci says, then smiles. “It was so exciting to draw back on some of my early influences. I’m a huge Metallica fan, and majorly influenced by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. I infused that style of fast, chuggy rhythmic playing into my sound and you can clearly hear it on the first Dream Theater album. It was great to bring some of that stuff back.”

Did you write any of Parasomnia in advance or did you get in a room with Mike and let fly?

“Mike rejoined in October 2023, and we started working on the new album all together in February 2024. I didn’t have any songs going in, but I’m constantly writing and collecting chord progressions and different ideas to complement them, so when we start working on an album I have some direction.

“What’s interesting is that I’ve had the title Parasomnia in my head for a few years, and along with that came this idea of having a lyrical theme that deals with different types of sleep disturbances.”

The conceptual thread of sleep disorders drives and provides cohesion for the songs. Is Parasomnia something you’ve experienced?

“Not more than anyone else. The idea surfaced when I was talking to my son one day, and he mentioned the word ‘parasomnia.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s that? I’ve never heard that word before, but it sounds cool.’ We talked about it, and I said, ‘Man, that would be a great album title for Dream Theater. The word has such a cool ring to it. And once I started diving into what it entailed, it brought up all these ideas that provided a wealth of inspiration to write some really cool, dark, creative songs.”

So, the concept helped guide the music as well as the lyrics.

“It did. And one of the first things Mike said when we started writing the songs was, ‘Hey, what if this wasn’t only a lyrically conceptual album?’ as I had proposed. ‘What if we took it a step further and made the music have that concept album feel as well?’”

Was that a turning point for you?

“It was a great suggestion, and we ended up taking that as far as our imaginations could go. We had recurring themes and little vignettes between the songs to connect them and give them more of the feel of a record like The Dark Side of the Moon, which is meant to be listened to from beginning to end.

“So, the album is almost like an experience. It starts off with somebody going to bed and drifting into a sleep state. And all these weird things happen to them when they’re sleeping, and in the end they come out of it. I thought that was a really cool way to make this album more intense, creative, and epic because having all these connections created a cinematic element to the album.”

Did having Mike back on drums fuel the band’s creativity?

“As soon as Mike was back on the kit, everything started taking shape for the whole band. I met him when we were 18, and we were always together for so long, so as soon as we started playing again it was like having my buddy back. We were all inspired and felt so creative. Night Terror was the first thing we wrote.”

That song is almost 10 minutes long, and it’s the heaviest track you’ve recorded in years, building from bleak and doomy to fast and thrashy before leveling off when the vocals kick in before hitting the gas again.

“That song gives you a little idea of what the vibe was like in the studio. That’s a big part of why we released it as the first single. We wanted listeners to feel what we felt after Mike rejoined – the excitement of being back with him in the studio. There’s a brotherly chemistry between us that’s undeniable.”

Did you plan to start out with a banger or did it just burst out of you when you plugged in?

“It exploded out of us. That’s the way it works for us. We were pumped, and we naturally set off in a direction. Whether that direction comes from a riff, a chord progression, or a drum beat, it begins the flow and then this stream of consciousness takes over and we all start coming up with ideas.”

Was Mike Mangini, who played in the band between 2010 and 2023, understanding about your decision to work with Portnoy again?

“To his credit, he was wonderful about it. I called him and explained the conclusion we came to and he was really gracious and accepting, which helped make the change and transition very smooth and non-dramatic.”

There are some contemplative tracks on Parasomnia, including the instrumentals Are We Dreaming and Bend the Clock. Did the heaviest material come to you first?

“I think the second song we wrote was Broken Man, so yeah, I’d say we stayed heavy for a while, which was so much fun.”

You’ve never constrained yourself musically, and Parasomnia is no exception. There’s a haunting, harrowing instrumental overture, crushing riffs, shredding solos, heartrending leads, narrative samples, and orchestral passages. Then, after 50 minutes, when most albums are coming to an end, you start The Shadow Man Incident, a nearly 20-minute feast of cinematic progressions, experimental flourishes, and exotic rhythms.

“Shadow Man is one of my favorite tracks. I really enjoyed, not just writing the music, but making the lyrics as well, because the topic was so intriguing. So, we had the best of all worlds – the perfect backdrop to explore the story line.”

What’s it about?

“Sleep paralysis, which is a really interesting phenomenon. People who suffer from it are awake and they can see and hear but they can’t move. It’s like there’s a demon on their chest holding them down, and some people who go through it – and there have been tons of reports over centuries – claim they’ve seen this ominous figure that’s been called the Shadow Man.”

Dead Asleep, the second-longest track (11 minutes), starts as a haunting lullaby and then evolves into heavy riffs punctuated with pick harmonics before bounding off in a more ethereal and melodic direction.

“When I wrote the chord progressions for the beginning and the end of that, I was thinking about Randy Rhoads, and how he would create these dark, dreamy chord progressions on the Ozzy Osbourne album Diary of a Madman. Everything else stemmed from that.”

Was there anything new you wanted to do with guitars on Parasomnia?

“I wanted to infuse some different tonal elements to the riff writing and the chord progressions. So I started studying some things I hadn’t done before – different types of scales, different types of chords, and chord movement.”

Can you be more specific?

“In Night Terror, I wrote the riffs and main guitar solo trying to stick to this mode called Super Phrygian, which added a weird tonal element. I also did some classical things, in which a song doesn’t ever resolve to the root until the end, which is a cool technique that creates a more dreamy sound.

“I used really weird things like the Tristan chord and the Prometheus chord to give some of the songs a mystical vibe. When I did my homework for the album, I studied a lot of eight-note scales as well.”

Do you work on different parts for different songs at the same time and build them as you go along or do you prefer to write a full song before moving on to the next?

“We’ll work on one song at a time and try to finish it. But as we’re writing, sometimes we’ll go off on a tangent that doesn’t necessarily make sense for that song. At the end of Bend the Clock there’s a long Pink Floyd-y David Gilmour-inspired guitar solo that came out of a jam we were doing, and it stemmed from this bass part John started playing.

“It was so cool, but we knew it wouldn’t fit into the song we were working on, so we documented it and put it aside to work with later. That happens from time to time. But mostly, we focus hard on one song at a time, perfect it, and get the drum performance recorded.

“Otherwise, we’d have a whole pile of material for a 70-minute record and we’d have to go back and try to remember how the hell we played everything. When we get the drum performance down, we also record scratch tracks, so now we have more than just a skeleton, we have the full song done and it’s just a matter of going back in and getting the overdubs done.”

Parts of the instrumental overture, In the Arms of Morpheus, and The Shadow Man Incident would sound great in a film soundtrack.

“A lot of that comes from studying John Williams and trying to understand his epic, cinematic compositions.

“On the first vocal sections and verses of Shadow Man, the chord progressions are really strange and have some weird resolutions and key changes. And you can hear it in Morpheus, too, when the eight-string guitar kicks in.

“That chord that we whack after the F# downbeat is the Prometheus chord I was talking about, which is a series of tritones. And that’s something else I have been working on.”

Why did you play an eight-string guitar on the overture?

“We wrote the whole record and then decided to go back and make the listening experience more like The Dark Side of the Moon and create little musical and narrative connections between the songs. So, we wrote an overture that encompasses all of these melodies on the record. I had not used the eight-string yet, so I tried it and I was like, ‘This thing sounds great!’ Just as soon as it kicks in, all hell breaks loose.”

You played a seven-string in The Shadow Man Incident. Was everything else played on six strings?

“Yes, but I mixed up the tunings, which I haven’t done since Train of Thought [2003]. Night Terror and Bend the Clock use standard tuning, but Dead Asleep is in drop Bb, which was inspired by Zakk Wylde, who joined me at my Guitar Universe Camp.

“We jammed on a bunch of Black Label Society and Ozzy stuff. Zakk is always playing in drop Bb, where you tune to C and you drop the [lowest string] down to Bb. Midnight Messiah is in C, and A Broken Man is tuned down to D.”

Did you use a variety of new and vintage guitars?

“It’s all my Ernie Ball Music Man Signature Majesty. I used the eight-, seven-, and six-string versions. I used different agencies, but it’s all on the Majesty. It does everything I need, whether it’s a great clean sound, a heavy, tight percussive, riffy sound, or a soaring, creamy lead sound.

“I have the bolt-on version of my Ernie Ball Music Man JP15, which is amazing. And we have the neck-through version, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary.”

Are you trying out any new right-handed techniques?

“There’s this hyper-speed alternate picking style I was trying to do for a while and finally got the hang of. You hear that a few times on the album, most noticeably right in the middle of Night Terror.”

There’s some flashy interplay between the guitar and keyboards that almost sounds like guitar harmonies.

“Jordan [Rudess] and I do it in Night Terror in the first instrumental break before the main guitar. And we do it again on Midnight Messiah. It’s a right-hand tapping Van Halen hammer-on technique that we’re harmonizing. I like to think of it as our version of a Highway Star unison-type harmony. And we also do some unison stuff in Shadow Man, in the Latin music-influenced section.”

What inspired you to break into a Latin-inspired part?

“One morning, as I would often do, I got to the studio before the guys, picked up my guitar, and started writing this really fast, galloping, tight riff. And that’s what the Latin part morphs into. So, that fast part came first, and I don’t know why I put this Latin-y thing in front of it. John was doing this line on bass, and somehow that sent me off into this vibey thing. It popped out of me and we all liked it.”

You’ve never held back from abrupt sonic shifts. Is that part of the appeal of writing for Dream Theater?

“Doing something that totally interrupts the flow of the song is just us having fun. We’re like, ‘Hey, let’s take them down this road instead,’ so we put a twist in that surprises the listener and the song takes a sudden left turn.

“Some people might be thinking, ‘What? Why the hell did you do that?’ But doing something that’s melodic or straightforward, then playing something far more complex, then switching to something that swings or has a funky or jazzy vibe to it, and then morphing that into something that’s full-on Latin-sounding, is a lot of why I love Dream Theater.

“We’re not afraid to do stuff some other bands won’t try. We’ve earned the license to do anything. There are no rules, so you don’t have to worry about how long a song is, how many styles you play, or whether it’s going to be a hit or not.”

With all the lofty expectations from fans, did you feel under the gun to deliver?

“There was pressure, but I think it was self-inflicted. You’d have to be dumb not to be aware of the anticipation that the announcement created in our fans, and we knew people would be looking forward to hearing what we could come up with.

“But thinking about all of that before we even walked into the studio was inspiring and pushed us to want to do our best. There was a real incentive to figure out how we could take this album to a level that’s going to be undeniable. And when I say undeniable, it’s not only how other people perceive it, but how we perceive it as a band when we’re working on it.”

Does Parasomnia feel like a musical rebirth?

“In a way, it does. It’s our 16th album, and it comes after our 40th year as a band. Those benchmark moments have created new enthusiasm, and renewed energy, and we’re all vibing on the anticipation that those moments bring. We’re thinking, ‘Man, this is an amazing time in our career. Let’s make sure we rise to the occasion.’”

• Parasomnia is out now via Inside Out.

John Petrucci and Ernie Ball Music Man have released a 10th Anniversary edition of the Dream Theater icon’s Majesty signature guitar as “a tribute to the enduring partnership” they share.

Trooch has developed a raft of Majesty iterations over the past decade, from sleek six-strings to grunting eight-strings. As such, Ernie Ball Music Man Vice President Scott Ball wanted to chase “something special” to mark the instrument’s latest milestone.

“We were trying to think about ways that we could present the guitar differently,” adds Petrucci.

They eventually settled on a Silver Chalice finish, which is joined by all-new custom-covered DiMarzio Rainmaker and Dream Catcher humbuckers that have been unveiled as part of the celebratory release.

The guitar also flaunts several other additional aesthetic appointments. Those include a custom JP inlay on the first fret (a signature touch on all Majesty guitars) and a “bold three-fret logo inlay” located on the 12th fret.

DiMarzio has called its humbucking duo “mind-blowing quintessential tone monsters”. They feature nickel pole pieces and find the Dream Theater logo etched dramatically onto its chrome covering. The concept was inspired by DiMarzio’s work on the Nomac Majesty, built to celebrate the releases of Dream Theater’s 2016 album, The Astonishing.

“From the moment I plugged in the guitar and played the first note, I knew that we achieved Holy Grail-level results,” Petrucci proudly says of the pickups. “It literally feels like the guitar is alive and ready to jump out of my hands!”

The versatile pickups are integrated with a Custom Music Man active preamp, boasting a push/push Volume for gain boost. There's also a push/push mono/stereo button in the back cavity.

The guitar's expansive electronic configuration continues via Fishman Powerbridge piezo electronics on its chrome-plated floating tremolo to ensure crystalline cleans alongside brutal high-gain.

Beneath its luxurious new colorway, the guitar’s “exceptional tone and sustain” comes, in part, via its high-end tonewood combination. Alder wings and a maple top are united by a neck-through Honduras mahogany design, and capped with an ebony fingerboard and 24 medium jumbo frets.

“That combination of tonewoods makes for such a rich, three-dimensional guitar sound,” says Petrucci. “That was the immediate go-to. There was nothing I wanted to change about the sound of this guitar.”

“This guitar is both visually striking and sonically powerful,” says Ernie Ball. “It is the perfect tribute to ten years of collaboration and American craftsmanship.”

The 10th Anniversary Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty is a limited-edition release. Each guitar is hand-numbered on the back of the headstock, with Petrucci's signature on its backplate. They cost $3,999 apiece and come with a certificate of authenticity.

Head to Ernie Ball to learn more.

The new-look DiMarzio Rainmaker and Dreamcatcher pickup set is also available to buy separately and costs $358.

Discussing the Majesty with Guitar World earlier this year, John Petrucci said: “Some people were like, ‘That's the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!’ It turns out it was the most successful instrument we ever could have imagined.”

When it comes to rhythm guitar, Dream Theater’s amazing six and seven-stringer John Petrucci moves between ‘wall of sound’ powerchords to fast, thrash-inspired phrases, intricate melodic motifs, and lush, clean, arpeggiated chord progressions.

With progressive rock bands Rush and Yes being a significant influence on the members of Dream Theater, time signature changes are never far away. This often results in rhythm patterns and riffs becoming extended or shortened as they explore thematic variations.

Due to the range of moods and emotions within Dream Theater’s music, it’s not uncommon to hear Petrucci move through a wide range of these approaches within a single song. Our two examples this month aim to reflect this broad range of approaches, so get ready to dive in.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 7, Bass 4, Middle 4, Treble 7

For a precise distorted tone, use your bridge humbucker pickup and the lead channel of your amp. Increase the gain until you locate a powerful sound that retains definition during palm-muted phrases.

To keep the sound focused, use no reverb or delay, but back off some of the bass and a small amount of the middle, then give the treble a slight boost for an authentic DT tone.

Example 1

The opening section starts as a single-note melody line, and then repeats as a heavy powerchord version of the same thing.

To keep things ‘progressive’ sounding, the opening sections alternate between 3/4 and 5/4 time signatures, whereas the last section alternates between 3/4 and 4/4.

Keep the notes sustaining during this last section, as this contrasts nicely with the choppy rhythms played elsewhere.

Example 2

This study begins with a thrash-inspired riff with melodic phrase endings. The motif in the final bar of this section mirrors the phrase played in bar 4. However, to build anticipation, the motif is extended.

The second section features articulate powerchords and speedy 16th-note fills played in unison with the rhythm section. Timing precision is vital here in order to lock in tightly with the drums so the unison phrases sound intense. Enjoy!

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Mesa/Boogie and John Petrucci’s professional partnership, and to celebrate, the two have unveiled the JP-2C 1x12 combo.

Though it might look rather unassuming (save Petrucci’s signature embossed on a metal plate attached to the bottom of the guitar amp’s grille cloth) this particular Mesa/Boogie invention was crafted by legendary amp designer Randall Smith for a specific purpose.

Namely, it was crafted to provide “the most aggressive, purest sounding IIC+ in a versatile package that delivers the goods to meet John’s recording and stage needs”.

The Mesa/Boogie IIC+ is a pretty historic amplifier, and has been used throughout the decades to help craft rock and metal’s holy grail tones. James Hetfield, Steve Lukather and Prince can all be counted as fans.

So, an updated version that looks to improve upon that already rock-solid foundation – and that has Petrucci’s personal seal of approval – looks very enticing indeed.

The JP-2C 1x12 follows Petrucci’s JP-2C amp head, and as such also looks to package the latter’s feature set into a conveniently sized, but appropriately loud, combo that simultaneously aims to take the IIC+ design to new heights.

On paper, that means lashings of headroom, plenty of parameters to fine-tune tone, suitable JP-style tweaks, and a faithful homage to the legendary 100-watt IIC+’s sounds are the order of business.

Rather than having multiple voices per channel, the JP-2C instead dedicates each of its three channels to one of two voices from the original IIC+. The first channel, for example, is for cleans, and is optimized to provide the highest headroom possible.

The second offers the crunch of the original Mark IIC+ circuit by replicating the amp’s lead circuit in its original state, while the third is all about “high gain sustain and explosive attack”.

These latter two channels also offer an additional Shred mode, which bolsters the lead circuit of the source material to make good on that ‘most aggressive IIC+ ever made’ claim.

There are also modified pull pots on the Gain and Presence controls, which further updates the IIC+ blueprint. Now, the pull functions have been optimized based on the opinions of “savvy MARK IIC+ aficionados, artists, and the MESA Design Team”.

The tweak comes from Mesa/Boogie’s desire to strip things down to “the bare essentials”, deciding instead to focus solely on delivering the desired tone in the simplest and most intuitive ways possible.

Other updates include the presence of Mesa/Boogie’s modern-minded CabClone DI cab simulator and recording interface; a footswitchable, channel independent reverb function; and= FX loop; and two five-band graphic EQs.

It’s also MIDI programmable to change EQ settings, for example, and retains the original's usability with the classic 100W/60W mode switch.

So, it looks to be very much a modern reimagining of the cult classic Mark IIC+, and that was something Petrucci was especially keen to achieve.

“The goal was to build an amp that covers everything while honoring the heritage of its iconic Mark IIC+ predecessor,” Trooch says of the design.

“It offers three channels of authentic Mark IIC+ tones and also includes updated features like Dual Graphic EQs, MIDI, and a CabClone Direct Out that make it the ultimate amplifier for today’s guitarists in any situation.

“The new JP-2C 1x12 Combo incorporates all the features of my JP~2C Head into the classic 1x12 Boogie Combo format. They’re great for gigging because they’re versatile, loud, and powerful.”

The JP-2C will be available in limited numbers for $4,299 apiece.

Head over to Mesa/Boogie to find out more.

NAMM 2024: John Petrucci’s Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty signature guitar has been one of the most successful instruments the firm has ever produced. The Dream Theater man is fairly humble about his accomplishments, so it doesn’t get talked-up as much as you might expect, but Petrucci’s Majesty is second only to the Gibson Les Paul in terms of signature guitar sales.

However, while Petrucci always felt he was doing the right thing in terms of his needs as a player, he says he never expected the Majesty to reach such regal heights. Indeed, he almost didn’t call it the Majesty…

“When we set out to make this guitar Sterling Ball and I had these crazy conversations,” Petrucci tells Guitar World in a new interview filmed at the 2024 NAMM show. “I had this idea to call it the Stallion!”

Petrucci was eventually talked 'round on that, which is probably for the best, but the prog-metal icon tells us the Majesty was, like most game-changing ideas, not immediately accepted.

“There’s a funny story, when it first came out, some pictures were leaked of it and some people were like, ‘Thats the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!’” Petrucci recalls in our video interview.  

“It turns out it was the most successful instrument we ever could have imagined. Now, all the pictures I see of people playing Majestys… it’s not just for prog metal. They’re playing jazz and blues and rock and all kinds of things. 

“It’s interesting with innovation – when you do something that’s never been done before – it hits people and [the first reaction] it is like ‘What is that?’ And then [afterwards], that’s when you realize how special it is.” 

Petrucci compares the feelings he has towards the design as similar to the sense of vindication he gets from writing and playing.

“It’s like music,” says the Dream Theater man. “You make something for yourself because you’re an artist and you want to be true to yourself, but when you see other people enjoying it as much as you do, it’s even more [rewarding].”

Petrucci’s currently doing a lap of honor with the instrument – launching an array of new finish options at the 2024 NAMM Show. 

In total, there will be five new finishes in 6-, 7 and 8-string configurations, plus three maple top Majesty BFR finishes, including the northern lights-inspired option modeled by Petrucci in the clip.

The new Majesty finishes will be available this summer. For more information, head to Ernie Ball Music Man.

The NAMM 2024 releases are coming in thick and fast, but we have our fingers firmly on the pulse. Keep up to date via our guide to the latest NAMM 2024 news.

Over the weekend, John Petrucci hosted his annual Guitar Universe tuition camp, whose list of guest electric guitar stars included the likes of Tosin Abasi, Lari Basilio and Tim Henson.

These sorts of high profile guitar camps are absolutely ripe for A-list onstage ensembles and one-off collaborations – Steve Vai’s own Vai Academy is further proof of that fact – and the Dream Theater virtuoso’s own six-string excursion was no exception.

Because, as it happens, another name on that star-studded list of guest instructors was Zakk Wylde, with whom Trooch shared the stage for the first time ever to jam Black Label Society.

It will come as no surprise whatsoever that the two wizards of metal music – with their immaculately styled facial hair and equally immaculate tones – proved to be the perfect foil for one another, both visually and sonically.

The former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, with his recently unveiled Wylde Audio IronWorks Barbarian, and the Ernie Ball Majesty-wiedling Petrucci doubled up on oversized riffage, before locking fretboards for the harmonized lead lines of Suicide Messiah.

The historic 10-minute performance also gave the two players opportunity to let loose on a guitar solo each – yes, there are plenty of pinch harmonics, wah-wailing runs and lightning-quick scale licks – with Wylde even venturing into the audience to perform some behind-the-head show tricks.

It was a stage-shaking display of not just fretboard expertise and beard grooming, but also borderline-intimidating muscularity. But the biceps aren’t just for show; they’re also functional, as Trooch recently said in an interview with Killer Guitar Rigs, during which he singled out Wylde.

“I have Zakk Wylde coming into my camp in a couple of weeks,” Petrucci mused. “He’s in just an amazing shape and he’s shredding like never before.

“The last thing you want to do is injure your hands or injure your wrists or have a problem,” he went on while discussing the links between guitar and the gym. “And people who lift weights and go to the gym – we’ve all had those. 

“We’ve all tweaked shoulders and backs and things and you do have to be careful. But the idea to say, ‘Oh, I can’t work out because it’s going to affect my playing’ – I know plenty of jacked guitar players. [Laughs]”

Another player who fits into that circle of musicians is fellow Guitar Universe instructor and prog mastermind Tosin Abasi, who recently went on tour with Trooch and Dream Theater.

At the end of the tour – which saw the two guitar titans perform Dream Theater's The Spirit Carries On – Abasi gifted Trooch a custom Abasi Concepts model based on his classic Ibanez JPM100 signature guitar.

Dream Theater’s Dreamsonic tour – for which they recruited Devin Townsend and Animals As Leaders – recently came to a close, and to commemorate the occasion Tosin Abasi gifted John Petrucci an electric guitar from his brand, Abasi Concepts.

But this wasn’t just any electric guitar: instead, this was Abasi’s radical Emi 8 model, which revived the artwork of one of Trooch’s most iconic instruments – his Picasso-esque Ibanez JPM100 P1 signature guitar.

The JPM100 was first introduced in 1995, discontinued in 1999, and was notably the only John Petrucci Series production model. It arrived initially with five different color schemes, but arguably its most iconic variant came strapped to the P1, which saw action on Dream Theater's Images and Words record.

Fans of the finish will also associate the guitar with Rock Discipline – the Dream Theater virtuoso’s classic tuition tape from ‘96, which saw Trooch wield the technicolored six-string for a series of in-depth lessons.

It’s not an exaggeration to say Rock Discipline – and, by extension, that quirky JPM100 P1 – had a formative influence on countless players (Abasi Concepts COO Ivan Chopik counts himself among that crop), so to see the finish in 2023 makes us very nostalgic indeed. 

What’s more, to see it attached to the okoume body of an Emi 8 – one of today’s most ergonomically crafted and radically designed eight-strings – somehow seems even more fitting.

On Instagram, Abasi shared snaps of the guitar and wrote, “@johnpetrucciofficial has always been a massive source of inspiration for us @abasiconcepts, so we decided to pay homage to the [Greatest Of All Time] by recreating one of his iconic guitar finishes from the past with this sick one-off ēmi 8.”

Chopik went into further detail in a post of his own, revealing they tapped the artist who painted the original guitar, Dan Lawrence, to transform the Emi 8.

“Life definitely came full circle in this very cool moment,” he wrote. “@johnpetrucciofficial has always been a massive source of inspiration to us at Abasi Concepts (for me starting with Rock Discipline about 20 years ago), so we decided to pay homage to one of his iconic guitar finishes with this incredible one-off ēmi 8.” 

We haven’t yet seen footage of Petrucci play his new Emi 8, but now he’s got his hands on the spiritual successor to his JPM100 P1, perhaps a Rock Discipline sequel is in order?

What's more, the two Abasi Concepts leaders have stressed this is just a one-off, but we can’t help but harbor slim hopes that the other JPM100 finishes will also get resurrected.

All we’re saying is the artwork of the two-tone JPM100P3 – which saw action on Falling Into Infinity and Liquid Tension Experiment – would be the perfect follow-up model.

Head over to Abasi Concepts to found out more about the standard Emi 8.

While on the Dreamsonic tour, Petrucci and Abasi shared the stage to serve up spellbinding harmonies on Dream Theater's The Spirit Carries On.

John Petrucci, Tosin Abasi and Devin Townsend form the line-up for a dream prog metal guitarist roundtable in Rick Beato’s latest interview – and they offer the most insightful discussion on the 'digital modelers versus real amps' debate we've heard in a long time.

The three guitarists are currently in the final throes of a tour together as part of Dream Theater’s travelling prog metal festival Dreamsonic and stopped in to chat with the YouTube veteran. As you might expect, the conversation inevitably turns to tone – and, in particular, the limitations of digital products.

“The biggest challenge for the digital products is not the tone,” says Petrucci [around 34 mins]. “It's not the things like gain and overdrive and stuff like that, it's how the amplifier physically pushes air through the speaker, it's the feel thing… It's all happening very randomly, nothing happens the same.”

In particular, it’s what Abasi – who has recently equipped his backline with Bad Cat tube amps – later labels the ‘chaos element’ that is missing when it comes to a modeler’s output. 

“If you're playing through an amp with a lot of distortion and you play an A [chord] and then you play that same A again, the way that it interacts with the amplifiers components and comes out the cabinet and the speakers is totally different,” explains Petrucci.

“It's a totally different moment in time, but with the digital products they can never randomize that again… That's always the missing piece to me: that randomness and the way that things are happening in physical space that you can't reproduce.”

Petrucci, perhaps unsurprisingly given their close working relationship, credits Neural DSP with getting closest, but posits the solution to the random element may lie in AI.

Abasi, agrees, for the most part – later labelling the “violent” experience of a loud amp as “quintessential to the electric guitar”. However, he also notes the present period is “a golden age” for guitar software and notes that, sometimes, the reverse is true – that players who have developed their ear on optimized modeling tech can sometimes find the real-life alternative disappointing.

“In the early Fractal days, it'd be idealized versions of like a 5150 or like a Mark IV,” recalls Abasi. “And then you get the real amp and you don't sound as good, because it's all compressed in the modeler… so, the chaos thing you were describing, where there's an unpredictability [that can play against you]. There's a life to real amps – for better or worse – meaning they're harder to play through in some ways.”

Petrucci says he increasingly believes the answer ultimately lies in focusing on IR developments and speaker/room emulation – as evidenced by his recent Tonemission IR launch. However, even that still has its limitations, as Townsend astutely notes. 

“Your IR is pretty much 99% of what you had in your rig,” observes Townsend to Petrucci. “So then I guess the experience of playing the live amplifier, it's an intangible part of that process that you find inspiring?”

“It is inspiring,” reflects Petrucci. “It's really inspiring because it's reactive. Everything digital is recreating something. They're all moments in time but real life is happening right now. So [with] real amplifiers, everything's random: how the notes interact, what's going to happen… the resonance of the stage and the room, the house, and how loud it is. Those are all things that are unpredictable… [they’re what] make it reckless and rock and roll and cool, and it makes your performance different every single night.”

Watch the full fascinating interview above and subscribe to Beato’s channel on YouTube for more tonal geekery, before you bone up on Petrucci’s new software brand – its first launch replicates his exact signal chain.

After teasing its imminent unveiling last week, John Petrucci has officially launched his own guitar software brand, Tonemission.

According to the Dream Theater virtuoso, the founding of Tonemission coincides with Trooch’s newfound affinity for digital profiling technology, whose influence and prevalence has been rapidly expanding in recent years.

In his own words, Petrucci is now “a believer and a user” of such technology, with Tonemission set to become the medium through which he continues his digital journey – or, more appropriately, his tone mission.

Perhaps even more notably, Tonemission has been debuted with the John Petrucci IR Collection: Vol. 1 – a curated collection of impulse responses of the guitarist’s personal rig that seek to replicate his “exact signal chain”.

Specifically, the Tonemission’s flagship crop of IRs is based on the sounds heard on Petrucci’s last three records: Terminal Velocity, LTE3 and A View From The Top of The World.

The above tones were captured by Dream Theater’s longtime engineer James “Jimmy T” Meslin, who used an array of microphone types alongside Petrucci’s speaker cab to capture a full-range frequency sweep.

Tonemission’s task of precisely replicating Petrucci’s “entire signal and acoustical chain… exactly how it was configured” on the above records was, as per a statement, “deftly achieved”.

Of his new company – and his journey to the ranks of digital technology – Petrucci reflected, “I’m a tone freak. I’ve always been obsessed with guitar and amplifier tone. 

“For most of my career I’ve only known the world of physical guitar amplifiers and cabinets and admittedly, I scoffed a bit in the past at digital representations of these things,” he went on. “However, with incredible advances in capture techniques and resolution being made over the past several years, I now find myself a believer and a user.”

It looks like this is all just the start for the software brand, too. Indeed, Petrucci says this is “the first step for Tonemission”, which has been envisaged to develop into a broad community of players coming together “to discuss and share their own quest for a signature sound”.

“Music is all about sharing sound, and so am I,” concluded Petrucci. “Almost every basic music instruction book includes the proverb ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ 

“The John Petrucci IR Collection: Vol. 1 is the first step for Tonemission and me to bring what I’ve learned to the broadest user base possible. From there, they can find their own sonic visions.”

Trooch's Tonemission seemingly looks to compete with some of the biggest names in digital amp software. Petrucci is no stranger to digital software, either, and is currently an active partner and ambassador of Neural DSP, with whom he created a signature Archetype plugin.

The John Petrucci IR Collection: Vol. 1 is available now for $80.

Head over to Tonemission to find out more.

It’s John Petrucci’s birthday today (July 12) and the Dream Theater electric guitar icon has celebrated by teasing the launch of Tone Mission – a new venture that looks very likely to be his own guitar software brand.

The guitarist took to Instagram earlier today to share a starry video clip, with an atmospheric voiceover that appears to have been recorded by Petrucci himself.

“For centuries, musicians have searched for the perfect tone, a sound that will transcend time, move the soul and stir the imagination,” says the guitarist. 

“Our quest for tone is a relentless pursuit: sleepless nights, hours spent experimenting, crafting, feeding the unquenchable desire to reach new sonic heights. 

“It’s a journey of discovery. A search for new levels of creativity and inspiration. It’s a mission. A Tone Mission. Join us.”

The guitarist also shares a URL in the clip: tonemission.com. 

At present the site just offers the option of signing up to a mailing list, and does not reveal the nature of Tone Mission. 

However, a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office database shows a filing for the Tone Mission trademark in March of this year in relation to “Downloadable computer software for creating and editing music and sounds.”

The name of the applicant? One John Peter Petrucci.

It therefore seems safe to predict that the Dream Theater man is working on his own line of tone software. Indeed, back in December 2022, he used the name in an interview with Eddie Trunk (via Blabbermouth), telling the DJ he had some “some really cool John Petrucci and Tone Mission signature product coming” in 2023.

Interestingly, we also found a 2014 application for the Tone Mission trademark in relation to effects pedals and pickups. That trademark is now defunct. The name, however, appears to have stuck with the prog metal legend. 

We’ll have to wait to find out the exact nature of Petrucci’s plans for the brand, but perhaps it will expand on the sounds found in his enduringly popular Archetype: John Petrucci plugin.

For now, though, head over to Tone Mission and sign up to the mailing list for further updates.

Last Friday (June 16), Dream Theater kicked off their Dreamsonic 2023 tour, for which they’ve recruited the supporting services of Animals As Leaders – and it wasn’t long before the two bands’ resident electric guitar heroes were sharing the stage.

On paper, a tour that includes both John Petrucci and Tosin Abasi is absolutely ripe for awe-inspiring guitar action, and those in attendance on the first night got exactly that when Abasi joined Dream Theater for a set-closing rendition of The Spirit Carries On.

With their two Ernie Ball Music Man models in tow, the pair were also joined by Abasi’s fellow support act Devin Townsend, who opted to abstain from guitar duties, instead sacrificing the six-string spotlight to Trooch and Abasi.

Abasi and his radical Kaizen model, which he developed with EBMM back in 2022, spend much of the time locked into rhythm duties, while Petrucci – with his guitar “high and nerdy” and knee up on a foot rest – takes his Majesty signature guitar for a spin during the song’s guitar solo.

The Abasi Concepts creator soon gets in on the lead action, though, sonically aligning his own outro melody with that of Trooch’s, resulting in a goosebump-inducing harmonized exchange between the pair.

It turned out to be a hair-raising finale to the 11-song setlist, which had previously seen Dream Theater perform songs such as Solitary Shell, The Alien, Sleeping Giant and The Count of Tuscany.

Indeed, the Kaizen proved to be the perfect sonic foil for the Majesty, both of which were wielded with utmost efficiency as their respective players squeezed out lashings of vibrato and feel for the mesmerizing curtain closer.

“Touring with @dreamtheaterofficial is sick enough but getting to share the stage, harmonizing with @johnpetrucciofficial is beyond words,” Abasi wrote on Instagram after the show. “You guys gotta make to sure come out to this tour.”

Unsurprisingly, a handful of guitar stars were just as enamored with the team-up as fans were: “Ahhhhh yesssssss this is so amazing,” commented Nita Strauss. “Beautiful,” wrote Rick Beato.

Fortunately for those with an eye on attending a Dreamsonic 2023 show – and for those eagerly following developments online – the whole performance wasn’t just a one-off. According to Setlist.fm, Abasi and Townsend have both featured for the finale for all three shows so far.

Now we just need to see Trooch cameo on an Animals As Leaders track and take a swing at some thumping lines. There are still 26 shows left of Dreamsonic 2023, so never say never.

For a list of upcoming tour dates, head over to Dream Theater’s website.

John Petrucci has announced the fourth edition of his semi-annual Guitar Universe camp.

John Petrucci’s Guitar Universe 4.0, to give it its full name, will take place from August 3 through August 6, 2023 at the W hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

This edition of the camp will feature an impressive list of guest instructors, among them Zakk Wylde, Tosin Abasi, Fredrik Åkesson, Lari Basilio, Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Jeff Loomis, Rena Petrucci, Plini and Jason Richardson.

Camp-goers can attend classes taught by each of these guest instructors, and witness special events – among them instructor jams and solo sets – at night. The final night of the camp, Petrucci says, will feature a set from his solo band.

Furthermore, the Dream Theater electric guitar hero says that players of all skill levels can attend the camp.

"It’s really important to me to feature guitar players of different genders and different styles," Petrucci wrote in a statement on the camp's website. "It’s important to show different angles, to not only have people whose music I highly respect but also a diverse, international presence as well. 

"The span of the players in this camp – stylistically, age, gender, nationality – represents a cross-section of the guitar community all in one spot. From jazz fusion and instrumental prog to death metal and shred, they all share a common sensibility towards playing guitar – highly energetic, acrobatic, on fire."

Even if you can't attend the camp yourself, these all-star gatherings tend to produce some fascinating musical moments that eventually make their way onto the internet. 

At the most recent edition of the Guitar Universe camp, for instance, Petrucci treated campers to a funk rhythm guitar masterclass while neo-soul A-lister Mateus Asato got his shred on. 

Similarly, this summer, a video of Steve Vai and Yvette Young jamming at the former's Vai Academy camp was posted by Young on social media.

For more info on the camp, and to register, visit John Petrucci's Guitar Universe.

Watch multiple videos of John Petrucci performing live, or gaze at any action shots of him on stage, and you’ll probably be hit with two thoughts: how does he make his beard so luscious, and why does he hold his guitar so high?

High-strapped guitars aren't uncommon, but such positioning usually stems from an aesthetic standpoint: those wanting to emulate the likes of Tom Morello, John Lennon and others who championed the high-strap way.

For Trooch, though, it’s all about function, with the Dream Theater virtuoso recently explaining to Ultimate Guitar why he favors holding the guitar “high and nerdy” for certain songs.

When asked if there are any guitar parts he finds particularly challenging to play live, Petrucci reflected, “Those moments happen like every 16 bars or so. Now, when there are the parts like that, I practice those a bit more before I go on stage.

“A lot of times I still don't nail them and it's like, ‘Oh shit!' and then I say, 'Okay, well, I have tomorrow to try again,’” he continued, “which is a fun thing about touring.”

As it turns out, this constant commitment to performing head-turning guitar parts eventually encouraged Trooch to channel his classic training, adopt a new stance and hoick that guitar strap up a little bit higher than usual.

He continued, “There's tons of stuff like that, that's a bit more challenging. That's why you'll see me… I've been doing this for the longest time. I have these big foot rests and I put the guitar on my left leg, get in a classical position and really try to focus.

“I wear the guitar up high and nerdy so I can play some of the stuff,” Trooch explained. “But yeah, that stuff is all over my music.”

In the same interview, Trooch gave his opinion on the burgeoning Instagram guitar scene, saying that social media six-stringers have helped inspire players both new and old, and have radically raised the bar.

Asked if there was anything that keeps him “pushing forward”, Petrucci said, “All you've got to do is go on Instagram, and there's just so many guys and girls playing incredible stuff at all different ages. 

“The bar has been raised so high, it's just incredible” he added. “It's inspiring playing with other people, like on this [solo] tour, playing with Dave [LaRue] and Mike [Portnoy], it's awesome. I say it every night, I feel like I'm back in those days when we were teenagers jamming but we're doing it on stage, and people are watching it. 

“That's inspiring, that makes me want to push myself. I think it's also sort of internal with me: I never get bored with playing guitar. I always want to try to get better and I still really love playing guitar. It's fun for me, so I think that's part of it, too. I never get to the point where I feel like I don't need to try. I always feel like I'm not trying hard enough, you know?”

Earlier this month, John Petrucci shared his top three tips for better guitar tone – although strap placement didn't make the cut.

There are all kinds of things that we could seek John Petrucci’s counsel on. What about personal grooming? Hey, why not, the Dream Theater guitarist has his own beard oil line.

If he’s in a good mood, he might share some barbecue tips. He has a reputation for virtuosity over charcoal. But wait: Petrucci has put his name to some of the most imaginatively spec’d – and super playable – electric guitars of all time. He has a backline of Boogies, the best of stuff.

If you attend one of Trooch's shows, he's not only going to play on point, he's going to sound on point, too. So, while he sat down with Guitar World to discuss his first ever solo tour, in support of Terminal Velocity, Joe Bosso asked him for three tips – three tenets of tone – for us to take into account. What he said might just change your tone for good…

1. Keep your signal chain simple

“When I’m recording in the studio, I try to keep my signal chain simple. For me, it’s all about a guitar plugged into the amp that’s plugged into a cabinet. That’s it. If you’re playing with the right gear, what’s coming out of the speaker should be what you’re able to capture on your recording. 

“A lot of guitarists try too hard; they clutter their signal chain with different pedals and things, and they wind up unhappy with the results. If you just get a good sound with your guitar, your amp and your speaker, you’ll be off to a good start. Then you can work on all the other sound variables if you like.”

2.  Find your own voice with the right gear

“I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve been able to develop gear to my taste. Working with companies whose gear I played and loved for years – Ernie Ball Music Man, DiMarzio, Mesa/Boogie, Dunlop and TC Electronic, and of late there’s been Neural DSP – I’ve been able to find my own voice. It’s a real honor to develop musical instruments and equipment with those companies.

“I realize, however, that not everybody is in my position, but that doesn’t mean players can’t try to find the gear that speaks to them. Search out guitars and equipment that you connect with and that can deliver the sounds you hear in your head. Listen to your favorite players, and ask yourself, 'What are they using? How do they get those sounds?' 

“A lot of players have sounds in their heads, but they don’t know how to achieve them. They might be using the wrong pickups, or they’re playing through the wrong amps. Look around, play around with things. Eventually, you’ll find the right guitar and gear combination you need. But don’t settle for stuff that doesn’t work for you. You’ll only set yourself up for frustration.”

3. Realize that tone comes from you

“This is a little existential, but I swear by it. The guitar is a tactile instrument. You’re using the flesh of your hands to interact with it, and regardless of everything else you use, the sound you make comes from you. Every guitarist sounds different, and that’s because every guitarist is different. That’s the beautiful thing about playing the instrument. 

“I remember being on a G3 tour with Joe Satriani. I’ve always been so enamored of him – his skill and his tone. One day I asked him, 'Can I play through your rig?' And the funny thing was, once I played through his rig, I didn’t sound like Joe at all – I sounded like me. And I was hit with the realization that, because the guitar is a tactile instrument, so much of the tone came from my touch. 

“That’s something very important to keep in mind. Try to understand how you affect the tone of your guitar. It’s your gift. Embrace it and use it. No matter what else goes into guitar playing, you are the most important thing that you bring to the table.”

It’s a grey Monday morning, and Adam Hann, lead guitarist of indie-pop behemoths The 1975, is reflecting on the burnout caused from recording the band’s fourth album, 2020’s Notes On A Conditional Form. 

“We decided to do our third and fourth albums back to back,” he says. “When you’re on tour, you’re finishing at 1.00am or whatever, and then it was like, ‘Time to get working on this album!’ It just proved very challenging,” he sighs. “There’s a reason people make albums in the traditional way, and that’s because it works...”

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the group to release Notes On A Conditional Form to a locked-down audience worldwide, though it nevertheless went straight to number 1 in the UK. An 80-minute, 22-song epic, Notes... saw the group experimenting with everything from stoner rock and Americana to UK garage and IDM.

After taking some time off, the four members of The 1975 – Hann, vocalist/guitarist Matty Healy, bassist Ross MacDonald and drummer George Daniel – regrouped to record a shorter, more intimate sounding album, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, which was released earlier this month. 

Trying to get the very best out of themselves as both writers and players, the group teamed up with superstar producer Jack Antonoff, acclaimed for his work with big-name artists such as Taylor Swift, St. Vincent and Haim. 

“I think we’d had this really difficult experience with the fourth album,” Adam says, “and I think we just wanted someone who’s made a lot of albums and knew what they were doing. Someone who had a different process in the studio...”

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and red polka dot tie while speaking to TG from his London home via Zoom, Adam looks confident and rejuvenated following his return to the public eye. Some three weeks earlier, the band headlined the prestigious Reading and Leeds Festival for the second time in their career; two sets which doubled as their first UK shows since March 1, 2020. 

Over a lengthy conversation, Adam talks about his teenage love of metal, how he and Healy play each other’s parts live, and the change of direction the band took for their new material: “This time around,” he says, “it’s all about capturing the moment...” 

For your new album, you brought in Jack Antonoff – one of the most in-demand producers in the world. What inspired this decision?

“Jack actually works in quite an analogue world. On our third and fourth albums, aside from recording stuff, we’d been in this digital world where we’d record everything in the box. We just wanted to try and step away from that and give it some humanity. That was one of the main reasons for getting Jack, alongside just needing a safe pair of hands, really. Someone to help carry the load. 

“Our first and second albums [2013’s The 1975 and 2016’s I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It] were a co-production with George [Daniel], Matthew [Healy] and [producer] Mike Crossey, but the third [2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships] and fourth [Notes...] we did all on our own. 

“It was a great experience, but I think when it came to this album we just wanted to be more like the artists, even though it’s still a co-production. We just needed a new energy brought to the session, which was definitely the case.”

Matty has spoken about this album really highlighting your ability as musicians, not just songwriters and producers. 

“It’s one of those funny things. We’ve always made a demo in the box or recorded parts for a demo and then gone to a studio and re-recorded stuff, and then you get to playing it live and then all of a sudden, because you’ve never really played it together as a band before, you think about it in a different way, and there’s ideas that you didn’t think of at the time when you were in the studio focusing on recording that one guitar part. 

“There are a few tracks on this record where we just played live in the studio, and at Real World [Peter Gabriel’s studio in Box, Wiltshire], where we recorded most of the album, there’s an amazing control room that’s big enough to have everything set up all at once. 

“In an average studio session you’d record the drums, then take everything down and record guitars, but we wanted to leave everything up. We wanted to just play together and record it and have that be the genesis of the track instead of, like, tracking drums then bass, that kind of thing. 

“It brought a real humanity to the record. As a musician, it was a much different experience this time. Previously I’d just focus on a part and do, like, a gazillion takes. This time, you’d come to it and make the part and play the part at the same time, and it was more about capturing the moment. Jack would be like, ‘grab a guitar, play something over this’. You’d do it once or twice and he’d be like, ‘Cool, done.’ We were like, ‘Okay... are you sure?’ [Laughs].”

Did Jack have any ideas about your approach to playing or tracking at all? 

“Jack was all about ‘the moment’ – that your first instinct is your best instinct. So whatever we do naturally, that was what we used. It also kept the energy up, so it wasn’t like we were sat around for two hours doing guitar takes on the fucking verse guitar, you know? You’d do a couple takes and then you’d move on, you’d move to keys or whatever. It kept this energy going that we’d never experienced before. You also felt a bit of pressure that you’d never felt before in this studio, which was interesting!” 

In a band as tight and considered as The 1975, do you get the chance to improvise much?

“Yeah, for sure. Obviously there are parts put in demos that are going to be the parts, but there was a lot of improvising done to create the parts in those moments. It felt uncomfortable at first, because like you said, everything previously had been very considered. 

“You’d play a part and go in and sit with it or tweak it a bit and it was all very methodical and processed. Whereas this time it was just capturing the moment instead of constructing a part. That’s where you convey the humanity in the recording. We stayed away from heavily editing and heavily comping to give it a more human feel.” 

The lead break in Happiness is a particular album highlight. It was great to see you get the chance to rip it up live in your Reading set. 

“That solo is funny because it originally started on an electric guitar, and it was this kind of fuzz, bitcrushed thing like you’d hear on a Daft Punk record. When it came to recording it, it just felt too obvious, so we thought, ‘What have we never done before?’ We’d never done anything like that on an acoustic guitar, so we just decided to do that. 

“When it came to playing it live, we thought, ‘Do we change and pick up an acoustic guitar for this bit?’ We did that in rehearsal and it was a bit awkward, and, for Reading at least, we decided we weren’t quite happy with the way it was sounding and so we used an electric guitar with an acoustic simulator. It doesn’t sound like an acoustic, but it definitely has a vibe.”

You’ve been playing your Music Man John Petrucci JP6 signature model on stage recently. 

“Yeah. I bought it with money I inherited from my grandmother when I was a teenager. I was going through this phase of being a big metalhead, and then we started doing The 1975, and it kind of got put away and never used. Then, on our second album, our manager was like, ‘Bring that guitar, maybe you’ll use it for something’ and it turned out to be the backbone for a lot of the guitar [tracks]. 

“In the middle [pickup] position it sounds like this insane Strat-elite because it has this very clear, very clean active sound, but it’s not an active guitar. It has this little rubber washer that’s been put over the pickup selector, so it can’t go either way, it has to stay in the middle. 

“It’s funny; we’ve searched since using that guitar for another guitar that can do that sound, and it doesn’t seem to be something we can find. We’ve come close, but nothing has the same tone.”

It’s cool seeing a non-metal band using a guitar like that. 

“[Laughs] It’s pretty bizarre, right?”

Can you tell us about the guitar amps you used on the new album? 

“Previously, we had a staple of amps that we’d always go to. One of those was a Roland JC-120, which actually we didn’t touch this time around. The vast majority of the clean guitars were recorded on this ’60s Fender Vibrolux that they had in the studio, which was for sale for some ungodly price, but it was a very good amp. 

“For anything driven, we used an Audio Kitchen Little Chopper, which we’ve used on a few albums now. On All I Need To Hear, there’s a driven guitar that Matty’s playing that’s straight DI’d into a preamp; there’s no amp involved. It’s one of those Chandler Limited Abbey Road TG preamps that’s driven to max and it gets this unique, very cool sound.”  

What percentage of the album is your playing and what is Matty’s? 

“It’s definitely a solid 50/50 split in that I play on every track and Matty plays on every track, and often we will both end up doing a take of the same part, and which one gets used is not something that gets decided democratically but rather in the mixing stage. There’s definitely parts I play live that he played on the record.

Funnily enough, at the end of Part Of The Band, I played the acoustic guitar and he played electric. Live, we swapped that around, because in the chorus of that song it’s acoustic guitar and vocal and it made sense for him to play it, and then we’re not just gonna swap for the outro. So I have to learn his parts and he has to learn some of mine. 

“We’ve been playing together for so long now, it’s kind of obvious to us that, regardless of who played it in the studio, it’s like, ‘you’ll play that live, I’ll play this’. There’s an unspoken agreement. We’ve played together since we were in high school, and it just becomes second nature to learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and what they’re able to do best.”

Has the dynamic between you changed over the years?

“For sure. Live, we have one of our really good friends who we’ve known for over 10 years play keys and guitar with us as well, and just now we’ve added another keys and guitar player, because when you get caught up in the moment you sort of lose track. In the studio, we never really think, ‘Can we play this live?’ That’s not a thing we consider whatsoever. Sometimes we get carried away and then at the end realise, ‘Oh shit, this is insane!’ 

“In the mix, they’ve done a great job of balancing this, but at one point towards the end of I’m In Love With You, there’s nine guitar parts going on simultaneously. The balance is clever so it doesn’t sound like that when you’re listening, but when you open up the stems and think, ‘What are we gonna play?’, you have to pick three parts from these nine to work on.”

Have you picked up anything interesting recently, gear-wise? 

“Our manager is an avid collector of vintage guitars, and he has a very nice Fiesta Red vintage Strat. It’s early ’60s and ludicrously expensive, and was used throughout the album as one of the main guitars. I’m in the market for a vintage Strat, but it’s just the money – I feel like the price of gear is insane now for some reason. 

“Five or six years ago, I bought a Klon Centaur for like $900, which is still a lot of fucking money for an overdrive pedal, but we were looking the other day and they’re selling now for like £5,000! So if I can bring myself to part with the money I am in the market for a vintage Strat, which is a big commitment from the bank. I need a really solid main guitar. But we didn’t really buy much gear this time around, which is unusual.”

• Being Funny In A Foreign Language is out now via Dirty Hit.

Jared Dines has announced a preliminary lineup for the fifth installment of his “biggest shred collab song in the world” YouTube series, and to call it star-studded would be a gross understatement.

In a new post on Instagram, the YouTube extraordinaire reveals a list of players he has reached out to take part in this year’s video, adding that “90 percent of them have said yes”.

Dines has once again tapped heavily into the YouTube and social media guitar spheres, with the likes of Nik Nocturnal, Ola Englund, Manuel Gardner Fernandes and Stevie T all reprising their roles, and a selection of new social media-savvy guitarists making their debuts, including Bernth Brodträger, Rick Beato, Jacob Collier and Kevin Frasard.

But most striking about the lineup, perhaps, is the number of six-string A listers Dines has, or has nearly, managed to recruit. Among them are Avenged Sevenfold shredder-in-chief Synyster Gates, prog hero John Petrucci of Dream Theater, all-round shred legend Steve Vai, new Mötley Crüe touring man John 5, and Ozzy Osbourne guitarists Zakk Wylde and Gus G.

Other electric guitar players who look set to appear include a who’s who of modern virtuosos, including Angel Vivaldi, Cole Rolland, Herman Li, Ichika Nito, Jason Richardson, Lari Basilio, Sophie Lloyd, Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Tosin Abasi, Mateus Asato, Yvette Young and Nita Strauss.

It looks like we’ll be treated to periods of respite by way of the acoustic guitar, as fingerstyle maestros Mike Dawes and Marcin Patrzalek also look to have signed up.

And as hard as it is to believe, this is just the first round of players Dines has revealed for the video. As he explains in the post’s caption, he plans to reach out to a second list of players entirely “soon”.

If you have a favorite guitarist you’d like to see take part in the fifth “biggest shred collab song in the world”, Dines encourages you to comment their name below the post. 

Or if you yourself are up to the challenge, Dines is hosting a competition in which three winners will be chosen to appear in the video. All you have to do is download the Dropbox backing track in the description of the YouTube video below, write and record a solo over it, and send it to jareddines@hotmail.com.

Jared Dines made headlines earlier this week when he pointed out the similarities between his 18-string Ormsby guitar, which he commissioned back in 2018, and the 17-string bass ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis played at a recent gig in Huntsville, Alabama.

After a little buzz on social media, Francis confirmed that his bass guitar was actually a cheap Chinese knockoff of Dines’ Ormsby 18-string. This led to a wholesome interaction between the pair, with Dines confirming that he had no issue with Francis using a derivative of his Ormsby monstrosity.

“I love that it’s real!” Dines wrote. “Guitars are modified and remade all the time, I’m glad you had fun with it.”

“Dude, I cannot believe you play these things!” Francis responded. “We thought it was a joke but then [found] out about you and watched some videos. Bravo motherfucker! The joke’s on me ‘cause I have to play that bootleg piece of shit.”

Dream Theater electric guitar master John Petrucci recently sat down with Guitar World to discuss his ongoing solo tour with Mike Portnoy.

Also up for discussion, though, were Petrucci's top tone tips, one of which is that guitarists should always keep in mind that their tone comes chiefly from their own hands.

While this idea had certainly been familiar to Petrucci since his earliest days on the instrument, a chance demo of Joe Satriani's rig – while the two were on a G3 tour together – was a stark example of just how true the maxim is. 

"The guitar is a tactile instrument," the prog-metal virtuoso told Guitar World. "You’re using the flesh of your hands to interact with it, and regardless of everything else you use, the sound you make comes from you. Every guitarist sounds different, and that’s because every guitarist is different. That’s the beautiful thing about playing the instrument. 

"I remember being on a G3 tour with Joe Satriani," Petrucci went on. "I’ve always been so enamored of him – his skill and his tone. One day I asked him, 'Can I play through your rig?' And the funny thing was, once I played through his rig, I didn’t sound like Joe at all – I sounded like me. And I was hit with the realization that, because the guitar is a tactile instrument, so much of the tone came from my touch.

"That’s something very important to keep in mind. Try to understand how you affect the tone of your guitar. It’s your gift. Embrace it and use it. No matter what else goes into guitar playing, you are the most important thing that you bring to the table."

Petrucci's ongoing run of shows – in which, of course, he's using his own rig – also feature longtime Steve Morse sideman Dave LaRue on bass guitar, and are his first live performances with Mike Portnoy since the latter's departure from Dream Theater in 2010.

The trio's setlists have been comprised almost entirely of material from Petrucci's 2020 solo effort, Terminal Velocity, plus a few songs from his 2005 solo debut, Suspended Animation. 

They haven't, however, been afraid to have a bit of fun here and there as well, throwing a quick-fire jam on the James Bond theme into their setlist at a recent Los Angeles gig.

To read Guitar World's full recent interview with Petrucci, meanwhile – in which he discusses why he reunited with Portnoy to take Terminal Velocity on the road – pick up the latest issue of the mag via Magazines Direct.

John Petrucci is currently in the midst of his first-ever headlining solo tour.

The trek marks the reunion of the electric guitar A-lister with his former Dream Theater bandmate, drummer Mike Portnoy, and also features longtime Steve Morse sideman Dave LaRue on bass guitar.

An overdue promotion of 'Trooch's 2020 solo album, Terminal Velocity, the tour has featured setlists comprised almost entirely of Terminal Velocity material, plus a few songs from the Dream Theater axeman's 2005 solo debut, Suspended Animation.

Granted, the trio have also thrown a few surprises into their show here and there, one of which you can check out below.

Filmed at the band's November 4 show at the The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, the video shows Petrucci – following a thunderous rendition of Suspended Animation's Damage Control – spontaneously leading his band into the theme from James Bond (right at around the 9:15 mark.)

Seasoned vets they are, Portnoy and LaRue pick up on Petrucci's change of direction as soon as he touches on the theme's iconic melody, and, while not missing a beat, clearly have a good time.

It's worth nothing, though, that the guitarist's foray into Her Majesty's Secret Service isn't the first time Petrucci's woven iconic movie themes into his solo shows.

Rupert Gregson‐Williams' Wonder Woman theme, for instance, was a regular part of Petrucci's 2018 G3 tour sets (which also featured LaRue on bass).

By the way, if all this leaves you wanting to inject a bit of that 007 mystery and mystique into your own playing, fear not, for Guitar World has a comprehensive lesson on how to play the iconic James Bond guitar chord, and 007 ways you can solo over it.

To read Guitar World's full recent interview with Petrucci, meanwhile – in which he discusses why he reunited with Portnoy to take Terminal Velocity on the road, and reveals his top three tone tips – pick up the latest issue of the mag via Magazines Direct.

Ernie Ball Music Man Man’s long-standing collaboration with John Petrucci has resulted in the fascinating evolution of both his original JP signature guitar and the innovative Majesty model, the latter introduced in 2014. 

The new Music Man Majesty 8-String represents the pinnacle of Petrucci and Music Man’s collaboration to date, offering incredible tonal versatility, the performance advantages of a multi-scale design, refined playability and sleek, modern styling. 

The Majesty 8-String is ideal for guitarists seeking to expand their expressive capabilities, but unlike many other 8-string guitars, which are “specialty” instruments that most players will only use for a few songs, the new Majesty makes an ideal main instrument that can fulfill the roles of several guitars. 

Features

Featuring a solid body that is two inches longer than the 6- and 7-string electrics and an overall weight of less than eight pounds, the Music Man Majesty 8-String instantly feels familiar and comfortable. 

The construction consists of a Honduran mahogany neck-thru-Basswood wings body with figured maple “shield” in the center of the body encompassing the pickups and bridge and finished in a variety of vivid color options (Okelani Blue, Emerald Sky, Wisteria Blossom and Sanguine Red).

The multi-scale 25.5-to-27-inch neck features 24 slanted medium jumbo stainless steel frets, a flat 17-inch radius, ebony fingerboard, 2.25-inch nut width, compensated melamine nut, signature Music Man truss rod adjustment wheel above 24th fret and thin, flat profile with a smooth high-gloss polyester finish. Smoothly rounded cutaway, forearm and belly contours as well as a deep recessed neck heel ensure optimum playing comfort.

Hardware includes a slanted string-thru body hardtail bridge with chevron-shaped cover for comfortable palm muting, Schaller M6-IND locking tuners and custom black metal dome-top knobs with rubber grip inserts.

Sophisticated electronics deliver an incredibly versatile palette of tones. Pickups consist of custom slanted DiMarzio Rainmaker (neck) and Dreamcatcher (bridge) humbuckers and a piezo bridge pickup.

A recessed three-position toggle located below and between the humbuckers provides series neck and bridge humbucking settings and a parallel middle/both setting. The magnetic pickup tone control’s push/push function can also engage only the inner single coils in parallel when the selector is in the middle position.

An additional three-position toggle on the upper cutaway horn selects magnetic pickups only, both piezo and magnetic pickups or the piezo pickup only. The magnetic pickup volume control’s push/push function can engage an active preamp that delivers up to +20dB boost. The third control knob located nearest to the output jack is for piezo volume.

Trim pots adjustable via holes in the back control plate allows users to tweak the maximum output of the preamp boost, the magnetic/piezo pickup balance and piezo bass and treble EQ, while a small push switch engages mono or stereo output. 

Performance

The Majesty 8-String’s body is close to standard size, while the neck is considerably wider and longer than a standard six-string neck, but the instrument is remarkably well balanced, keeping the neck solidly in optimum playing position without any neck dives. The overall playing comfort is impeccable – some players may need time to adjust to the fanned frets, but once you do the fingers will fly with ease from the highest to lowest registers. 

I particularly liked the added twang and definition of the sixth (low E) string with its 26.5-inch scale length, as well as how tight and punchy the seventh and eighth strings sound. 

The Dreamcatcher bridge pickup produces a distinctive vocal-like midrange that sounds exceptionally fat and full when playing single-note lines but also blends well with the treble and bass frequencies when playing chords. The Rainmaker neck pickup sounds more scooped in the midrange, producing vibrant, bouncy rhythm tones.

The piezo pickup sounds remarkably acoustic-like through a standard guitar amplifier, but when the magnetic and piezo pickups are split in stereo and the piezo output is routed to a PA or acoustic-electric amp it sounds even more rich and harmonically complex.

The range of tones is remarkable, from standard to baritone electric, humbucking and single-coil, and outstanding acoustic-style sounds. Being able to shift from massive, heavy distorted lower range tones to sultry, singing acoustic textures at the flick of a switch is a revelation, particularly for players who prefer to play a single ax all night long.

Specs

• PRICE: $4,199
• ORIGIN: USA
• TYPE: 8-string electric guitar
• BODY: Honduran mahogany neck-thru build with basswood wings and maple shield top
• NECK: Honduran mahogany
• SCALE: 25.5"
• FINGERBOARD: Ebony, with Atlante Majesty inlays, 24 medium jumbo stainless steel frets
• PICKUPS: DiMarzio Rainmaker (Neck), DiMarzio Dreamcatcher (bridge), Fishman Powerbridge piezo saddles
• CONTROLS: Custom Music Man active preamp; push/push volume for gain boost, 500kohm push/push passive tone for custom 2 pickup configurations, 3-way toggle pickup selector, with custom center position configuration; 3-way toggle piezo/magnetic selector, push/push mono/stereo button
• HARDWARE: Schaller M6-IND locking tuners, Music Man Custom piezo hardtail bridge with chevron cover and solid steel saddles
• FINISH OPTIONS: Okelani Blue, Emerald Sky, Wisteria Blossom [as reviewed] and Sanguine Red 
• CONTACT: Ernie Ball Music Man

As one of today’s foremost virtuosos in the world of progressive guitar music, John Petrucci has assembled an ever-growing list of immensely popular signature guitars, with his Majesty model said to be the second highest-selling signature six-string on the planet.

However, it turns out that Trooch’s specifically styled axes aren’t just loved by fans of Dream Theater and prog metal in general, but are favored by players from all genres across the entire musical spectrum.

Case in point is The 1975 lead guitarist and secret metalhead Adam Hann, who recently confessed to Total Guitar that he has used his custom-finished, original-run Ernie Ball Music Man JP6 guitar on much of the indie pop band’s discography.

In fact, he admires the instrument so much, it became one of his main guitars while recording The 1975’s 2016 sophomore album, I Like it When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It.

When asked about the regular live outings the custom-finished JP6 has recently been getting, Hann explained, “I bought it with money I inherited from my grandmother when I was a teenager. 

“I was going through this phase of being a big metalhead, and then we started doing The 1975, and it kind of got put away and never used,” he continued. “Then, on our second album, our manager was like, ‘Bring that guitar, maybe you’ll use it for something,’ and it turned out to be the backbone for a lot of the guitar [tracks].”

As for what Hann and the band particularly liked about the JP6, the guitarist cites its magical middle pickup position tone, which he’s been unable to replicate on any other guitar he’s picked up since.

“In the middle [pickup] position it sounds like this insane Strat Elite because it has this very clear, very clean active sound, but it’s not an active guitar,” Hann went on. “It has this little rubber washer that’s been put over the pickup selector, so it can’t go either way – it has to stay in the middle.

“It's funny; we’ve searched since using that guitar for another guitar that can do that sound, and it doesn’t seem to be something we can find. We’ve come close, but nothing has the same tone.”

Hann had previously waxed lyrical about his magic JP6 to Guitar World, crediting it for its crystal-clear tones and labeling it the “secret weapon” behind hits such as Me & You Together Song, I Like America & America Likes Me and Girls.

Footage of Hann wielding his Ernie Ball Music Man JP6 during The 1975’s 2019 Lollapalooza set can be found above.

As for what contributes to the magic sound, the original JP6s came factory fitted with a set of DiMarzio humbuckers, controlled by a three-way selector switch and master volume and tone parameters.

Later iterations of the model introduced a three-way toggle piezo/magnetic selector, as well as an additional control knob for piezo volume. None of these additional appointments, however, tempted Hann.

“What’s funny is because it was literally one of the first models of that guitar, the subsequent ones have different electronics; they don’t quite sound the same,” Hann told Guitar World. “We’ve hunted around on eBay to try and find an original one. I met one of the guys from Music Man at one of our shows, and basically he was like, ‘You just need to give me the guitar and we’ll find out exactly what it is.’”

The JP6 makes for an eye-catching addition to the indie rock guitarist's six-string catalog, which is otherwise populated with the usual suspects: Fender Stratocasters and Jaguars, as well as a custom Fano JM6.

To read the full interview with Adam Hann, head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Total Guitar.

There are few guitarists within the dual realms of prog and metal who cast a greater shadow than John Petrucci.

Petrucci first shuttered into our collective consciousness in the late '80s with the mythological prog-metal act Dream Theater. And while Dream Theater took the world by storm with their unique blend of uber-instrumentalism meets deep-dive lyrics, for Petrucci, the road was a bit more complicated.

Coming up during the infamous “shred era”, Petrucci was forced to hold serve with the likes of Steve Vai, Greg Howe, Marty Friedman, Joe Satriani, and more. And while Petrucci ultimately would rise head and shoulders above many of his contemporaries, his first solo effort, Suspended Animation, didn't hit shelves until 2005, during a respite from Dream Theater.

Untethered from the formal band setting, Petrucci brought his talents to the foreground, dazzling unsuspecting listeners through waves of sublime instrumental guitar grandiosity. Awakening as Suspended Animation was for Petrucci and his supporters, ever devoted, for the next 15 years, Petrucci centered most of his attention on Dream Theater.

Of course, the Covid pandemic had its challenges, but the numerous records recorded during the downtime were among the bright spots. Ever curious, always writing, and continuously exploring the deepest of musical caverns, Petrucci reunited with some old friends, namely former Dream Theater bandmate Mike Portnoy and bassist Dave LaRue to record Terminal Velocity (2020).

Still, in the wake of Terminal Velocity's fanfare, Petrucci set his goals aside, making another Dream Theater record, touring the world, and taking in his first GRAMMY. But with those obligations in his rearview mirror, for now at least, for the first time in history, John Petrucci is hitting the road in support of his music.

During a break from the road, Petrucci dialed in via phone to run through sharing the stage with Mike Portnoy for the first time since 2010, the genesis of their musical reconnection, the freedom his solo music provides, and what he loves most about coming home.

This tour sees you sharing the stage with Mike Portnoy for the first time since 2010. What sort of emotions course through you as you hit the stage?

“It's great to be playing with Mike again; it really is. The chemistry between us is so natural, probably because we've known each other since we were 18. And as you know, we played together forever, so even with the passing of time, in some ways, it feels like no time has passed at all.

“It's funny because I've often said that this whole tour feels like I'm jamming in the basement with my friends, like when we were little. [Laughs]. So, it's a great feeling to reconnect musically with Mike and to do this together; it's been awesome.”

How did the conversation to reconnect again with Mike for Terminal Velocity begin?

“Well, when I went in to write my second solo album, which turned out to be Terminal Velocity, I thought about Mike. I knew I wanted him to play on it and asked him, ‘Would you be open to playing? Are you free?’ And thankfully, he was around; actually, everybody was around because it was at the start of the pandemic, and every band was off tour. 

“So, I wrote the record, and then Mike played drums on it, which was phenomenal. And then, shortly after, we did Liquid Tension Experiment 3, which was Mike, Jordan [Rudess, Dream Theater keyboardist], Tony Levin, and me, and we did that in the summer of 2020. 

“So, we had that under our belts, and then, when it came time for me to tour and do my first proper headlining solo tour, of course, I immediately thought of Mike and asked him, and he said yes. 

“It's been a developing thing, and it's been great. We're having so much fun out here, and we're touring with our wives, which is something we've never done before. The shows have been phenomenal. The audience loves them, so it's been this relaxed family reunion vibe.”

Can you dig deeper into the chemistry that not just you and Mike share but this touring unit in general?

“This group of people on stage with me each night is awesome, man. With Dave LaRue, I used to go see him play with Steve Morse and the Dixie Dregs, and I remember watching him and thinking, ‘Wow. I really would love to play with that guy. He's phenomenal.’ 

“So, since I got asked to do G3 back in 2001, I've toured with Dave, and Dave has done every G3 tour, all my Guitar Universe camps, and he played bass on both my solo albums. So, he and I have great musical chemistry that fits like a glove. 

“And with Mike, like I said, we have that long history of meeting at Berkeley and being in Dream Theater together for 25 years, so when the three of us get together, it's awesome. And what's even cooler, Dave plays with Mike on another project called Flying Colors, so we're all very comfortable, and as a trio, we sound great off the bat. Everybody's super professional, very prepared, and playing their asses off. It couldn't be better.”

How did you go about putting together a setlist for this tour?

“This has been interesting because I've never toured in support of either of my solo albums. So, when I decided to do a headlining solo tour, I wanted to make the focus be about those two records for the most part. 

So, fans can expect songs from both Suspended Animation and Terminal Velocity, and we have a bunch of moments during the show where we improvise, and the song will go off in these different directions. 

“I like to do that, and I know the other guys really enjoy that sort of thing too. We do it to give us a chance to break from the album song structure and for me to have the means to feature the other guys. It's important that we feature Mike and Dave soloing and stuff, so it's high-energy type of stuff and really cool to see.”

What does your solo music allow you to do creatively that Dream Theater does not?

“I mean, it's a different setting, and the context is different too. When I'm in the studio, I layer guitars and stuff like that, but it's a trio setting, so in some ways, it's more freeing because the guitar is doing everything. But it's more challenging in other ways because the guitar is doing everything. [Laughs]. 

“But I'm able to explore some other styles that might not be appropriate in Dream Theater, whether that's jazz, blues, other types of rock, or whatever. Because ultimately, Dream Theater is a prog band, and we kind of do everything in a way that nothing's off the table, and of course, there's a ton of freedom in that. 

“But when it comes to instrumental guitar music, having the guitar be the primary voice for the whole record, or the whole night, that's something that I'm only able to do in this setting. Whereas in Dream Theater, there are vocals and keyboards, and it's a whole different sort of thing. And while the guitar has its featured moments in Dream Theater, of course, I feature a lot more in a solo sense, for sure.”

Given your reputation for proficiency on your instrument, what are your thoughts on your contemporaries using backing tracks in the live setting?

“It depends on what people are doing because some people don't tour with their whole bands, so they have sound effects and things going on. If they're up there playing their asses off, and they have some sound effects backing that up while they're doing it, that doesn't really bother me. 

“Having said that, I think that if anybody's up there faking it or pretending, that's a whole different thing. 

“But I think things have changed a lot; you'll have a lot of bands that just go out with two guys now, maybe it's just a guitar player and a drummer, so they need a pre-recorded bass player. If that's the case, then I guess they have to do what they have to do to keep the show going. So, while I am not for people fake playing, it really depends on the situation.”

Having shared the stage with Mike Portnoy and current Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini, what are the most significant differences between the two?

“Well, I don't usually think about the differences. If anything, I like to focus on the similarities because there are so many. I've said this before, but I believe that if we all knew each other, we would all have been friends if we had all grown up in the same town. 

“I think we all would have been in the same jam sessions that [Dream Theater bassist] John Myung, [former Dream Theater keyboardist] Kevin Moore, and I were having back in Kings Park, Long Island. 

“It doesn't matter if it's Portnoy or Mangini; it's a very similar mindset that we all have. We're all fans of the same music, and we all gravitate towards the same stuff and have very similar influences. So, there's this common headspace, and I guess that's what draws you to people, right? You feel like you have that musical connection.”

What's your secret to metal and prog guitar?

“I've always said that the guitar sound can really shape or determine the musical style of a band. I've always said that because I really do believe that it's true. If you think about a guitar sound, it could be a heavy metal thing, and if you apply that to prog, then it's going to come across in that style. 

“If you're playing with a traditional kind of sound, like a clean rock style, it might sound more old-school prog. And if you use a more fusion sound, that might become more of a prog-fusion thing. The guitar can help to identify the band's style and how it comes across.

“And obviously, part of that is production, orchestration, and stuff like that, but I think the guitar has always been a super-important element. And having people say, ‘Okay, this is heavy. This is mellow. This is fusion,’ maybe I'm biased, but I feel like it comes from the guitar most often. 

“So, I maintain the same approach. I play the way I play, but what changes is the tone, the production, or the techniques I may use depending on the style I want to apply. It's always going to sound like me – I can't escape that – but I can take my sound and morph it into different styles. I know that's not everyone's approach, and maybe it doesn't make sense, but it's what works for me. I think it comes from within, mostly.”

I'm speaking to you from Long Island now, where you're wrapping up this tour in November. Having said that, as a native Long Islander, what do you love most about coming home?

“Being from Long Island, I always have a sense of pride playing there. Of course, as you said, it's the last show of this 36-show tour. It's just in time for Thanksgiving, and we're going to be pumped at the end there. But the funny thing about that venue, in particular, the Patchogue Theatre, is that while both my girls are adults now, when they were kids, their dance recitals were held there. 

“And when they would have their recitals, I used to volunteer as security for the venue. So, playing the Patchogue Theater after all those years of watching my girls dance recitals is going to be a real trip. 

“And, of course, we have tons of family and friends there, which I am looking forward to seeing, and the vibe in New York and on Long Island is just fantastic. I couldn't think of a better way or place to wrap up my first-ever solo tour. And to do it with my friends and family on stage with me, it's a real bit of serendipity, and I'm thankful for it.”

• Terminal Velocity is out now via Sound Mind Music. For a list of dates on John Petrucci's current US tour, head to his official website.

Since Pull Me Under hit the MTV airwaves back in '92, Dream Theater’s John Petrucci has remained one of the most highly respected players; not only in the genre, but also in the wider guitar community. 

As a testament to his technical mastery of the instrument, as well as a seemingly endless supply of creative ideas, Dream Theater’s impressive discography is as varied as it is long. 

From the prog metal genre-defining Images And Words and the conceptual piece Scenes From A Memory, to the thrashy Train Of Thought and A View From The Top Of The World, which features the Grammy-winning single The Alien. Upon receiving the award, Trooch joked, “This song is in 17/8, so try to tap your foot to it!” – proving that accolades are still possible for those who refuse to compromise their artistic vision. 

As well as all this, Petrucci has appeared on three albums with Liquid Tension Experiment, and has two solo records to his name: Suspended Animation and Terminal Velocity. He has also frequently been a member of the G3 tour alongside Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, which must surely earn him Guitar God status. 

Petrucci’s sound is a combination of his signature Boogie JP2C, which is based on the classic 2C+ tone, and his Ernie Ball Music Man signature range, said to be one of the most successful signature guitars of all time. 

Trooch is well known for his incredibly accurate and fast alternate picking, which is from the school of Al Di Meola and Steve Morse, with a good dollop of Metallica attitude thrown in for good measure.

Our first example leans into that metal spirit with a relentless 16th-note alternate-picked workout that’s sure to warm up your hands. This riff is based in the Diminished Octatonic scale that John has used in tracks like The Dark Eternal Night. 

The symmetrical nature of the scale makes riff creation a pleasurably inspiring experience, so it’s definitely one to have under the fingers. 

Example 2 is a more typical ‘groupings of six’ shred guitar affair, but one that crops up in tracks like Metropolis Part 1 or the incredible outro to This Dying Soul. This particular lick is played in B Minor, but you should learn the pattern in as many keys and modes as possible. 

Example 3 focuses on string skipping, developing better accuracy in hopping from string to string. This skill is expanded upon with example 4, which tackles alternate picked arpeggios. 

Tracks like the The Glass Prison undoubtedly take a cue from one of Petrucci’s biggest influences, Steve Morse and the infamous arpeggios in Tumeni Notes. It’s incredibly tricky, so build up speed slowly and focus on accuracy, as it will improve your picking from string to string.

Our final example is inspired by Dream Theater’s guitar and keyboard unisons. These sections are often non-guitaristic, which of course makes them a great thing to practice. Try using unusual interval jumps and less common shapes in order to expand your own creativity on the guitar. 

Get the tone

Amp settings: Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 7, Treble 7, Reverb 3

JP’s tone comes from his Mesa/Boogie guitar amps and humbucker-equipped Music Man guitars. He’s also a fan of Fractal’s Axe-FX amp modellers. 

Go for a muscular sound; set your amp to ‘just breaking up’ then add a distortion pedal and possibly a second drive unit. Petrucci loves his delay, so add enough for extra dimension, but not enough to lose tightness in the sound.

Example 1 

This riff is based in E Half-Whole scale (1-b2-b3-3-b5-5-6-b7) which has a symmetrical, repeating semitone/tone pattern, which makes it relatively easy to visualize across the fretboard. 

Use all four fingers to access the notes in each section of the fretboard and use palm-muted, strict alternate picking to maintain the momentum of the riff.

Example 2

This six-note ascending pattern is diatonic to B Aeolian mode (1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7). Begin each group of sextuplets with your first finger by position shifting, and use your remaining three fingers to complete the shapes throughout. As you alternate pick, use the very tip of your pick to strike the strings to avoid becoming snagged.

Example 3

This E Mixolydian (1-2-3-4-5-6 -b7) lick uses septuplets and string skipping to traverse the scale shape. 

Pick seven notes per string with alternate picking by first beginning and ending with a down stroke, then as you change strings, begin and end with an upstroke. Repeat this picking pattern while hopping from string to string.

Example 4

Play these arpeggios with alternate picking, rather than the more common sweep picking technique. Start by repeating the initial six-note triad arpeggio until the picking pattern becomes ingrained into muscle memory, then work on playing through the remaining arpeggios using the same picking approach.

Example 5

This section is in the style of Petrucci and Jordan Rudess’s melodic unison melodies, using wide interval jumps and a combination of 16th-note and sextuplet phrasing. Pay extra attention to muting the unused strings with your fretting fingers in order to prevent unwanted open-string noise. 

This month’s guest in our regular buying and selling column is the big kahuna of prog-metal guitar, John Petrucci of Dream Theater. He is a player whose relationship with the electric guitar is more developmental than curatorial, having worked in lockstep with Ernie Ball Music Man on his own signature guitar series. 

With models such as the JP and Majesty, the collaboration has given the guitar an evolutionary push – there can be few more state-of-the-art instruments than these. But what about buying guitar gear? Well, as Petrucci admits here, he is no Bonamassa. 

He still has a few stories to tell. Even when you are working with one of the most forward-thinking brands on the planet, operating at the frontiers of luthiery, there is always some buyer’s remorse, or the guitar that got away.

What was the first serious guitar you bought with your own money?

“I bought an Aria Pro II guitar that had a whammy bar on it. It wasn’t a Floyd Rose… it was a Kahler. It had visible wood grain and was red. I would say it was a rock guitar, for sure. 

“I was a teenager at that point. I mean, I started when I was 12, it was probably a couple of years later when I was 14 or so. It’s funny, I was playing with John Myung back then and we still play together in Dream Theater – he’s the bass player – and we met each other when we were 12. 

“I would just go jam with everybody in those days. There was one guy who was really into metal and old bands like The Scorpions and Sabbath, so we would jam on all that stuff. And then I had a bunch of guys that were totally into Hendrix and The Dead, so we would jam on that stuff.

“There was also a band that we called Centurion, and we would play covers, anything from Mötley Crüe to Rush, Iron Maiden… John Myung and I just learned every single Iron Maiden song there was, and every Rush song.”

What was the last guitar you bought and why?

“The most recent one was actually a few years ago. I started to get interested in Gypsy jazz, the whole Django style, which I don’t know why I was never into before. Once my eyes opened up to it, I realised, ‘Man, this is right down my alley. It’s like shred guitar on acoustic.’ 

“Those players are so technically incredible. I then discovered Joscho Stephan from Germany, he’s such a phenomenal player, and I started thinking, ‘What guitar does he play?’ There’s this Selmer Maccaferri vibe guitar that he plays. 

“I did some research and when Dream Theater was on tour we were fairly close to where the luthier’s shop was. Me and my tech, Maddi [Matt Schieferstein], took a day trip and went to this small shop where I bought a guitar that smelled like cigarettes but played beautifully, and I brought that home. That’s the last guitar that I bought.”

What’s the most incredible find or bargain you’ve ever had when buying gear?

“I feel like, if anything, I overpaid [laughs]. One of the things I got into for a while was Mesa/Boogie Mark 11C+ amps – obviously, they were made in the ’80s and they don’t make them any more. I have a pretty good collection of those, but they can get expensive. I don’t know if I ever got a really good bargain where I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I got this for this.’ 

“But then again, I’m not a vintage guy at all. I’m completely illiterate in the world of vintage guitars and Les Pauls and Strats and all that stuff. I have a really big collection of my own models, my Ernie Ball Music Man guitars, and lots of Mesa/Boogie amps, and racks through the years. But I never really got into buying. Some guys are super-into it, like Bonamassa, but for some reason I never did that.” 

What’s the strongest case of buyer’s remorse you’ve ever had?

“It’s usually with something that’s cheap. I’m like, ‘Oh, this will make a good practice amp.’ Then I get it and it’s like, ‘Ah, there’s a reason it was cheap!’ [laughs] But every once in a while, that kind of thing works out…”

Have you ever sold something that you intensely regret letting go of? 

“Actually, I think I have to change my first answer now that I remember this: I think the first guitar I bought was actually a Suzuki Les Paul imitation from a flea market. It had a vine down the neck and mother-of-pearl binding, and I think I traded it for the Aria. Looking back, I would rather have still had that first guitar from the flea market.”

What’s your best guitar-buying tip?

“The biggest thing I can relate to is the prototyping process with my guitars. I’ve been with Ernie Ball Music Man for 20 years now and the thing that I look for is performance. That’s how these guitars originally started to get designed, where I had an experience playing other guitars, whether it was a Strat or a Les Paul, typical guitar shapes…

“And I always had these ideas like, ‘Why is this knob over here? It’s getting in my way.’ Or, ‘Why is this part of the guitar sharp?’ or ‘Why does my hand hurt when I lean it on the bridge?’ In the prototyping process, especially early on with Ernie Ball Music Man, it was about making a performance machine. I wanted it to be like driving a fast car, where everything’s in the right spot and it’s all ergonomic, and everything’s comfortable. 

“So if I were buying a new guitar, as opposed to designing a guitar, I would probably still look for those same things. When I pick up an instrument, I want to know: how does it feel? Not even just the typical things, like, ‘Oh, the neck shape or the action.’ But how does the physical instrument feel on your body? Is it weird? Is it awkward? Is it too big? Is there some weird sharp thing? Is its body too wide? Is it too small? I’m very tactile that way with instruments.”

When was the last time you stopped to stare in a guitar-shop window or browse online?

“If there’s some practical thing that I need, then I’ll actively go and search it out. But, in general, if you just go on Instagram you get inundated with different things, pedals and amps, some cool finish on a guitar… It’s kind of fun.” 

If forced to make a choice, would you rather have a really good guitar and a cheap amp, or a cheap guitar and a top-notch amp?

“I think it needs to start with the guitar, honestly, I really do. Because that’s the part you’re physically connecting with. It doesn’t mean the guitar has to be ridiculously expensive; it just has to be right for you. 

“But I know with a lot of young players, when they start out, and if they get something that’s not great, it could just make the learning experience that much more difficult. It’s a big learning curve with guitar – there’s that physicality you have to develop – and if you’re playing an instrument that’s really getting in your way, it could make that process slower.

“On the second Dream Theater record, Images And Words, our most famous song on that album – actually the band’s most famous song [outright] – is Pull Me Under. That was our only radio hit. Well, the song opens up with a clean guitar line that was recorded on a little practice thing by Zoom. 

“Remember the little Zoom thing you could clip on? [Possibly the Zoom 9002 strap-mounted effects processor – Ed.] That’s what that was recorded on. So if you know how to record and you have a good engineer, you can make a lot of things sound really good.”

If you could only use humbuckers or single coils for the rest of your career, which one would you choose and why? 

“Well, that’s easy: humbuckers, because that’s all I use. Why? That’s the sound that I got used to. Probably because, in the very beginning, that Suzuki Les Paul [copy] and that Aria Pro, and my first BC Rich ST-III that I bought, were all double-humbucker guitars. 

“I never got into the single-coil thing. That said, I can get coil-split sounds on my guitars. I couldn’t play any guitar that has a central single-coil pickup because of the way that I pick – it would just be hitting against the pickup. I need that space in the middle.”

• A View From The Top of the World is available now on InsideOutMusic.
  

Back in 2021, John Petrucci assembled an all-star cast of electric guitar heroes to take part in his Guitar Universe 3.0 guitar camp, which was billed as “four days and nights of performing, shredding and intense rock ‘n’ roll”.

Among those recruited by Trooch were Animals As Leaders’ Tosin Abasi, Megadeth’s Kiko Loureiro and Born Of Osiris’s Jason Richardson, as well as Dave LaRue, Mike Mangini, Andy Wood and Rena Petrucci.

Mateus Asato was also on the bill, and now Instagram’s foremost neo-soul shredder has shared a throwback clip from the camp, which sees Petrucci lay down the funk while Asato unleashes six-string fury on his fretboard.

Armed with his Suhr Standard Legacy BK, Asato receives sonic support from an Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty-wielding Petrucci, who busies himself with some throaty rhythm riffs, percussive palm muted strums and extended chord progressions.

Asato is therefore given free rein to start his solo passage with sustained slides before venturing into a handful of Trooch-approved scale licks. The ante is well and truly upped soon after, with Asato diving into his big bag of tricks for face-melting licks, whammy-laden lead lines and hammer-on and pull-off passages that effortlessly migrate up and down the fretboard.

In the throwback post, Asato recalled, “Around one year ago I had the honor to share the stage with one of my biggest influences as a player. John Petrucci was kind enough to ask me to be part of his guitar camp – and we ended up jamming in the end. 

“That was my first performance since 2020 and that was unforgettable to me,” he continued. “Also how stupid of me trying to play all these notes knowing that John had played them all – and 10 times better and prettier than my way?

“This encounter has changed my life. John isn’t only a tremendous player and composer but a phenomenal person. Thanks for having me.”

Petrucci soon responded to Asato's throwback, commenting on the video, “We really had an unforgettable time that week Mateus and I’m the lucky one for having you grace us with your beautiful playing. Truly inspiring and such a pleasure to finally meet you and get to share the stage together.”

Prior to the event, the pair met virtually to discuss the Guitar Universe 3.0, in which Petrucci praised Asato for his “beautiful” playing.

“I’m super excited to have you do this,” he said at the time. “I’ve done two camps already and we’ve had some of the greatest players in the world join me as guest instructors. We’re looking to change things up a little bit and add some different people in, and your name came up immediately.

“Thanks for doing this and I can’t wait to see you play in person,” he continued. “Your playing is beautiful and awesome. What a player you are. You have a gift.”

Since returning from his Instagram hiatus earlier this year, Asato has been plenty busy on social media. As well as covering ABBA, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen and Tears For Fears, he’s also published new music in the form of new song, The Cure.

Asato will take part in another guitar camp next year – though not with Petrucci – after it was announced he would be a guest tutor for Joe Satriani’s G4 V6.0 Experience.

What was the greatest guitar solo of the eighties? How about the best guitar riff? The ultimate guitar album? The decade’s most underappreciated player? Was Back to School better than Back to the Future? (At least one GW editor screams yes!) Did A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score really have a more bitchin’ hairstyle than Steve Stevens?

Well, whether you remember or not, we at GW have already opined on at least some of these burning issues – probably even more than once (and it all started with the February 1990 issue). 

Hey, we’ve been around for 42 years! This time, however, we decided to open things up to a host of guitar stars (plus a few GW editors), some of whom were already doing their thing 35 years ago, and some who weren’t even born yet.

We asked them to answer these 10 questions about the eighties – and to elaborate whenever they deemed it necessary:

1. Greatest guitar solo
2. Best riff
3. Ultimate guitar album
4. Piece of gear that screams “Eighties”
5. Guitarist of the decade
6. Greatest shredder
7. Underappreciated hero
8. Best movie
9. Greatest hairstyle
10. Ultimate Eighties accessory

Check out their answers below. Enjoy!

Guitar World covers of the 80s...

Vernon Reid (Living Colour)

• SOLO: Devil Take the Hindmost by Allan Holdsworth. Insane fluidity like [Eric] Dolphy, ’Trane and a space alien all at one go. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. That riff is basic, but it feels elemental. It’s like the guitar played itself and Slash just channeled it. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson. It’s incredible that two guitarists with radically opposite approaches made such a beautifully subtle and colorful album. A total reinvention of Crimson. Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp basically made the rock equivalent of a David Lynch film. 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp into a VHT power amp.
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Allan Holdsworth. Every other metal or rock guitarist had to deal with the fact that Allan fundamentally shifted the game.
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai, the mad, mercurial scientist. His openness and extraordinary range, not to mention insane chops. From David Lee Roth to Public Image Ltd., remarkable. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Greg Howe was amazing then and is phenomenal now. His evolution from metal to fusion – with stops at bebop along the way – is incredible. Why is he consistently underappreciated? You tell me, or go ask Kermit the Frog. 
• ACCESSORY: A fanny pack. Never be caught dead with one.

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

• SOLO: My favorite band is Rush, so I think of the solo in YYZ. Not only do I love Rush and Alex [Lifeson], and that’s an instrumental, but the solo he did just became very influential to me. It has a kinda exotic sound; he’s using open strings and pull-offs, and it just has this nice slippery, slinky vibe to it. I love the whole vibe. 
• RIFF: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Scuttle Buttin’. That’s such a sick “Stevie Ray on fire” riff. It’s bringing back memories of me trying to learn these things and being like, “What the hell is he doing!” [Laughs]
• ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. It just changed things for instrumental guitar music. Not that there weren’t guitar heroes before that, but it ushered in a new type. It’s a great combination of amazing, out-of-this-world playing and incredible songs.
• GEAR: I don’t know if this was made in the Eighties, but to me, the TC Electronic 2290. When I discovered that, I was like, Oh, that’s how you get that sound. [Laughs] That real iconic famous chorusing sound – that was so Eighties in the best of ways. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Yngwie Malmsteen. He blew the doors wide open as far as neo-classical shred guitar goes.
• SHREDDER: Randy Rhoads
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Tom Scholz [of Boston] because of his amazing melodic solos, iconic and unmistakable guitar tone, lush guitar harmonies and orchestrations and incredible songwriting. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: The Flock of Seagulls guy always comes to mind. [Laughs] Mike Score had a totally unique Eighties look. 
• ACCESSORY: When I think of myself at that time, hair mousse comes to mind. [Laughs] And the Rockman by Tom Scholz!

Scott Ian (Anthrax)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley, Randy Rhoads. His 1-2-3 punch of chops, technique and melody make this solo the one that not only stands out above all his other work, but above everyone else’s in the Eighties. And it’s fun to “air guitar” to! 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black came out in 1980 and set the tone for the rest of the decade. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy. Randy tops Eddie [Van Halen’s] Women and Children First by a nose hair – and only because he was the new kid and it was all very exciting to hear someone come along A.E. – after Ed – and give us all ear boners. 
• GEAR: The Floyd Rose! Eddie, Randy, Alex, Kirk, Dave, Steve, Joe, Neil, Kerry, Jeff, Vernon, me! etc., etc. They’re all first-name basis guitar players who used Floyd’s – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Ty Tabor of King’s X. Ty’s playing on their two Eighties albums is wholly original. His tone is incredible, his feel, his sense of melody. He’s a monster. You need to listen to King’s X. 
• MOVIE: Raging Bull 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: My Walkman Sport

Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)

• SOLO: Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes (Trevor Rabin) 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson (Steve Lukather) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: Scholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Belew. A complete original. The only guitarist I’ve seen live and couldn’t figure out how the hell he got such sounds out of the instrument. He also emits complete joy when he performs. 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me [Visual aid, top right...] 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Adam Jones (Tool)

• SOLO: Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Lay It Down – drop D! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: David Bowie’s Scary Monsters 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp with a Roland AX-7 Keytar 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen
• OVERLOOKED HERO: [Gang of Four’s] Andy Gill. [He had a] huge influence on me. His style was so passionate and raw, very unique at the time. When I mention him, most people say, “Who?” 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Any member of Kajagoogoo
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Eric Peterson (Testament)

• SOLO: Hook in Mouth by Megadeth 
• RIFF: Wrathchild by Iron Maiden and A Dangerous Meeting by Mercyful Fate 
• ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteem
• GEAR: Parametric equalizer by Furman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Meniketti [Y&T] – amazing chops and killer tone. Never seen him in the limelight. 
• MOVIE: Legend 
• HAIRSTYLE: David Lee Roth 
• ACCESSORY: My case of cassettes. Still have it!

Eric Johnson

• SOLO: The Pump by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Satch Boogie by Joe Satriani 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Reckless by Bryan Adams 
• GEAR: Tube Screamer 808 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Summers. He writes great orchestrated parts that fit the songs and embellish their integrity. 
• MOVIE: On Golden Pond 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: B.K. Butler Tube Driver

Gretchen Menn

• SOLO: I have to honor the first one that made my ears perk up: Nuno Bettencourt’s solo on [Extreme’s] Play with Me. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien 
• GEAR: [Laughs] Maybe too much chorus, but the exact pedal? I couldn’t tell you... 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. He was there at the beginning of the decade and changed the electric guitar in such a profound way for so many guitarists. 
• SHREDDER: I don’t think I could choose one, as there are so many different flavors of amazing. The whole decade is an abundance of shred riches. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Warren DeMartini. I feel like those who know really know, but he’s just a monster player. He garners plenty of admiration and respect among musicians, but I don’t know if he truly gets recognized on a larger scale the way he deserves. 
• MOVIE: The Shining and, of course, This Is Spinal Tap. 
• HAIRSTYLE: I think they all did! [Laughs]

Ross The Boss (Manowar)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Zero the Hero by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Yours truly, Ross the Boss! I made six great records in six years with Manowar. No one has topped that. 
• MOVIE: Conan the Barbarian 
• HAIRSTYLE: Angus Young 
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray

Paul Riario (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Scorpions’ Rock You Like a Hurricane 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Round and Round
• GUITAR ALBUM: Dokken’s Tooth and Nail. Nearly every hair metal guitarist from the decade most likely studied every solo, lick and riff from this album. 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai combined all the elements of technique and flash that nearly every guitarist wanted to emulate. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen changed the course of neo-classical shred guitar in speed and technique that still resonates today. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neil Giraldo is one of the most consistently tasteful guitarists who incorporated speed, restraint and clever phrasing in the most memorable way for not only Pat Benatar, but other artists like Rick Springfield (Hello? Jessie’s Girl). 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol/Steve Stevens – the perfect pairing of Eighties hairstyles in one band. 
• ACCESSORY: Aqua Net hair spray. C’mon now, you couldn’t leave home without it.

Mark Holcomb (Periphery)

• SOLO: Randy Rhoads on Mr. Crowley 
• RIFF: Anything by Metallica – but for me, the main riff in Disposable Heroes. 
• GEAR: Any chorus pedal! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Randy Rhoads lived in the shadow of EVH and contributed only two studio albums to Ozzy’s legacy, but he brought an academic, classical sensibility to metal that left an imprint on the genre for good. 
• MOVIE: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Anyone in Poison
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray... and maybe a studded armband or two.

Ernie C (Body Count)

• SOLO: S.A.T.O. by Ozzy 
• RIFF: Van Halen’s Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love. It’s fun to play – and people always know what it is. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman 
• GEAR: Roland G-707 guitar synthesizer. I actually had one. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It has to be Eddie Van Halen. Quick story: I wanted a left-handed Eddie Van Halen guitar. When I produced Black Sabbath’s Forbidden, Tony [Iommi] said, if you ever have a chance, go say hi to Eddie. So I made it to a concert and said hi to him.
  He takes my number and calls me – back when we had answering machines – and left a message. “Ernie, it’s Eddie Van Halen. Give me a call.” I had that as my outgoing message for a year. Back to the guitar: Ernie Ball said they didn’t make left-handed ones. I told Eddie and he said, “They made one for John McEnroe – they’re going to make one for you,” and he got me one. So my answer might be kind of biased! 
• SHREDDER: Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Schenker is really good and doesn’t get all the credit. UFO was great! 
• MOVIE: It’s not necessarily my favorite, but Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. Ice-T and I are in that. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Slash – the best combination of instrument and hair, hands down. Still is. 
• ACCESSORY: Jim Dunlop Cry Baby

John 5

• SOLO: Beat It. It really is just pure perfection. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: My Boss Heavy Metal pedal. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert came on the scene with Racer X and changed my life forever. 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Vinnie Moore 
• MOVIE: Crossroads with Ralph Macchio and Steve Vai – one of the best! 
• HAIRSTYLE: My good friend Nikki Sixx had the coolest haircut in the Eighties. 
• ACCESSORY: My record collection. Without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today. 

Ben Phillips (The Pretty Reckless)

• RIFF: Hells Bells by AC/DC, one of the best opening riffs of all time. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Is Mark Knopfler underrated? He’s often left out – at least in the U.S. – as one of the greatest. 
• MOVIE: Fast Times at Ridgemont High 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nick Rhodes 
• ACCESSORY: Your Walkman!

Eric Gales

• SOLO: Beat It by Michael Jackson 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: 1959 non-master vintage Marshall stack 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: I don’t know, I got a lot of friends out there – Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan – that’s a difficult question to answer! 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: I think Shuggie Otis might be one of the ones that didn’t get their due. He’s amazing. 
• MOVIE: Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 
• HAIRSTYLE: Frank Zappa 
• ACCESSORY: 1959 Marshall stack with a 1954 Strat. Can’t leave home without it! 

Lita Ford

• SOLO: The Ripper by Lita Ford 
• RIFF: Close My Eyes Forever by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Lita by Lita Ford 
• GEAR: B.C. Rich guitars 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Lita Ford – because she is/was a badass “female” guitarist. Not many people could handle that. 
• MOVIE: Arthur 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nikki Sixx 
• ACCESSORY: A guitar! 

Warren DeMartini (Ratt)

• SOLO: Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne (Jake E. Lee) 
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne 
• GEAR: MXR Flanger 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• MOVIE: The Blues Brothers 
• HAIRSTYLE: Tommy Lee 
• ACCESSORY: Vitamin B12

Jimmy Brown (Guitar World)

• SOLO: GNR’s Sweet Child O’ Mine 
• RIFF: GNR’s Welcome to the Jungle 
• GUITAR ALBUM: AC/DC, Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 100-watt tube amp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mike Stern. He wrote and played some brilliant music that really epitomized the jazz-rock ethos. But being a jazz musician, his exposure to rock fans and the guitar community at large was inherently limited by the low popularity of jazz in mainstream culture. 
• MOVIE: Bloodsport
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol 
• ACCESSORY: My black leather “fanny pack multi-compartment man purse.” LOL

Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge)

• SOLO: Jeff Beck’s People Get Ready, a great example of the pure emotion that one of the best players that ever lived is capable of laying down. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt. It is just that classic Eighties metal-era iconic riff that everybody’s learned over the years. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood 
• GEAR: The ADA MP-1, a rack-mounted guitar processor. I never got the MP1, but I did have the MP2. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen, hands down. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen. He’s the godfather of shred guitar and put that style of playing on the map. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neal Schon. He played with a lot of class and emotion on those Journey recordings, but a lot of people didn’t realize how talented a player and shredder he was at that time. 
• MOVIE: Crossroads was one of the reasons I wanted to start playing guitar. The “cutting heads” scene is one of the most iconic guitar movie scenes of all time. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Dee Snider
• ACCESSORY: The Rockman Sustainor rack that Tom Scholz created.

Jim Heath (Reverend Horton Heat)

• SOLO: Brian Setzer’s solo in Stray Cats’ Stray Cat Strut changed my life.
• RIFF: Elliot Easton managed to get a ton of great country- and rockabilly-style riffs into the Cars’ new wave songs. The solo in My Best Friend’s Girl is a great example. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stray Cats’ Built for Speed 
• GEAR: Boss DM-2 analog delay. Some jerk stole mine off of the stage at a gig in Amsterdam. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Brian Setzer... this is getting redundant. 
• SHREDDER: I’m not really that well versed in shredders, but since he’s from Texas and was a friend of mine, I’ll go with Mike Scaccia from Rigor Mortis and Ministry. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Gonzalez of the Paladins and Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. 
• MOVIE: Elvis ’56 and maybe Something Wild with Ray Liotta. 
• HAIRSTYLE: The guy from Flock of Seagulls? [Laughs] 
• ACCESSORY: For me it was the Fifties-style shirt-jacks... two-tone maxi-style! We also liked the baggy pleated trousers. For me, the Eighties were all about the Fifties. [Laughs]

Nate Garrett (Spirit Adrift)

• SOLO: Glenn Tipton’s solo in Reckless by Judas Priest 
• RIFF: Black Sabbath, Sign of the Southern Cross 
• ALBUM: Megadeth’s Peace Sells... but Who’s Buying? At that point, it was an arms race to see who could write the most impressive riffs and solos, and Megadeth came out on top in my book. 
• GEAR: Les Paul into a Marshall 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. That’s not even really up for discussion. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Glenn Tipton 
• MOVIE: The Thing by John Carpenter 
• ACCESSORY: Denim and leather – like Saxon was preaching about. 

Reb Beach (Winger)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake (John Sykes) 
• RIFF: Still of the Night by Whitesnake 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tom Sholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Timmons. He was in Danger Danger, and no one knew how amazing he was at the time. 
• MOVIE: Silverado 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me! [See below...] 
• ACCESSORY: Boss Super Overdrive

Steve Lukather (Toto)

• SOLO: Where Were You by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson. It was Michael’s riff. The fact that I played it is irrelevant. Ed gets a big nod for his solo. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson or Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tri stereo chorus with stereo delay 
• SHREDDER: Hard to pick! Yngwie, Nuno, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani... 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Landau, my best friend since we were 12. Everything he plays is masterful. People need to check out all his solo records. 
• MOVIE: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls – and my dear pal Steve Stevens. 
• ACCESSORY: Delay was probably something I’ve always used back to the Echoplex days of the Seventies.

Diamond Rowe (Tetrarch)

• SOLO: Metallica’s One or Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metallica’s ...And Justice for All. Guitar riffs galore!
• GEAR: I don’t see how anyone can say anything other than the Marshall JCM head! That was an Eighties tone staple!
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Dave Mustaine or Zakk 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Smith doesn’t get enough praise for all the amazing melodic guitar work he does (and did) for Iron Maiden. 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: I’m going to have to go with all the boys that just let it grow: James Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen, etc. 
• ACCESSORY: The whammy bar!

Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)

• SOLO: Pink Floyd Sorrow. David Gilmour recorded that on a boat with a little amp, which makes it even cooler! [Laughs] The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell – I love all those records, and they’re filled with great guitar stuff. 
• RIFF: Motörhead Ace of Spades. It’s just dirty! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I love Link Wray’s Live in ’85 because it starts with Rumble, and Rumble is from the Fifties, and when he [first released it] it was banned. It was the only instrumental ever banned on the radio because it incited riots. What balls to make an instrumental song that gets banned! 
• GEAR: The B.C. Rich Warlock. It was what I was using, what Slayer was using and I think W.A.S.P. and Lita Ford and a bunch of other people. I think I got it from Lita Ford. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: The Edge from U2 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen, man. Other guys come close, like Randy Rhoads right behind him, but I have to go with Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chuck Schuldiner from Death. Not just for the technical stuff of later years, which was mind-blowing, but the early stuff. Come on, the guy practically invented death metal! [Laughs] 
• MOVIE: Planes, Trains and Automobiles 
• HAIRSTYLE: There’s a lot of mullets flying around. ing around... but I wanted to do some- thing different, so I went with [bassist Jean-Yves] Blacky [Thériault from] Voivod, with the shaved head on one side and long hair. 
• ACCESSORY: For us, touring at that time during Arise, Beneath the Remains and Chaos [A.D.], it was the fanny pack. [Laughs] I was actually thinking about bringing that back. It was cool because you could put everything in it!

Malina Moye

• SOLO: Beat It by Eddie Van Halen or Purple Rain by Prince 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black or Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce with Roger Troutman. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet or Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction 
• GEAR: A Floyd Rose on a Kramer 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather, Vernon Reid or Wendy Melovin 
• MOVIE: Friday the 13th 
• HAIRSTYLE: Randy Jackson or Buddy Guy with his Jheri curl! 
• ACCESSORY: Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses

Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)

• SOLO: Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: This Charming Man by the Smiths (Johnny Marr) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Spring Session M by Missing Persons (Warren Cuccurullo) 
• GEAR: Lexicon 480 L Digital Reverb 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: The Edge. In a decade filled to the brim with shredding virtuosos, the Edge could transcend the guitar and get right to the heart of the song. He filled space when needed and appropriately and modestly found his lane with taste and class. Always interesting and always thoughtful. 
• MOVIE: The Lost Boys
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• ACCESSORY: Condoms

Dean Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots)

• SOLO: The Great Curve by Talking Heads (Adrian Belew) 
• RIFF: It’s No Game, Part 1 by David Bowie (Robert Fripp) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I.O.U. by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Elliot Easton 
• SHREDDER: Steve Stevens 
• MOVIE: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: The CD Walkman

Nili Brosh

• SOLO: Eddie Van Halen’s Beat It solo 
• RIFF: The Final Countdown by Europe. It’s technically a melody rather than a guitar riff, but it’s one of the catchiest that’s synonymous with the Eighties. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: The old Tom Scholtz Rockman Sustainor 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Nuno Bettencourt, but I’ve always felt it’s because it was the early Nineties when Extreme hit it big. 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: I was only two when the Eighties ended so it’s a tough one to answer, but I’m guessing a pink hair brush would’ve been my version of it!

Reeves Gabrels

• SOLO: The Boy with the Gun by David Sylvain (David Torn) 
• RIFF: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson 
• GEAR: Steinberger GL2T TransTrem 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Bill Nelson 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Eddie Martinez, a New York City player who was omnipresent on terrestrial radio in the Eighties. He could be heard on recordings by Robert Palmer, Blondie, Lou Reed, Lenny White, David Lee Roth, Meat Loaf and countless others. His fresh playing on Run-DMC’s self-titled album (which included Rock Box) presented the blueprint for the rock guitar/rap hybrid that was relentlessly exploited by others into the 2000s. He’s a guitarist’s guitarist, whose riffs you’ve played in your cover band and whose solos you’ve tried to copy but whose name you never took the time to learn. Now’s the time to do your homework and hit “search.” 
• MOVIE: Amadeus 
• ACCESSORY: Pro Co Rat distortion pedal

Steve Morse

• SOLO: Don’t Tell Me You Love Me by Night Ranger (Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson). The harmonies really hit a sweet spot, and the energy is intense. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Slash’s intro is simple and beautiful, and it offered a new approach for rock guitarists. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: A whammy bar guitar. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: A five-way tie between Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Randy Rhoads. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mick Mars. His rhythm playing and riffs are very musical, and they’re a great place to start learning the art of playing effectively. 
• MOVIE: Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kip Winger. He’s a great musician and writer, but he also had the ultimate look, one that all singers wanted to emulate. 
• ACCESSORY: It’s not an item – it’s practicing the guitar. Everybody was playing so phenomenally well in the Eighties, so you had to be at the top of your game before walking out the door for a gig. The audience really listened to the guitar.

Jake Bowen (Periphery)

• SOLO: Fight Fire with Fire by Metallica 
• RIFF: The first riff of Metallica’s Blackened after the intro 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Did James Hetfield have that awesome mullet in the Eighties?
• ACCESSORY: Don’t leave home without your machine gun bullet belt.

Marty Friedman (solo artist, ex-Megadeth)

• SOLO: Wuthering Heights by Pat Benatar (Neil Giraldo) 
• RIFF: Here It Comes by Ezo 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar. Every solo is totally different, and every song has lots of unique and very effective guitar work. 
• GEAR: Quadraverb 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It would be impossible to choose one, probably thanks to the high standard set by EVH. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather. People know how great he is, but many are not aware that his massive body of musical work is so overwhelmingly expansive and diverse that there are literally no rivals as far as I know. 
• MOVIE: The Last American Virgin 
• HAIRSTYLE: The bass player on the first Cinderella album cover. 
• ACCESSORY: Hair

Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)

• SOLO: Into the Fire by Dokken (George Lynch) 
• RIFF: Opening riff to Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: Original Eighties hot pink Ibanez JEM 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Vandenburg. Killer vibrato [and] awesome-sounding hands. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: Walkman cassette player!

Alex Skolnick (Testament)

• SOLO: Beat It (Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson). Not that it was Eddie’s best, but it was darn good. More important is what it represented – a cultural milestone and the radical merging of hard rock guitar and pop via EVH & MJ. 
• RIFF: Back in Black by AC/DC. It was one of the first riffs of the Eighties, and it set the bar extremely high. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GEAR: Yamaha SPX 90 rack effects unit. If I’m not mistaken, Mike Stern still uses his. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Joe Satriani. He was completely unknown outside of the SF Bay Area in the early Eighties when I was fortunate enough to have him as a teacher. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff of Giant. Listen to 1989’s Last of the Runaways. 
• MOVIE: Revenge of the Nerds (1984). It’s not my favorite on an artistic level, but it’s one of several mid-Eighties comedies that just helps capture the era. Besides, what other movie has a character named “Skolnick”? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten. She’s tied with Steve Stevens. Both played for MJ and had the ultimate hair at the time. 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman

Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.)

• SOLO: Iron Maiden’s Powerslave – Dave Murray’s solo at 3:06. 
• RIFF: Metallica’s Seek & Destroy 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: EVH 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Vivian Campbell. His work on Dio’s Holy Diver was some of the baddest stuff I heard as a kid. 
• MOVIE: The NeverEnding Story 
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure

Dean Back & Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman)

• SOLO: Ice 9 by Joe Satriani (Tyler), Beat It (Dean) 
• RIFF: Hot for Teacher (Tyler), GNR’s Mr. Brownstone (Dean) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien (Tyler) 
• GEAR: Ibanez JEM 777 (Tyler) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jeff Healey (Tyler), Mark Knopfler (Dean) 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club (Tyler), Top Gun (Dean) 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten or Bruce Dickinson (Tyler), Jon Bon Jovi (Dean)
• ACCESSORY: Ibanez Tube Screamer (Tyler), Sony Sports Walkman (Dean).

Josh Smith (Northlane)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake – the one and only John Sykes. 
• RIFF: Slayer’s Raining Blood 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Death, Leprosy 
• GEAR: I own a fluorescent green and black swirled Ibanez with a double locking tremolo. Not a Northlane guitar but as shred as it gets! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH, duh 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai. In the Eighties, GW editor Brad Tolinski wrote, “Steve Vai’s guitar wizardry is so profound that in earlier times he would have been burned as a witch.” 
• MOVIE: Top Gun 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jerry Cantrell’s got us all covered with those locks.

Dave Dalone (H.E.A.T)

• SOLO: Kee Marcello’s solo in Superstitious. 
• RIFF: Money for Nothing by Dire Straits 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Hysteria by Def Leppard. It might not be the craziest playing, but it’s damn effective and well executed. 
• GEAR: Anything that goes to 11! How about a Tri Stereo Chorus... preferably mounted in one of those Bradshaw racks, sitting in the trunk of a Firebird, driven by Jean-Claude Van Damme into the L.A. sunset to the sound of Rough Boy by ZZ Top. (Sorry, I got carried away!) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff. Giant came along at the end of the cycle, and it seems they were a bit late to the party. But what a great guitar player! 
• MOVIE: Back to the Future 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman and an attitude.

Bobby Keller

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Randy Rhoads 
• RIFF: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: The George Lynch “Tiger Striped” ESP guitar for me. What more could you ask for? 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Jason Becker 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jake E. Lee and Vito Bratta don’t get the credit they deserve, even though Vito had maybe a different life scenario happen that prevented him from playing or continuing with White Lion. But Jake just slays. 
• MOVIE: Nightmare on Elm Street movies 
• HAIRSTYLE: Prince 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman or a boom box. 

Damian Fanelli (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Texas Flood 
• RIFF: Crazy Train 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood 
• GEAR: My ol’ EMG active pickups 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH because of obviousness; Steve Vai because of Crossroads and the Ibanez JEM; SRV because he didn’t get another decade. 
• SHREDDER: Our Mr. Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chris Hayes of Huey Lewis and the News. And while I’m at it: Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Brian Setzer and Pete Anderson! 
• MOVIE: Back to School. “Remember – you’re a Melon!” 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kiss guitarist Mark St. John from a 1987 Gibson USA “Artist Signature Series” GW ad that also features Michael Angelo (Batio) and Wayne Charvel. I know there were crazier hairstyles, but Mark St. John’s hair in this ad pretty much leaves me speechless. 
• ACCESSORY: Food.

Adia Victoria

• SOLO: Poison's Nothin' But a Good Time
• RIFF: Metallica's Master of Puppets
• GUITAR ALBUM: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses
• GEAR: Tommy Lee's flying drum set
• MOVIE: Die Hard
• HAIRSTYLE: David Bowie's mullet
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Prince
• SHREDDER: Slash
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: AC/DC's Malcolm Young. No explanation needed.
• ACCESSORY: Bedazzled jockstrap

Electric guitar titan John Petrucci announced today that he will embark on his first-ever solo headlining tour this fall.

For the shows, Petrucci will be backed by bass guitar player Dave LaRue (best known for his work with Steve Morse) and, notably, his former Dream Theater bandmate, drummer Mike Portnoy. LaRue and Portnoy previously served as the rhythm section for Petrucci's 2020 solo album, Terminal Velocity.

As of now, Petrucci has announced only three gigs in total, in Boston, New York and Washington D.C. (on October 7, 13 and 15, respectively), but promised in his announcement that more dates will be announced "soon." Thrash-metal legends Meanstreak will serve as the opener for each of the shows.

In a 2021 Guitar World interview, Petrucci praised Portnoy's contributions to Terminal Velocity, which was his first solo LP in 15 years, and only his second overall. In an interesting twist on standard procedure, Portnoy's drum tracks for the album were recorded only after Petrucci had already laid down his complex final guitar parts.

"Mike banged out all his parts in six days, which is amazing since there are a lot of weird tempo changes and crazy arpeggios on there as well as a lot of different musical styles," he said. "And his playing is so lively and spirited and he played with so much energy. The whole experience was great.”

Petrucci and Portnoy also teamed up in 2021 to reunite Liquid Tension Experiment – their band with bassist Tony Levin and Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess – and record Liquid Tension Experiment 3, the band's first album together in 22 years. 

These fall shows, however, will serve as the first time Petrucci and Portnoy have toured together since the latter departed Dream Theater in 2010. 

For tickets and more info on the dates, visit Petrucci's website.

For the July 2004 issue of Guitar World, we asked Dream Theater electric guitar titan John Petrucci to offer readers a few simple tips on how to get more out of their practice sessions.

The advice he offered is truly timeless, and can help guitarists of any skill level further their quest to better understand the instrument. Take it away, John! 

1. Have A Goal

Say to yourself, 'During this hour I’m going to master this passage.' There’s nothing wrong with noodling – it can actually produce some of the best ideas – but you’ll get a lot more out of your practice time if you have an agenda.

2. Vary Your Practicing

Don’t get stuck in a rut. If you started yesterday’s practice playing arpeggios, start today’s with scales. Also, try to make a song out of what you’re practicing to help break the tedium.

3. Use A Metronome

…or a drum machine or sequencer, if you have one. Whatever you use is fine; what’s important is that you learn how to play in time.

4. Go Easy (Even When Shredding)

It’s all about training the tiny muscles in your hands. Start slow, relax and don’t press hard. When you watch your favorite guitarists play, notice how little their hands and fingers move sometimes. The economy of motion can’t be overemphasized.

5. Record Yourself

After you’ve practiced for an hour or so, turn down the lights and record yourself playing. Improvise and go nuts, then play back what you’ve recorded and listen for your strengths and weaknesses. 

We record Dream Theater shows and I’ll sit on the bus and listen to my playing – what worked, what didn’t. A lot of times it’s embarrassing and humbling, but that’s what you have to do to get better.

Recommended DVD

Rock Discipline (Warner Music). I originally put this out in 1996, and I think it’s very appropriate for players of all levels. It includes segments on warming up, developing speed and accuracy, chromatic exercises – all the things you’d pay an instructor hundreds of dollars for.

Recommended School

The Berklee College of Music. It’s where I formed Dream Theater. The whole environment of the school is very inspiring. It’s in Boston, which is a great town; everybody’s walking around with a gig bag or a saxophone. For a musician, I can’t think of a better atmosphere. Did I mention I formed Dream Theater there?

Recommended Book

The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey (Doubleday). Gallwey also wrote another book, The Inner Game of Tennis. What’s great about this book is how it helps to train your mind to look at music. It’s not so much about actual playing as it is about concentration and expanding your senses. I can’t recommend it enough.

Guitar Player recently got electric guitar legends Steve Morse and John Petrucci together for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on technique, guitar design, the music business, practice, and a whole lot more.

During the chat, the two shred titans revealed their admiration for one another, with Petrucci citing the first time he heard Morse's playing as a "life-changing" moment.

Introduced to Morse by the older brother of a friend, Petrucci first heard the former's electrifying rock-by-way-of-bluegrass style via The Bash, a song by Morse's band, the Dixie Dregs.

“It [The Bash] totally blew my mind,” Petrucci said. “I couldn’t understand how anybody could play like that. I wasn’t very familiar with bluegrass, but Steve mixed it with rock in such an exciting way. His technique and phrasing hooked me immediately.”

Overall, the Dream Theater axeman said, "There are moments that you can pinpoint and say they were truly life-changing, and for me, hearing Steve Morse play guitar was one of them.” 

Morse and Petrucci's lengthy conversation is filled with a number of other similarly insightful tidbits and stories, but perhaps none are more amusing (or terrifying) than Morse explaining how he used to – during leaner times on the road – get... creative with his guitar practice.

"Sometimes on long trips there just wasn’t any time to practice," Morse explained. "What I would do was, I’d put this fleece pad – like one of those shoulder-belt pads – on the steering wheel, and I would drive with my knees while playing the guitar. If the road was crowded, I wouldn’t do that, but if I was on an interstate and no cars were around, sure, I could manage it. 

"It’s only a few inches from the guitar neck to the steering wheel," he continued, "so you can get your hands back on the wheel pretty quickly."

[Editor's note: Before our legal team finds this article, Guitar World does not endorse the practice of playing guitar while driving, no matter how empty the road is.] 

To read the full conversation – which also covers, among other topics, how the guitarists each came to endorse Ernie Ball Music Man, how they collaborate effectively with keyboard players, and how they work as band leaders – pick up a copy of the latest issue of Guitar Player at Magazines Direct.

The publication of the conversation comes just days after Ken Scott – a producer who's worked with Jeff Beck, the Beatles, Mick Ronson, and Pink Floyd, to name just a few – stated that Morse, above all others, stood out as the best guitarist he has ever worked with.

NAMM 2022: It’s already been a busy NAMM season for Ernie Ball. Not only has the company debuted its Heat Treated HT pickup technology, it’s also unveiled the Tosin Abasi-designed Kaizen electric guitar.

Now, in an effort to maintain the strong momentum, Ernie Ball Music Man has announced a comprehensive aesthetic overhaul for its John Petrucci range of signature guitars.

Both of the Dream Theater virtuoso’s Majesty and JP15 ranges have been treated to a wealth of new colorways, which join the ever-growing suite of stunning finishes that the range already has on tap.

In the Majesty department, Trooch’s six-, seven- and eight-string models are available in four new finishes: Emerald Sky, Sanguine Red, Wisteria Blossom and Okelani blue.

Notably, it marks the first time the Majety 8 has been treated to a new aesthetic, after it was unveiled last year in a sole Mystic Dream finish.

The Maple Top Majesty has also been decked out with a duo of decadent new finishes – Spice Melange and Crystal Amethyst – which each arrive with a slew of model-specific appointments.

While the Spice Melange iteration flashes a spalted maple top, roasted maple neck and three-piece neck construction comprising Honduran mahogany and roasted flame maple, the Crystal Amethyst model utilizes a full flame maple top with alder back and sides.

All new-look Majesty models remain true to the instrument’s blueprint, meaning they come equipped with DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker humbuckers, along with a piezo bridge pickup.

As for the JP15 range, a Tiger Eye Burst is now available in flame or quilted maple, and is joined by the equally eye-catching Purple Nebula, which is paired with a maple top. 

Both guitars are offered with a roasted maple fingerboard and lightweight okoume body, and feature a pickup combo comprising DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker humbuckers – a configuration that replaces the old JP15’s DiMarzio Illuminators.

Other specs include Schaller locking tuners and 24 stainless steel frets. The JP15s will be available in both six and seven-string iterations.

To find out more, visit Ernie Ball Music Man.

Joe Satriani surprised many guitarists by picking Def Leppard’s Phil Collen for the 2018 G3 tour – not least Phil himself. But Collen says the most lasting impact from the run came from John Petrucci, whose touring rig was based around the Fractal Axe-Fx.

“Petrucci had the the first one and he said, ‘Check this out!’ It sounded great,” Collen says. “That’s why I got it, and then I said to the rest of guys, ‘I’m getting rid of my rack!’ [Co-guitarist] Vivian Campbell heard it once and said, ‘I’m in!’ and [bassist] Rick Savage trusted me from day one.”

Def Leppard are known for their love of technology. Multi-million-selling album smash Hysteria was at the cutting edge of recording techniques, and drummer Rick Allen was an early adopter of electric drums after the car crash that claimed his left arm.

Despite that, their live guitar rigs were resolutely old-school before Petrucci brought them into the 21st century. The setups had been rack-based, with Marshall JMP-1 tube preamps and EL34 100/100 power amps, along with the discontinued JFX-1 rack effects unit.

Collen’s tech John Zucker replicated this sound using the Axe-Fx Tone Match feature. Says Phil of the old rig, “It was just too much to power. You had a power amp and a rack and then effects and stuff like that. Now it all works in one. On stage I use the Atomic powered speaker.”

Besides the gear revolution, the G3 experience also pushed Collen as a player. “We were doing Highway Star and from the first rehearsal I was like ‘Fuck, I’m gonna have to practice a lot more because I’m just gonna get left behind by these guys,’” he recalls. 

“They’re just so far over the top. John goes, ‘Well, if I do this harmony, Phil, you can do this.’ It was further than I’d ever stretched on anything I’d ever done! I love that idea of someone giving you a helping hand and pushing you at the same time.”

Guitar-wise, Phil has been playing new versions of his signature Jackson PC1 with hotter X2N bridge pickups.

“What I’m shocked about with the X2N is I can turn it down!” he laughs. “I don’t really have clean tones on tour. I just turn the guitar down and that cleans up perfectly, even with the Fractal.

“My new PC1 has a walnut top. It’s got a skinny neck on it which bugged me but the thing sounded so good I used it on some of the solos on our new album [Diamond Star Halos]. I used it on Open Your Eyes and From Here To Eternity. It’s got an X2N, Sugar Chakra, and a Sustainer. This one’s got an ebony fingerboard so it’s a harsher sound than the maple, which is a bit more classy – on a PC1, anyway.”

The Sugar Chakra is Phil’s signature DiMarzio Strat-sized humbucker. “I’ve been using that on the songs All We Need and Lifeless,” he explains. “Right at the end I use the Sugar Chakra and an X2N together on a clean setting.

“You’d think, ‘Really? How’s that gonna sound?!’ Fucking unique! With the sustainer on, it was just a really unique sound. The Sugar Chakra would be the middle pickup, and obviously the X2N, which is fucking bombastic, being the bridge position.”

Comparing the Sugar Chakra to the full-sized Super 3 humbucker he has used for years, Phil notes its subtle refinement.

“It’s a little less powerful,  but you couldn’t really tell the difference listening to it,” he says. “If you raise it up a little bit then it sounds similar, but it kind of retains some of the Strat-iness. I’ve even got a Telecaster with a Sugar Chakra on it and same deal: it retains its Telecaster-ness as well, so you can get that perfect blend.”

It’s been an eventful few months for instrumental prog virtuoso Jason Richardson, who already has two new-for-2022 singles under his belt: Upside Down, for which he was joined by Polyphia’s Tim Henson, and the gravity-defying Ishimur.

Now, Richardson has maintained the momentum by releasing his latest shred-heavy, chug-fueled track, p00mbachu.

Once again joined by his longtime collaborator and drummer Luke Holland, Richardson demonstrates why he was one of today’s standout progressive instrumentalists, curating a collection of mind-melting runs and genre-merging motifs.

Owing to its seven-minute run time, there’s no shortage of spectacular lead and rhythm work, perhaps especially epitomized by a particularly brain-melting exchange that starts at the 1:40 mark.

It's also an eclectic display of electric guitars, too, with Richardson wielding John Petrucci's Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty 8 signature guitar, his own Cutlass six-string and an eye-catching, blue-finished Cutlass seven-string, all in the space of one track.

You can check it out below.

Accompanying the release of p00mbachu is the news that Richardson and Holland’s long-awaited forthcoming album – which was teased a few months ago in a series of tweets – will officially be called II, and will arrive July 15.

When it drops, it will be the pair’s first collaborative studio effort since the release of I in 2016.

“This song is definitely one of the crazier ones on the album," Richardson said of p00machu. “It's got a few different genre tangents that it goes off in. 

“And if you're familiar with the first album,” he added, “this is part two to the song Hos Down, in a way, with its quirkiness and the different sections it has. This song is definitely a wild ride and the video is just as intense.”

The tracklist for II can be found below.

1. Tendinitis
2. Ishimura
3. Polyrhythmic Pug
4. P00mbachu
5. Sprrow
6. Threnody
7. Byronius of the 4th Order
8. XIV 2.0
9. Behold 2.0 
10. Goodbye… 
11. Upside Down (feat. Tim Henson) 

• II is available to preorder now ahead of its release on July 15.

The market for gear is saturated with signature guitars, amps, pedals, guitar picks and so forth, but what about all those artist collaborations we don’t see at NAMM?

Over the years, guitar players have proven to be an entrepreneurial breed. Sometimes out of a sense of philanthropy, restlessness from too much post-tour R&R. Or maybe sometimes it pays to have a sideline.

We all know the music industry can be a harsh and unforgiving sector. It has never been easy to make a buck with an electric guitar in hand. Once upon a time, there were moguls, gruff folk putting the squeeze on the talent, and great big managerial sharks capable of swallowing a college fund whole.

Then came Napster, file-sharing, the hollowing out of the business model. Silicon Valley’s H bomb. When you add all that up then factor in the ever-capricious tastes of the record-buying public, it makes sense for a pro player to have some start-up business smarts.

Indeed, musicians have always shown a commercial acumen that would make them as welcome on campus at Harvard Business School as they would be at the Ryman. Here, we're going to look at some of our favorite guitar player collaborations with the captains of industry, and those who have taken the concept of the well-stocked merch table to its logical conclusion.

We'd be remiss not to give mention to some of the enterprising merch strategies over the years. KISS, in particular, are a case study in branding and reach. KISS Koffee remains a favorite brew for creatures of the night doing battle with the morning. Beer is big. But we typically see that in the wild as an outgrowth of the band’s brand – and indeed a penchant for a frothy cold one. Look at the joy their cold Canadian golden ale has given Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee.

All self-respecting rock and metal bands have a beer nowadays. Iron Maiden have a very brown, very English ale, the Trooper. Status Quo have a malty little number named for their 1972 album Piledriver. Those urbane sophisticates Megadeth have a Belgian-style saison, A Tout Le Monde, and AC/DC’s Australian Hardrock lager is a crisp German number that will have the average person bladdered and duckwalking to the toilet after a touch too much.

Whiskey? Well, Metallica’s Blackened American Whiskey is made using some traditional and avant-garde methods, with some batches exposed to 11 of the best from the ‘Tallica catalog to presumably improve the aging process. 

But if beer and whiskey seem like appropriately adjacent products to align with, the following guitarist x industry collabs are more left field, and just what do they tell us about the guitarists who brokered them?

1. Yngwie Malmsteen x Sharpie – A marker pen

Birthdays in Chez Malmsteen must be tricky. What do you get for the neoclassical shred virtuoso who has everything? A Ferrari makes a poor investment with gas prices the way they are. Not another guitar amp, that’s for sure. As the bold Mr Malmsteen has explained, and with no little delight, he has an embarrassment of riches on that front. His Great Wall of full-stack Marshalls – allegedly, though yet to be verified – can be seen from orbit.

A Stratocaster? Pah! He’s got them, his studio crowded by an array of signature Strats. How about a pen? Maybe some Montblanc, fancy-pants fountain pen? Well, you’re outta luck. Because Sharpie, yes, the marker pen brand, has already released a personalized range of Yngwie Sharpies. We’re not sure what cut, if any, Yngwie gets on this, but as signature gear goes this is, well, this is very practical: setlists, autographs, daubing arpeggio sequences onto bus shelters.

2. Billie Joe Armstrong x Kat Von D – Basketcase eyeliner

This collaboration between punk superstar Billie Joe Armstrong and makeup brand KVD raised eyebrows upon its release but it left eyes well and truly lined – just the thing for that up-all-night, shambled-in-from-Camden look.

Now, if the pharmacist is closed for the night, you could in a pinch borrow one of Yngwie’s Sharpies instead, but we don’t advise it. You won’t get that smoky come-hither that KVD’s non-precision eyeliner range excels at.

Unlike mascara, which always looks like something The Borrowers use to clean the chimney, and is mildly hazardous to the retinas, eyeliner is easy to apply and a very forgiving medium. You might even say it’s American idiot proof. Armstrong describes it as being the ultimate pick-up line in the punk scene, which is good to know for all you punk singles out there. Also good to know is proceeds went to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Kat Von D and Billie Joe Armstrong also collaborated on another charitable endeavor, funding a chimpanzee sanctuary. Evidence once more of the Monkees’ influence on punk and alternative rock.

3. John Mayer x The Laundress – Out West laundry detergent

Many of us go weak at the knees at the mere mention of the words ‘John’ and ‘Mayer’. Often because of his carefully curated signal path, campus-schooled chops and exquisite phrasing. He knows our pressure points. Other times, well, he is – how to put it – kinda dreamy, and more than that, clearly a man who takes some care and attention when laundry day comes around.

When that day comes, you can bet that the Sob Rock superstar is washing his duds in his signature Out West detergent. It’s tough on stains, easy on colors, and can be used in the machine or fingerstyle (commonly referred to as ‘handwashing’).

Unlike germanium diodes, it operates well in all temperatures, and it’s suitable for cotton, linen, blends, and synthetics, and more. It hasn’t been tested on animals, and 50 percent of the retail price goes to supporting voluntary private land conservation in the state of Montana.

Wait, you don’t think we’re going to let you out of here without some notes on the scent? Grab this and your cotton Oxford will be as fresh as a daisy, offering “crisp and powdery notes with undertones of sandalwood, leather, and amber surrounded by spice, patchouli, and musk”. We’ve all smelled worse on the last train home.

4. Hot sauces: Joe Perry, Billy Gibbons, Obituary’s Trevor Peres and more…

Janie might have a gun but Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has his own range of Rock Your World barbecue and hot sauces and they’re so darn tasty you’re gonna need a pump for this stuff. Boneyard Brew table sauce? Just the thing when sitting down to eat the rich. Or maybe you prefer some mellower piquant sweetness, try the house Original BBQ sauce.

In case you get some pulled pork stuck between your gnashers, or maybe if dinner was so enjoyable you have to break into song before dessert, Perry has been known to ship these sauces with a guitar pick. 

Apparently, the back story to this saucy tale – and let’s be real here, there have been a few saucy tales in the history of Aerosmith – is that Perry found the food on tour too bland, and so he cooked up his own sauce. It sure does add a whole new level of subtext to Lord of the Thighs. Or to Get Your Wings for that matter.

Then you have Billy Gibbons and Tim Montana’s range of salsas, BBQ and hot sauces. Those who sprinkle reaper chilli flakes on their granola in the morning might enjoy the Have Mercy hot sauce, rated 9 on the heat dial, but if it’s a casual lunch and you need something to put on the kids’ sandwiches, the Blanco BBQ looks the part.

As for Obituary’s Trevor Peres and his collaboration with Bump In Sauce – evocatively named T-Bone’s Famous Original “Rib’Licious” BBQ Sauce, it presumably has that uncanny ability to make anything and everything taste not just edible but delicious. You could grab the Rat off of Obituary guitarist Trevor Peres’ pedalboard, slather it in “Rib’Licious” then wedge in a brioche bun and it’d taste like ambrosia.

Is it strange for guitar players to have their own BBQ sauces? Well, not when they hail from the Sunshine State. They know a thing or two about grilling down in Tampa, Florida. But there sure are plenty of pickers who have put their name to condiments – Johnny Winter, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Zakk Wylde, Dexter Holland, and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein have all got their own signature sauces. Speaking of…

5. Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – Vegan Monster Protein

Mention Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and mealtime and it’s not necessarily hot sauce that springs to mind. Doyle might look like he would eat your first-born with fries and peas but IRL he is a vegan, and has developed a high-protein formula that will help you add to your abs, tighten your buns and rack up those gains.

Vegan Monster Protein, which was also [unconfirmed] his nickname in the Misfits, is easily prepared. Simply mix with eight to 16 ounces of water – or some non-dairy milk – and you are good to go. You can also use it as a meal replacement shake.

Pro tip (well, more of a suggestion): why not mix it with tomato juice then spike it with Doyle’s Cajun-style hot sauce, whose basil might add a little je ne sais quoi and make the Vegan Monster Protein a Vegan Monster Hangover cure?

6. Mustaine vs Hammett: Dave Mustaine x Net Worth Coffee Brokers vs Muddy Waters Kirk Hammett Greeny Blues Blend

Having resisted the clean tone joke with regards John Mayer and his detergent, it behooves us not to mention the word bitterness or anything leaving a bad taste in the mouth here when talking about Dave Mustaine, Kirk Hammett and a humble cup of good morning America. 

MegaDave had every right to be proud of this roast, working with his wife Pam on this signature blend. Sadly, it is no longer available, but for all your coffee needs and here to save breakfast we have Kirk Hammett. 

His partnership with Muddy Waters Coffee Company on the Greeny Blues Blend is inspired by his Greeny ’59 Les Paul Standard and offers “a rich, full-bodied dark roast with notes of dark chocolate, earth and tropical fruit.” Like Mustaine, Hammett’s coffee collaboration sees money going to good causes, with portions from each sale of Greeny Blues Blend ($20 for 12 ounces) going to music industry non-profit Crew Nation.

7. John Petrucci x Captain Fawcett Nebula beard oil

There are some telltale signs that Dream Theater’s John Petrucci has officially got his shit together. Number one: listen to his discography, a body of work in which compositional audacity is met in kind with executional exactitude. No slop. This is a disciplined man.

We also know he loves barbecue, holding court at the grill. So why couldn’t JP have joined the legions of guitar players and brought a barbecue sauce to market? 

Well, no, because with a beard as lustrous, vigorous and luxuriant as his, the last thing you want is to soil it with a cayenne-rich condiment. Instead, looking for a new vertical, Petrucci went all in on beard care, bottling up some magic whisker elixir in the shape of his signature blend of beard oil.

It’s a serum known only to Petrucci and the good Captain Fawcett, and it might just give your facial shrubbery the gloss of the immortal. “Exhilarating top notes of bergamot & aromatic myrtle riff with a bittersweet tang of grapefruit, rising to an intense heart of earthy, violet orris, dark coffee & tenacious woody cedar. A pulse of seductive musk trails a smoky backbeat laced with vetiver & luxurious leather…” 

No, not the title of the new Dream Theater album, but how your beard will smell when gussied up with Petrucci’s Nebula.

8. Billy Gibbons’ signature sandwich – the Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy from Antone’s, Texas

The man with the most famous whiskers in rock ’n’ roll history is not afraid to upend beard best practice and take a walk on the wild side when lunchtime comes around.

Here he has a Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy from Texan sandwich institution Antone’s that is a guaranteed three-napkin meal. It contains, of course, some Billy Gibbons signature Whisker Bomb sauce, which is applied to a filling of buttermilk fried-green tomatoes, harissa, chipotle mayo, goat’s cheese and arugula, and served up on warm fresh French bread from Royal Bakery.

The Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy is part of a charity initiative with proceeds going to the Clifford Antone Foundation, a non-profit “dedicated to preserving music culture”. But with all those condiments, it’s going to be right up there with cereal milk as the number one threat to beard-wearers across Texas.

9. Brian May x Seiko – Red Special watch

Timekeeping is an essential skill for the guitar player, and we have all manner of gadgets to help us, from the bleep-bleep of the internet metronome, wrist-bands with haptics, to these strange people commonly referred to as drummers. But what about when you’re not playing? How do you stay punctual? 

For Dr Brian Harold May, that’s easy: he has a signature Seiko watch, his second collaboration with the Japanese watchmakers.

It celebrates May’s recent reissues and has a design inspired by his Red Special guitar, with a face that looks like pressed wood, and a deep red finish that contrasts nicely with the gold-and-black of the bezel and strap. That striped detail on the strap is meant to look like guitar strings, which as six-string references go is a deep cut, alluding perhaps to May’s signature Optima Gold electric guitar strings. 

10. Tony Iommi Monkey Special Xerjoff

By a nose, the most unlikely commercial collaboration of any guitarist, we have Tony Iommi, godfather of heavy metal and perfumer at large, working with Italian perfume house Xerjoff on a signature scent.

When we first heard the news it was smelling salts we needed, not a unisex perfume with strong opening notes of bergamot from Reggio Calabria, rum, Bulgarian Geranium and passionfruit.

But lo, the plot thickened, with Iommi sharing the story of how he was weaned on evergreen festive fragrances Old Spice and Brut, before becoming a collector as he toured the world. So heady was the whiff of the perfume counter that Iommi released his first music in eight years, Scent of the Dark.

Perhaps it is time we upped our olfactory game and upgraded to a bottle of Monkey Special, named for his iconic Gibson SG Special, and leave the Old Spice to the shark fishermen.

11. Deftones x Golden Barn – The Passenger Box signature cannabis

So, you’ve polished off that bag of Mustaine’s coffee at the back of the cupboard, chasing it down with a pint of Hammett’s, and now you’re so wired with the caffeine that you find yourself arguing on the internet about Metallica, James Hetfield’s dog and the hinge in heavy metal history that took place right before the release of Kill ‘Em All.

That means it’s time to step away from the screen find your chill, and Deftones’ Stef Carpenter might just have the thing for you – a signature weed line developed in partnership with Golden Barn. Now, this is definitely a 21st century collab, and it looks to be available in California only, at least for now. For readers of a certain vintage, not to mention certain states, news of this is mind-blowing enough without actually sampling it.

Technically, this is a band collaboration, and shouldn’t count, but we strongly suspect Carpenter was operating as project manager for this one. “You can smell it immediately when you open it up,” he says. “It tastes just as it smells. It gets the job done.” A conversation one would never hope to have with a spaniel at the airport.

The ranks of guitarists with signature Neural DSP Archetype plugins is growing, and already includes Gojira's Joe Duplantier, Polyphia's Tim Henson, Cory Wong, Plini and Tosin Abasi. And now, Dream Theater shred wizard John Petrucci has added his name to that expanding list.

Condensing the guitarist's gear into an all-in-one software suite, Archetype: Petrucci is loaded with four amps – Piezo, Clean, Rhythm and Lead – that together aim to deliver “every nuance of John’s tone”, as well as overdrive, phaser, chorus and flanger effects pedal models and two pre effects: a wah and compressor.

There's also a comprehensive cab sim module loaded with IRs made by Dream Theater sound engineer James “Jimmy T” Meslin. It features six easily adjustable virtual microphones, and can be used to load your own impulse responses, too.

And if you're enough of a John Petrucci fan to purchase the guitarist's new signature Archetype plugin, you're probably partial to the occasional odd time signature. You'll be pleased to hear, then, that the Archetype: Petrucci packs a fully adjustable metronome in the standalone software, with options for setting time signature, pan and more.

Other features include chorus, delay and reverb post-signal rack effects, a four-band semi-parametric EQ, plus the ability to shift your entire guitar pitch via a Transpose feature, while a Doubler effect widens your stereo field.

“Often when it comes to the most significant matters, the more you feel like saying, the less necessary it seems to say anything at all,” Neural DSP says. “Greatness is self-evident. This could not be more true for John Petrucci. 

“Being at the forefront of progressive and guitar music for decades, he has redefined what is expected of a modern guitarist. His borderline supernatural skill and impeccable taste for writing some of the world’s most sublime music has inspired several generations of musicians to push the boundaries of what we thought possible.

“Distilling what has been a remarkable career into the perfect software tool for someone as demanding as John was one of the most formidable challenges we have ever faced as a team.”

Archetype: Petrucci is available now for €149 (approx. $170). For more information, head to Neural DSP.

If there’s a reason progressive rock guitar playing has any sort of cache or, to be honest, continued life in 2021, it’s arguably due to the existence of John Petrucci.

Sure, guitarists always have (and likely always will) love to shred. And there’s certainly no lack of wild, over-the-top six- (and seven-, and eight-) string gymnastics happening every day on records, stages, and in 30-second clips on Instagram and YouTube.

But when it comes to true progressive rock, with all of the elements fans love about it and critics often deride it for – epic song structures; knotty, extremely technical arrangements; odd time signatures; wild tempo shifts; grandiose ideas; and, of course, ridiculously agile and accomplished playing – there’s not a single band that has flown that flag as gloriously, unabashedly or successfully as Dream Theater has for the past 30-odd years.

Likewise, during that time Petrucci has emerged as a true guitar hero. Whether with Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment or in his own solo work, he continues to inspire fans and generations of players alike with not his only insane chops and creativity, but also his dedication to his instrument, as well as his commitment to exploring the outermost limits of guitar technique and, in his collaborations with Ernie Ball, guitar design.

With that in mind, and in celebration of the release of Dream Theater’s new and 15th album, A View From the Top of the World, Guitar World looks at some of the greatest musical moments from Petrucci’s unmatched career.

Under a Glass Moon (1992)

Dream Theater’s second album, Images and Words, was also their mainstream breakthrough, featuring their one and, to this day, only “hit” single, “Pull Me Under.” But while that track is the one that most casual Dream Theater fans remember, “Under the Glass Moon” has long been a true fan favorite, primarily for Petrucci’s mid-song solo, which many rank as among his best. From the screaming doublestop that announces its entrance, to the inventive harmonics work, wild whammy squiggles and squeals and all-out-shredding, it’s a breathless ride from start to finish.

And then there’s the truly awesome high-to-low note sweeps, which Petrucci once explained to Guitar World: “I focus on two elements to make those sound good. First, I really separate the notes with my fretting hand so they don’t ring out like a chord. Second, I drag the pick from one string to the next using the hand’s momentum. That way I’m not actually picking the individual strings but rather pulling the pick up against the string.” Sounds simple enough, no?

The Dance of Eternity (1999)

Given Dream Theater’s commitment to making some of the most progressive music of the past 30-plus years, it’s hard to believe that Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, their fifth album overall, was actually their first concept record. And yet, that’s also what makes it one of their most beloved, with the band fully indulging their proggiest of tendencies. And nowhere is that more evident than on the album's sole instrument, “The Dance of Eternity.” 

More an ensemble piece than a platform for soloing, the six-minute tune is said to feature more than 100 (!) time signature changes, and runs the gamut from metal to prog to fusion to bizarro-world ragtime to almost cartoonish passages. It’s fierce, furious, technically insane, mentally exhausting and at times whimsical in a way that Dream Theater isn't known for. An expertly composed and performed piece that demonstrates Petrucci’s adeptness at being a consummate teammate and supporting player.

The Glass Prison (2002)

The opening track on 2002’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, “The Glass Prison” starts on a lighter note… but it doesn’t stay there for long. Over the course of most of its 13-plus minutes it’s a grinding, galloping beast fueled by Portnoy’s intense double-bass drumming and Petrucci’s wah-drenched rhythm guitar. Portnoy once described the track, also the first song in the band’s “Twelve-step Suite,” as “this total Pantera-meets-Megadeth, relentless ball of energy.” Which certainly tracks. Although it’s up to the listener to determine if either of those bands ever committed to tape a solo as utterly ferocious as the one Petrucci lays down here.

Constant Motion (2007)

2007’s Systematic Chaos was one of Dream Theater’s heaviest offerings, a fact borne out by the album’s leadoff single, “Constant Motion,” which is propelled forward by a positively nasty Petrucci syncopated groove-metal riff and accented by growled vocals from LaBrie. 

But if the verses and chorus resemble nothing so much as Metallica, the middle section is pure Dream Theater. Where the earlier guitar parts were crushing and claustrophobic, Petrucci’s solo is stately and fluid. He wraps up the proceedings with some nimble note flutters and heavens-ascending whammy work that mimic a flock of birds taking flight. And then the throttling recommences…

The Count of Tuscany (2009)

One of Dream Theater’s longest songs to date – and that’s saying something with this band – “The Count of Tuscany” runs for more than 19 minutes and plays like an entire musical in and of itself. The first section, which spans roughly three-and-a-half minutes, comes on like the opening theme to the coolest prog-rock Broadway show you’ve never seen. Then things get heavy and wild… until they don’t. More than 10 minutes in, Petrucci embarks on a long, impressionistic solo section where his guitar takes on wraithlike violin tones over atmospheric keyboard pads. From there, he ventures into an uncharacteristically pastoral section anchored by his acoustic guitar strumming, before ending the song with a climactic and positively majestic solo section. 

“That chord progression at the end of ‘The Count of Tuscany’ indicates a big-time Rush influence,” he told Guitar World. “They have always had the ability to write majestic-sounding music – very royal and uplifting. That chord progression evokes a moving and positive end to the story.”

Breaking All Illusions (2011)

Following an opening harmony guitar salvo that comes off as a brighter-toned take on Iron Maiden’s twin-axe approach, “Breaking All Illusions” settles into something resembling a standard Dream Theater song – if such a thing even exists – with plenty of twisting, turning high-energy passages dominated by Petrucci’s guitar and Rudess’ keys. But roughly seven minutes in, Petrucci pulls off something entirely different for his style – an out-and-out blues-rock solo. Both subtle and shredding, Petrucci’s lines and phrases are positively spellbinding, characterized by some of his most vocal-like playing.

“It starts out kind of bluesy, then it’s kind of jazzy, and it builds and builds,” Petrucci told MusicRadar about the solo. “I got a chance to use so many aspects of guitar playing: phrasing and melodic elements, blues, jazz, shred. It was very satisfying to record.” How’s that for a dramatic turn of events?

Pale Blue Dot (2019)

Petrucci himself once characterized “Pale Blue Dot” as having some “wacky, super-fast things,” going on in it, and, well, we’d agree. One of the standout tracks from 2019’s Distance over Time, “Pale Blue Dot” closes the album with an extended solo section of pure instrumental freakout, with Petrucci’s guitar ping-ponging around the arrangement, bouncing off of and reacting to all the changing tempos and rhythms. At times it sounds Zappa-esque, at others like the soundtrack to a Looney Tunes episode. All you can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.

Terminal Velocity (solo, 2020)

It had been 15 years since a Petrucci solo effort when Terminal Velocity was unleashed on the world. And the guitarist didn’t disappoint. In addition to reuniting with ex-Dream Theater drummer Portnoy for the effort, he kicked things off in grand fashion with the incendiary title track, which opens with an absolutely soaring, major-key guitar figure that comes off like a futuristic Yes, before breaking into a full-on pop-rock shred extravaganza. 

Petrucci recalled to Guitar World that the excessively hooky and melodic track was the first he wrote for the record: “It was one of those seeds that I had in my files that jumped out at me as soon as I went back and heard it. I started playing the main lick and it developed right away into something cool. It’s done backwards with filtering so it gives you this really textured sound. 

He continued, “That riff just sounded like an album opener to me, and it remained the album opener because there was something about it that caught my attention right away.“

The Passage of Time (Liquid Tension Experiment, 2021)

For those who desire to hear Petrucci in pure, full-on prog instrumental mode (and really, who doesn’t?), Liquid Tension Experiment is always a solid bet. Which made it all the more of an event when the Petrucci-Mike Portnoy-Tony Levin-Jordan Rudess supergroup announced its first album in more than 20 years, LTE3. And even with the, um, passage of time, the leadoff single “The Passage of Time” delivered on everything you want and expect from Petrucci, with rollercoaster riffing and smooth-as -glass soloing. 

Recalled Petrucci about the track, “This was the first song we worked on and when it was done, we all knew once again how amazing it was to be working together. We knew we were on to something and that this was going to be a really amazing album.” Liquid, indeed.

Awaken the Master (2021)

“Awaken the Master” is one of the heaviest tracks on Dream Theater’s newest album, A View From the Top of the World, and that’s hardly a surprise, given it also marks the very first instance of Petrucci using his newly-developed eight-string Ernie Ball Majesty signature guitar. 

To be sure, he puts the Majesty to expert use, unleashing grinding, guttural riffs and growls out of the eight-stringer, and traversing the instrument’s entire range, from ultra-low-register rhythms to soaring guitar solos.

Explaining his approach on the song, Petrucci told Guitar World: “That extra string broadened the range of the instrument. Think of it as a keyboard player having more keys so he can go lower – that’s what it’s like with this guitar. Things like scales and arpeggios translate beautifully because their shapes stay the same; I don’t use any sort of weird tuning. 

“With chords, you have to adjust and figure out how that added range is going to extend, but that came pretty quickly. There was a bit of learning how to work the sound a bit, but it’s been so much fun.”   

It’s an impressive and innovative display, and one that shows Petrucci, more than 30 years in, still exploring and pushing the limits of his seemingly boundless style.

A few guitars would spring to mind if you were asked to guess the highest-selling signature guitar. Of course, the number one spot would unquestionably go to the Gibson Les Paul – it was, after all, a Les Paul signature model to start off with – but what would be number two?

Brian May’s Red Special? Steve Vai’s Ibanez JEM? One of Slash’s own Les Paul models? How about Eddie Van Halen’s EVH Wolfgang USA?

Well, if you guessed any of the above, you’d be wrong, because the answer is, in fact, John Petrucci’s Ernie Ball Majesty electric guitar.

Petrucci himself revealed the surprising stat while in conversation with Phillip McKnight, who quizzed the Dream Theater guitar icon about his “risky” Majesty model, which, at the time of its initial release, explored new design concepts and challenged the norms of guitar building.

“It turned out to be such a wonderful instrument,” commented Petrucci, before announcing, “Now we’re in a position where these signature guitars are the highest selling signature guitars only behind the Les Paul, which is mind-blowing to me.”

Tracing the model’s rise from a mere concept to one of the most successful signature six-strings of all time, Trooch discussed his penchant for designing and problem-solving, with the Majesty representing his vision of a truly formidable instrument.

“I discovered fairly early on in my career that I was really into gear development," he said. "I had all these opinions about how stuff should be. I always have these ergonomic things in my mind.

“When I connected with Ernie Ball Music Man 20 years ago, I discovered I was working with people who were totally into exploring and solving all those issues that the artist would present.

“They were up for the challenge. When it came to developing the Majesty after we had already done a signature instrument, a lot of the design details were worked out already and carried over to the majesty.

“What I was aiming to do was not really reinvent the stuff we had already worked really hard on, but to now take the guitar to the next level by doing our first neck-through version.

“But I didn’t just want to do a neck-through version of what we already did. I had this whole idea of making a guitar that was just like driving a race car – everything about it was just so easy to play.

“It was light, the curves and contours just got out of your way, the neck was incredibly easy to play and it had this great action. We set out to do all those things.”

The revelation regarding the Majesty’s selling power echoes comments made by Ernie Ball president Brian Ball, who concurred to Forbes that Petrucci’s guitar is “the number two selling guitar on the planet – and that’s only behind Les Paul, which is still considered a signature guitar”.

Earlier this year, the latest addition to Petrucci’s family of signatures – the eight-string Majesty – was released, and has since made its debut in Dream Theater’s new track, Awaken the Master.

To check out John Petrucci’s many Majesty models, head over to Ernie Ball Music Man.

For John Petrucci the question isn’t so much, “What did you do during the pandemic?” Rather, it’s “What didn’t you do?” Ever since global lockdowns kept musicians of every stripe off the road for much of 2020 and well into this year, the Dream Theater guitarist has been busier and more prolific than ever.

He wrote, recorded and released his second solo album, Terminal Velocity; soon after, he got together with his Liquid Tension Experiment supergroup members (bassist Tony Levin, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess and former DT drummer Mike Portnoy) to bang out Liquid Tension Experiment 3, their first record in 22 years. 

The guitarist also partnered with Iron Smoke Distillery to introduce his first signature bourbon whiskey (Rock the Barrel), and he even came out with his own brand of grooming products. Yes, you read that right: Petrucci’s Nebula line, developed in collaboration with Captain Fawcett, includes beard balm, beard oil and mustache wax.

Between work, whiskey and hair care, has he had time for anything else? “Oh, sure,” he says. “Like everybody else, we’ve been watching a bunch of Netflix. There’s so many good shows nowadays, although we did recently rewatch The Sopranos. That was a lot of fun.” He admits the past year and a half hasn’t been without its challenges.

In fact, Dream Theater were deep into a world tour that was slated to stretch to the end of 2020 when they were forced to cancel the remainder of their dates. 

“For us, the economics of staying off the road were no small thing,” Petrucci says. “Our livelihoods come from touring. We established that years ago, because we’re not the kind of band that relies on massive record sales and radio hits. While we’re fortunate to have that loyal fan base that comes to our shows, to see that suddenly shut down was pretty tough.”

Not only did the band (which also includes Rudess, singer James LaBrie, bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Mangini) have to worry about their own hides, but they also had to consider how to keep their touring crew intact. “It wasn’t like other years where they could jump on another tour to stay afloat,” Petrucci says. “There were no tours out there at all. The entire business was shut down.”

In an effort to support their crew, the band recorded a medley of Christmas classics called The Holiday Spirit Lives On and released the track on Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to their touring personnel. “Thankfully, everybody was able to get some money from that,” he says. “And what’s great is that we were able to hold on to everybody who works for us. They’re all coming back when we go out and tour again.” 

Oh, yes, Petrucci did manage to squeeze another project into his bursting schedule – a new Dream Theater album titled A View from the Top of the World. It’s the band’s 15th full-length studio record and the first disc they recorded at their brand-new, Long-Island-based facility (combination recording studio, rehearsal space, equipment storage and creative hangout) called Dream Theater HQ. 

On previous albums, Petrucci, who also operates as the band’s producer, would usually bring in fleshed-out demos created either by himself or in partnership with Rudess. And even if he didn’t have full demos, he would invariably have something up his sleeve – even stray riff ideas he’d recorded into his phone. This time, however, he went into the studio totally cold. 

“It was a little frightening for me at first,” he says. “Because I had written so much music, what with my solo record and Liquid Tension, I thought, ‘I hope I don’t run out of ideas.’ Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Everybody was so charged up and happy to be in the studio for the first time in a while. The ideas started flying around right away, and we were off to the races.”

Because of COVID protocols, recording the album was a far different undertaking from past go-arounds. The band members wore masks in the studio for a time, and the group’s studio manager, Maddi Schieferstein (who also doubles as Petrucci’s guitar tech) had Plexiglas partitions and an air-filtration system installed. 

“We were very safe,” Petrucci says. “Nobody was traveling, and we had our hand sanitizers. After a while, we all got tested and the masks came off. Everybody was fine, and nobody got sick.”

As he resides in Canada, singer LaBrie, however, was unable to travel to the States at the time, so he joined his bandmates in the studio, for both writing and tracking sessions, from his own home studio via Zoom. 

“We had a big TV monitor in our live room, so James was basically right with us, listening and commenting, the whole time,” Petrucci says. He points out that the first new song the band wrote together, The Alien, a nine-minute crusher that features one daredevil riff after another, was partly inspired by the peculiar circumstances they found themselves in. 

“Everything felt a bit odd at first, how we were coming together after being apart for so long. I think that song really speaks to our collective frame of mind: ‘Here we are. Everything feels new again. OK, let’s make some music!’” 

Indeed, there’s a palpable sense of discovery throughout A View from the Top of the World. Nothing feels overcalculated – there are no extended storylines; each song is its own free-floating vehicle – and the music comes at you in spontaneous, exuberant bursts. 

On the lowdown grinder Awaken the Master, Petrucci, playing an eight-string guitar for the first time, sounds as if he’s having a wickedly good time coaxing monstrous rasps and roars from the instrument during the song’s hair-raising solo section. And on the similarly angsty Invisible Monster, he changes the mood abruptly – almost at random – peeling off deliciously smooth and supple leads that lend a lighthearted, freewheeling contrast to the song’s ominous air.

Transcending Time, a hook-filled tip of the hat to '80s-era Rush, offers the guitarist another opportunity to go far and wide, and he takes off rapturously, filling the air with spiraling double-tracked lines that glisten with radiant beauty. 

What can one say about the extravagant, 20-minute album-closing title track? Summersault riffs, gargantuan rhythms, odd-time volleys, guitar-and-keyboard unison frenzy, a few more riffs, and more Petrucci standout solos than any song has a true right to bear – it’s instrumental grandeur in Cinemascope view. Call it the Lawrence of Arabia of Dream Theater pieces.  

“I think this record really encapsulates what Dream Theater is about,” Petrucci says. “To me, it reaches back to our roots in a lot of ways, but it also incorporates some of the new stuff we’ve learned and developed in our career. I think you can really hear how high our energy level was at all times. 

“This is a band that really values being able to play our instruments, but we also just love being together. Like everybody else, we had that taken away from us for a while, so to get that back and be able to do what we do, we treated it like a celebration. I think that really comes across on the record.”  

Normally, you would have toured quite a bit during the past year and a half. By being home so much, are you a better player? I have to imagine you’ve had more time to practice. 

“A lot more time, sure. In some ways I’m a better player. Being at home and practicing has certainly improved my chops and skills – no question about it. Along with that, there’s recording and being in the studio, which requires a high level of concentrated playing for hours a day. I’ve been doing that since March 2020, so it’s really kept me on my game. 

“Here’s the interesting part. Even with all the home and studio practicing I’ve been doing, there’s nothing that brings you to a high level like playing in front of people. At the camp I did recently, I played a concert at the end, and it was amazing how different it felt – the energy level. You can practice all you want at home, but performing before an audience is a whole different ball game. It’s as if you use different muscles.” 

How is the finished album different from what you initially envisioned? Even though you went into the writing cold, did you have any preconceptions about what it would be? 

“I did have some preconceptions going in. I wanted to do things more stripped down as far as the production. I always double track guitars, and I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll single track guitars and really make it sound like we’re playing live.’ And… that sort of went out the window. [Laughs] 

"Once we got together and started writing, I went back to doing things as I normally do, double tracking guitars and really producing the music. That’s just the way I am.”

I heard an interview with former Major League Baseball pitcher CC Sabathia, and he said something interesting. He said it was too big for him to think about winning the World Series, so he approached each game just trying to win inning by inning. Is making a record the same kind of thing? You just try to make each moment count? 

“That is interesting. What you’re talking about and what he said reminds me more of developing skill and craft on the guitar. I hear from people all the time who get overwhelmed about guitar playing; they have skill, but they just don’t know how to tackle everything all at once. Which, of course, you can’t do. Once you break everything down into small pieces and you realize everything comes from each piece, you gain knowledge easier and can expand on it. 

“I can relate to what CC was saying. When we’re making a record, I do like to have a bigger picture in mind because it kind of helps get the whole band on the same page, as opposed to just sort of going on with no direction. But having said that, when we’re writing and recording, I want to make sure each section is meaningful. Make each moment count. 

“Those moments become songs, and songs become an album. I try to remember that stuff, but it’s so easy to get caught in the weeds, especially for me because I’m producing. I have to change hats all the time: ‘Are we achieving our goal? How do we need to adjust? Is this coming out the way we envisioned it sounding?’ It comes with the territory, I guess.”  

You’ve been producing for a while. Do you look back at when you started and go, ‘Man, I really didn’t know anything about record making back then’?  

“In some ways, sure. I started producing with [1999’s] Scenes from a Memory. Mike Portnoy and I did that as a partnership, which we continued until he left the band. At that point, I started producing our records myself. I admit I had a lot to learn. There was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. Between all the records we’ve done since then, I’ve grown a lot. You can’t help but learn. You learn from your mistakes and what you should have done differently.”  

What’s an example of a mistake you used to make?  

“I would say I didn’t always listen to people when they would bring up certain ideas or concerns. When you’re producing, you’re steering the ship, but you have to be careful not to be close-minded. If somebody brings up something, you can’t just shut them down. James might say, ‘The mix sounds good, but the drums are a little too processed.’ And I might be like, ‘No, they don’t. They sound great.’ 

“You almost get defensive because you’ve put so much work into it. Or Mike might say, ‘You know this is really good, but I feel like there’s too many ballads.’ My gut response might be to disagree, but I can’t be dismissive. I have to listen to those comments because they’re not in it as deep as I am.  

“And, of course, they might be right. They might be right. So I’ve learned to really listen to the guys and have an open mind. A good example on the new record is when Mike said, ‘There’s a lot of energy on the record, but we didn’t do a ballad. I feel like we need a mid-tempo kind of song.’ 

“Instead of saying, ‘I don’t think so,’ I said, ‘Let’s try it.’ We ended up writing Invisible Monster, and it’s one of the coolest songs on the record. It’s important to maybe have the last word and steer the ship, but it’s also important to really listen to people, because they might be right and you might learn something.” 

I have another sports-analogy question. You’re into weight lifting, and you also play the guitar a bit.  

“[Laughs] Yeah, a little bit.”  

Is there any correlation between the two? For your level of playing, you need stamina and dedication. The same is true for weight lifting. 

“Absolutely. I’ve always felt as though there was a connection between them. Of the two things that stand out, one of them is consistency. People who become proficient on their instruments or get in really great shape are doing so because they practice or work out on a regular basis. Whether it’s every day or four or five days a week, you can’t get there by being a weekend warrior. It doesn’t work that way. You need to be consistent to achieve gains and see results. 

“The second thing is form. You see it with guitar players who have really great technique – or bodybuilders who are in fantastic physical shape. If you’re lifting weights, you can’t just throw stuff around willy-nilly; you need to work out with structure and discipline. You need a plan. With guitarists, you need to focus on specifics – how your fingers are moving, picking angle, conserving motion. It sounds all nerdy, but it works. Guitar playing and weight lifting are very related in my book.”  

Let’s get into some of the new songs. The Alien is fast paced and has a lot of super-charged riffs, but also there are some beautiful moments of David Gilmour-esque lead lines. You like that contrast, don’t you? 

“Sure. I love mixing the two approaches. You know, the guitar is such a beautiful and expressive instrument. It allows you to be the melody cat in so many ways. When you solo, you’re the vocalist in the band for those moments. In that way, I’ve always been influenced by guys like David Gilmour, Neal Schon and Gary Moore. They’re phenomenal at that kind of thing.  You hear it on the album. 

“If a song is really energetic and has a lot of riffs, I put in the contrast of a beautiful melodic section. That side comes out in The Alien and Awaken the Master. That juxtaposition has always been very important to me. 

“I’ll give you my own analogy: If we were in a speedboat going full bore for a while, sometimes it’s nice to slow down and just admire the water. We would look at the scenery, the mountains; we’d just take a moment to breathe. That’s what those melody sections do. I love how the guitar allows you to experience those contrasts.”  

Sleeping Giant has an extended solo section in which you and Jordan really go at it. You shift moods and sounds, and there’s even a part where he plays a wild honky-tonk piano solo. How do you guys work that out? Do you reject as many ideas as you keep?  

“A lot of it is improvisation. I think what we do is allow each other to shine. We love trading solos and playing unison lines, and we have fun trying new things sonically. The great thing about our style of music is, we have the freedom to do that to the fullest extent. We’re not confined by song length or stylistic preconceptions. We shred and solo and improvise. 

“We can kind of do whatever we want. It’s very stream-of-consciousness, but it’s also very mapped out. A lot of times, it’s like, ‘You take the first solo. Then I’ll come in, and then you’ll come back. Then at the end, we’ll do a unison thing.’ It’s great. Everybody gets involved and has a chance to shine. We do that with all the instruments: ‘Mike, this is your part. You go for it. This is going to be a great drum moment.’ It’s really just having fun with the music.”

You mentioned Awaken the Master before. You’re using an eight-string guitar for the first time on that one.  

“I’m really excited about this. Throughout my 20 years with Ernie Ball Music Man, we’ve done six- and seven-string models, but never an eight-string. I’ve never even played an eight-string before, but I wanted to develop one and actually get into the studio and write a song on it. The timing never worked out till earlier this year. I got a prototype and started playing it, and right away I wrote Awaken the Master with the band. 

“Just like it was with a seven-string, playing the eight-string felt like a cool new breakthrough. That extra string broadened the range of the instrument. Think of it as a keyboard player having more keys so he can go lower – that’s what it’s like with this guitar. Things like scales and arpeggios translate beautifully because their shapes stay the same; I don’t use any sort of weird tuning. 

“With chords, you have to adjust and figure out how that added range is going to extend, but that came pretty quickly. There was a bit of learning how to work the sound a bit, but it’s been so much fun.”   

So now we come to the title track – over 20 minutes of music. 

“[Laughs] We did that on purpose. We had to scratch the itch of creating an epic, because on Distance Over Time the song lengths were a bit shorter than what we normally do. This time, we went in and said, ‘We’re going to write this song, and we don’t care how long it’ll be; in fact, it’ll probably be at least 20 minutes.’ 

“It’s a great feeling writing an intro and knowing it doesn’t have to be over in 15 seconds. It can be three minutes, five minutes – it’s part of a bigger picture. From there, you start to see the song take shape before your eyes. At a certain point, you know how it’ll end, but you have to figure out how to get there. As you see your way to the end, you get into recurring themes and melodies. Because there are no ballads on the album, we brought things down a bit in the middle. 

“It’s a big, epic story, and you can’t just be full bore for 20 minutes. There has to be some ebb and flow. I love that middle section, with the cello solo and how we bring things down to almost a very Floyd-like way.  

“The other part is making sure there are enough vocal sections in which you can tell a story, but before that you need to have a big enough concept where lyrically that story will be appropriate for such a long song. After you have that down, you finally say, ‘There’s going to be a lot of moments where we can really go for it.’ Whether that’s trading solos or crazy instrumental parts, it’s no-holds-barred.”    

It’s one thing to record a 20-minute song – you can always track parts in sections. Playing it live is different. 

“People are always curious about that. Obviously, we rehearse a lot. There’s nothing like going over something again and again to help you get the stuff dug in. But you also need to know the roadmap of the song and where a section is leading; that gives me the signal for the next part that’s coming up. 

“Sometimes it happens rhythmically. There might be a drum fill or a rhythmic figure that sparks my memory. But there’s no substitute for playing a song over and over before a tour. It’s repetition. If I were driving from New York to Boston right now, I wouldn’t need a map because I’ve made that drive a bunch of times. I know how to get there. I don’t need to know every little detail along the way; I know the general roadmap.”  

Guitar-wise, did you record the whole album with your Majesty models?  

“Yep. The Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty. I used the Purple Nebula, which is just a beautiful-sounding guitar. For the seven-string stuff, I used my Ember Glow Majesty 7, and on Awaken the Master I was playing the prototype of the eight-string. I might have done some layering on Sleeping Giant with the eight-string. The acoustic stuff was done on a Taylor Builder’s Edition.” 

I imagine you didn’t stray from your signature Mesa/Boogie amps… 

“I’ve used my signature Mesa/Boogie JP-2Cs since they were made. That’s the amp. It sits there, we mic it up, I plug in, and there’s my sound. It’s great not having to search for different amps anymore. There’s a real comfort in always knowing you’re going to sound great. That amp never lets me down. 

“I do use a few pedals: a Darkglass compressor, some Boss Waza Craft pedals and, of course, I always use my signature Dunlop JP95 wah and my TC Electronic Dreamscape pedals. I have fun making cool sounds with them.”  

Do you have a favorite guitar moment on the record? 

“One of my favorite moments is in the intro to Sleeping Giant, when the first guitar comes in on the left side. That’s the sound I get when I plug the Majesty into my JP-2C. You hear me play the riff, and it’s really raw on one side. I love that. It’s like my quintessential sound. I hear that and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s the shit!’”

• A View from the Top of the World is out now via Inside Out Music.

Dream Theater have unveiled the music video for Awaken the Master, the third single from their newly released 15th studio album, A View From the Top of the World.

The track – which follows previously release singles The Alien and Invisible Monster – is as progressive as they come, clocking in at an impressive, but not-at-all-surprising nine minutes and 47 seconds, and incorporating enveloping piano lines from Jordan Rudess, time signature-skipping beats from Mike Mangini and winding, storytelling vocals from James LaBrie.

But perhaps most importantly to guitar-loving fans of the legendary prog outfit, the track marks the first instance of John Petrucci playing his new signature Ernie Ball 8-string Majesty on record.

Petrucci once again establishes himself as a master of the fretboard, traversing ultra-low-register riffs to soaring guitar solos. Sadly, his fretboard antics aren't on display in the track's accompanying music video, though there are plenty of eye-catching animations to marvel at. Check it out below.

“[Awaken the Master is] the last song we wrote, [and is] also the first time I've used my 8-string guitar, which was fun for me,” Petrucci explains, adding: “It's one of the heavier songs on the record due to the range of the instrument.”

Regarding his journey to developing his 8-string model, he continues: “Back in the day when we were writing [1994 album] Awake, I'd always wanted to play a 7-string. So I ordered myself one. I wanted to be inspired again by the instrument without any pre-conception. I used it, and I wrote in my style on the 8-string. It was actually a prototype!”

Petrucci's signature Ernie Ball 8-string Majesty launched last month. Limited to only 100 units worldwide, the guitar boasts a plethora of high-end appointments, including DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker pickups, an angled hardtail bridge and a fanned fret ebony fingerboard, to name a few.

“Think of it as a keyboard player having more keys so he can go lower – that’s what it’s like with this guitar,” Petrucci said upon its release. “Things like scales and arpeggios translate beautifully because their shapes stay the same; I don't use any sort of weird tuning. 

“With chords, you have to adjust and figure out how that added range is going to extend, but that came pretty quickly. There was a bit of learning how to work the sound a bit, but it’s been so much fun.”

We're convinced John Petrucci's been building those guns all these years just so he can safely wield such a guitar – as he says in the December 2021 issue of Guitar World, there is a “connection” between guitar playing and weight lifting, since consistency and form are two principles integral to both disciplines. 

“If you're lifting weights, you can't just throw stuff around willy-nilly; you need to work out with structure and discipline. You need a plan,” he explains.

“With guitarists, you need to focus on specifics – how your fingers are moving, picking angle, conserving motion. It all sounds nerdy, but it works. Guitar playing and weight lifting are very related in my book.”

Having spoken to Metallica's Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield about their memories of their totemic 1991 eponymous unit-shifter, aka The Black Album, it's time to check in with the pros, the peers who saw the Bay Area metal titans' evolution in real time, and those who were inspired by this new hi-definition, radio-friendly brand of stadium metal.

Here, have 16 guitar greats, from Jerry Cantrell to John Petrucci to Mark Tremonti to Diamond Rowe, each explaining the riffs, the tracks and the tones that made the album something special.

Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains)

“I guess it would be the riff to Sad But True, which is pretty fuckin’ sick. That whole record is like a perfect record, though. You’re lucky enough if you make one of those in your career, and they made about five, you know? This record was bigger than heavy metal. It put them into the stratosphere of the most successful bands in the world and broke the ceiling of how far a metal group could go. It’s admirable. 

“The artistic risk and sense of growth is what makes it a perfect record. Which is why I can’t say Sad But True is any more meaningful to me than Sandman or The Unforgiven or Nothing Else Matters or Wherever I May Roam. I could go on; every one of those songs is perfect. The Unforgiven is an amazing piece too; it’s like what would happen if Ennio Morricone wrote a metal tune. That’s what it is, fuckin’ badass! 

“But [back to] Sad But True. Hetfield’s right hand is something else. There’s nobody else that has that, he has the best picking hand in rock. The precision and power of his playing is otherworldly.”

Jen Majura (Evanescence)

“I was just teaching it to one of my seven-year-old guitar students. The 12/8 West Side Story intro melody is totally approachable for young guitar players, and after the first riff gets the vibe started, that second layer riff – that, at first, seems to go against it – completes it. 

“This combination leads into the dynamic snare fill, which turns into this amazing Metallica groove. You can hear Hetfield sing, 'Don’t tread on me' twice, before the stomping verse with a chromatic riff movement is upping the energy of the song. The major/minor harmony-game in the beginning of the chorus together with guitars and drums is one of the classic features on this album.” 

Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest)

“Very few will say it’s their favorite track, but this solo sticks out for me. A lot of it has to do with seeing their process of recording on [the 1992 documentary] A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. I watched it religiously, seeing how the songs were constructed. 

“One part was them recording the solo for The Struggle Within. Kirk was in there, coming up with the leads. It was interesting to see that process and understand how he was thinking – 'This is the song, this is the idea, I’m going to start with this, go through these changes and end up with something else!' You could see the sounds being created, the songs being created, the solos being created. 

“I remember watching Kirk, and he was struggling, like 'Shit, this isn’t working for me, what do I do' … Watching the studio process broken down like that was so inspiring. You could see their pursuit of making it thicker, heavier and more muscular.” 

Bill Kelliher (Mastodon)

“When I first heard The Black Album, I was... not disappointed, but because of the cleaner singing, I was like, “Whatever!' But later I went back to listen to it and was like, “Holy fuck!” That record is so good. I could name any song or any riff as a defining moment. 

“The Sad But True riff is perfect, for example. I learned it on guitar recently because it sounds so simple yet so big with the palm-muting. It’s a real chugga-chugga record; every song has lots of that going on. 

“Once I learned it, I couldn’t stop playing it. It’s such a satisfying riff. That’s why we’re guitar players, right? It’s fun playing other people’s music. It makes you feel good. I totally understand why cover bands have a lot of fun doing what they do.”

• Bill Kelliher reveals what he learned from touring with the biggest metal band in the world, and shares his thoughts on The Black Album, 30 years on

Justin Hawkins (The Darkness)

“My abiding memory of The Black Album is always Sad But True, and it’s the opening gambit of that song. We were filming the One Way Ticket video in Iceland and driving through a glacier at night with the Northern Lights in the sky. 

“That track was playing in a van full of the band and supporting crew. It was just so moving and so powerful, experiencing that record in that environment. I can’t imagine anything else would have had the same effect, really. It felt so immense. I think it still inspires us to this day, doesn’t it? When I say us, I mean humankind.”

John Petrucci (Dream Theater) 

“The riff that starts at about 22 seconds into Sad But True is a perfect example of one of the ultimate guitar sounds ever recorded. The percussive 'chunk' sound that occurs when palm-muting a power chord with all down-strokes is such a signature quality of the Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amp used on this album, the same amp responsible for the guitar sounds on Master of Puppets. 

“Once described by a dear friend of mine as the sound made when 'smashing a steel pipe against a brick wall,' that specific tonal quality can only come from that amp and was captured flawlessly on the recording and in the performance of this song. 

“The Black Album epitomizes the perfect balance between memorable, heavy riffs, incredible songwriting and stellar production. It showed that a metal band can write an album filled with crushing guitar tones and still achieve overwhelming commercial success. 

“It showed the world how Metallica would pioneer the next phase of guitar-driven metal and bring their signature sound to more people than ever before without compromising what we all loved about them.”

Vogg (Decapitated/Machine Head) 

“The intro to Enter Sandman is pure genius. That clean channel sounds like liquid glass, and then Kirk’s riff is like the Holy Grail. To start the album with that was mind-blowing for everyone listening for the first time. 

“Sad But True had this heaviness and groove, thanks to the tempo and lower tuning… I’m sure a lot of guitar players will tell you it’s their favorite riff on the album. It also has one of my favorite solos on the album – and the tones across the board were amazing. 

“Holier Than Thou feels like you’re driving at 300 mph on Formula One! There’s a moment after the solo where the bass goes together with the drums and then the guitars come in one by one with an amazing thrashy feel that only Metallica can deliver.” 

Diamond Rowe (Tetrarch) – The Unforgiven

“Kirk's solo on The Unforgiven is probably my favorite guitar moment on the album, followed by the main riff to Enter Sandman. I also have to mention the riffs in Sad But True. The rhythms and solos on the album taught guitar players like me how to write theoretically heavy riffs while still keeping them catchy. 

“You can sing back most of the solos and riffs – and that isn’t as easy as one may think it is to create. It’s a very important album because I believe it was the first time a band as heavy as Metallica brought hard music to the pop forefront. They crushed every stereotype that a metal band could be given and became a global music sensation while playing a genre that was typically only seen as underground. It really paved a way for bands to come – and it still does to this day.” 

Mark Holcomb (Periphery) – Sad But True

“All these years later, the main riffs and rhythm tones from Sad But True are still oppressively heavy. In the '90s, I was an old-school Metallica purist, so The Black Album was a departure for me in that a lot of the technicality and proggy elements from previous records were gone… so I didn’t come around right away. 

“In fact, I found myself a little disappointed at first as I loved the long arrangements, impossibly fast riffs and angular sections from …And Justice for All. The Black Album was not any of those things. But Sad But True, and that main riff in particular, illustrated something I still hold onto: [the fact that] mix, tone and production can make a riff hit a million times harder. 

“If your tone and mix are dialed in, using fewer notes actually adds more weight and impact to a riff. In contrast, you could play one of the crazy riffs from Master of Puppets or Blackened on a $30 distortion pedal plugged into a lo-fi baby monitor and it’d sound a little impressive. 

“But what The Black Album did for me was prove that when the drums sound enormous, the guitars are clear and the bass sits in the mix just right, restraint sounds even more menacing than complexity.” 

Nick Johnston

“It isn't one single moment; it’s the overall sound design and cumulative power. Everything from the thunderous tom sound Lars brought forth on Enter Sandman, the unexpected sensitivity and raw emotion of Nothing Else Matters, the mysterious and exotic lines of Wherever I May Roam and the prototypical riffs of Sad But True. 

“I remember being 14 and experiencing those early days of guitar magic, where the instrument seemed to pull me in closer with promises of identity and confidence. Kirk’s solos on The Unforgiven and Enter Sandman provided an escape from everyday life. I wouldn’t be the guitar player I am today without The Black Album.”

Satchel (Steel Panther)

“After the seond refrain in The Unforgiven, there’s a solo where Kirk switches from Mixolydian to harmonic minor and hits the raised seventh over the minor five chord. 

“Anyone who has studied music knows that even though this should create enough dissonance to make [Steel Panther singer] Michael Starr shit his diaper, the scooped mid frequency of the guitars makes it possible mathematically to raise the volume to well over 150 dBs in your car (assuming your stereo is like mine) and achieve the ability to wake most neighbors within a three-mile radius. 

“Listen… I don’t know what the best moment is on this album, and that’s the point. That’s what makes this record awesome. Do you think James’ grandma ever told him he had a beautiful voice? He didn’t give a fuck. He sang anyway. Do you think Kirk gave a fuck that he wasn’t as technically advanced as Steve Vai? No. This is what being in a band is – four guys who are more together than apart. 

“When I listen to The Black Album I hear songs that are simple, heavy and awesome. It’s still inspiring, just like Van Halen’s debut, just like Nevermind. And just like those records, it makes us mere mortals feel like we can achieve awesomeness with enough determination and practice. And maybe… Bob Rock.”

Jake Pitts (Black Veil Brides) 

“The opening riff of Sad But True is what does it for me. It’s more than just the riff – it’s the tone. Listen to how beefy and chunky the guitars sound. Being 13, I noticed right away that I loved this guitar tone, and the production of The Black Album as a whole, and I knew I had to figure out how to get these sounds. 

“That’s what started down my path into the production world from such a young age. Of course, I had to learn the long and hard way. I thought saving up my money and changing my bridge pickup to a better one would be the answer, and – like I said – I found out the hard way that there was way more to it! 

“But I have to give credit to this album, and the production of Bob Rock for sending me down this path into the world of recording and producing. Little did I know many years later in 2014, I’d be making a Black Veil Brides album with the man himself [Black Veil Brides].”

Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) 

“The intro to Sad But True. It’s deceptively simple. It is wide enough to not overwhelm the brain upon listening, but anyone who has dared to cover that song quickly realizes how difficult it is to play correctly – and with the right feel. 

“Many people don’t realize how hard that is for a rock band to pull off that universal 'big dumb' while simultaneously keeping it stimulating. And the whole album is like that! It’s one complete thought and an incredible journey for the listener. If it weren’t for The Black Album, so many would have never been introduced to the power that is Metallica.”

Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge)

“When I learned The Call of Ktulu as a kid, it really helped me develop my fingerstyle abilities. It definitely molded me into the fingerstyle player I am today. Since then, every time I would look at new Metallica releases, I’m always keeping an eye out for those kinds of patterns. 

“For me, Nothing Else Matters is the standout track on that album because of the great classical-style vibe it has. I also was surprised and enjoyed hearing James Hetfield take a lead on that track. It was an emotional solo that stood out to me. I learned how to play that song as soon as the record came out.” 

Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge/Slash)

“It would have to be the solo James plays on Nothing Else Matters. The way the song crescendos into his blues-based lead connected with me from the moment I heard it.

“For a guy who was known for his rhythm chops, it was cool to hear him express himself as a lead player with a wonderful sense of phrasing, intense emotion and a stellar tone. I remember so many of my guitar students bringing that record in for me to transcribe. 

“I couldn’t begin to count how many times I wrote out the riff to Enter Sandman! The best part was seeing how happy and empowered the students were after they were able to play it on their own.” 

Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence)

“The intro riff to Through the Never is killer and always has me headbanging when I hear it, because it’s reminiscent of the Master of Puppets riff where Papa Het just owns the right-hand jackhammer and sets the bar in that department. It’s pure down-picking brutality. 

“After not loving ...And Justice for All so much, I was hoping for a more cohesive record. I didn’t really like the tones, and the tunes were a bit redundant. I lost interest early and maybe moved on a bit from the band. Vio-Lence was writing and started to record when I heard The Black Album for the first time, and I, like everyone else, was floored. It sounded perfect. 

“The tones were clear and crunchy and up in the mix, while the riffs and performances were on point. It showed James’ clean guitar brilliance, and his solos were so surprisingly good, and then it also had Kirk’s most hummable and memorable leads.”

Being one of the most technically adept electric guitar players in the world, John Petrucci practices his craft meticulously. But his fingers aren't the only things he works out, clearly.

Yes, those who look beyond the Dream Theater guitarist's jaw-dropping chops and spellbinding beard will have no doubt noticed his equally impressive physique. And while shredding solos and pumping iron may seem worlds apart, those who take part in either require a similar set of qualities in order to succeed.

These are, principally, consistency and form, as Petrucci explains in the December 2021 issue of Guitar World.

“I've always felt as though there was a connection between [guitar playing and weight lifting],” he explains. “Of the two things that stand out, one of them is consistency. People who become proficient on their instruments or get in really great shape are doing so because they practice or work out on a regular basis.

“Whether it's every day or four or five days a week, you can't get there by being a weekend warrior. It doesn't work that way. You need to be consistent to achieve gains and see results.”

He continues: “The second thing is form. You see it with guitar players who have really great technique – or bodybuilders who are in fantastic physical shape. If you're lifting weights, you can't just throw stuff around willy-nilly; you need to work out with structure and discipline. You need a plan.

“With guitarists, you need to focus on specifics – how your fingers are moving, picking angle, conserving motion. It all sounds nerdy, but it works. Guitar playing and weight lifting are very related in my book.”

So if you're a guitarist who's never set foot in a gym, fear not, as you just might inherently possess the qualities needed to build the rig of your dreams.

We're still convinced Trooch built his physique in preparation to be able to safely handle his monstrous new 8-string Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty, which launched last month.

Majestic by name, and majestic by nature, the new signature guitar boasts a mahogany body, sprawling 24-fret multi-scale fingerboard, custom-angled DiMarzio pickups, and an angled hardtail bridge for optimum string tension, to name a mere few spec highlights.

And if you want to hear the guitar in action, you're in luck, as Petrucci's eight-string leads appear on Dream Theater's forthcoming album, A View From The Top Of The World.

This excerpt is taken from the December 2021 issue of Guitar World. To read the full interview, get your copy over at Magazines Direct.

Last week, Dream Theater treated fans to Invisible Monster, the second single from their forthcoming 15th studio album, A View From The Top Of The World.

A harrowing mid-tempo rocker that documents the effects of prolonged battles with anxiety, it finds the band's resident electric guitar genius, John Petrucci, in killer form, leading the track off with a haunting, delay-coated opening riff, giving the first verse some heft with titanium-like chugs, and topping things off with a light-speed solo.

Recently, the Guitar World team ventured out to Long Island, New York to meet up with Petrucci at his studio, where he kindly took us through the writing process, theory and musical themes of Invisible Monster, particularly its main riff and motif. You can check out the mini-lesson above.

"This song came out of us wanting to write a song that was – for lack of a better term – mid-tempo, after having written a whole bunch of songs that were very proggy, very dark and instrumentally-driven," Petrucci told Guitar World.

"This song came really naturally to us right from the get-go as soon as we had the tempo."

Set for an October 22 release via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music, A View From The Top Of The World was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin.

To preorder the album, stop by Dream Theater's website. 

If you’re not yet a fan of Saab Guitar Project, the outfit led by Venezuelan guitar sensation Douglas Saab, you will be soon.

And rest assured – you’ll be in great company. Among the guitarist’s many admirers include Dream Theater six-string virtuoso John Petrucci, DT keyboardist Jordan Rudess and Frank Zappa/Sting drummer extraordinaire Vinnie Colaiuta, who teamed up with Saab for his new single, the instrumental prog-shred escapade Space Traveller.

Saab, who uses Ibanez guitars and Fractal amps and plays left-handed, with the guitar flipped upside down à la Albert King and Eric Gales, contributes stunning licks and finger-twisting solos to the tune, and you can check it out, along with a special intro from Petrucci, above.

The new single follows on the heels of Saab’s 2019 album, Saab Guitar Project, recorded with Rudess and Colaiuta. The all-instrumental effort combines fusion, jazz, rock and Latin styles -- highly technical, reminiscent of Holdsworth, Vai and others but with his own voice. Among its tracks features the slinky, mind-bending instrumental workout Police and a dynamic cover of Miles Davis’ classic So What.

When it came to the new Space Traveller, Saab wrote and produced the track himself, completing it in February 2020, just before the global pandemic hit. He’s finally releasing it to the world now.

Regarding Petrucci’s guest spot, Saab says, "I'm very proud to have had John playing on one of my songs. I was aware that John hardly ever appears on collaborations and I believe that he graciously agreed because he is very passionate about the guitar and music just like I am. The result has been great, a total shred fest for the guitar players around the world."

He continues, “According to the streaming platforms, my album and the single with Petrucci was wonderfully received in Japan and the US, where I hope to play some gigs when all this crazy pandemic times ends."

"From my standpoint , the music world has changed with the access to social networks and home studios and that allows us to create music anytime with my buddies. And if people like it, I feel very fortunate.”

For more information on Saab and the Saab Guitar Project, head to his official Facebook page, or check him out on Instagram, Spotify and YouTube.

Ernie Ball has unveiled a quartet of new models – a trio of electric guitars and a bass guitar – which will join up with the brand’s ever-expanding collection of Ball Family Reserve instruments.

The September expansion pack of Ernie Ball’s Ball Family Reserve collection sees the arrival of newly finished Luke III and Albert Lee models, as well as a natural ash-bodied StingRay and a spalted maple-topped JP15.

Once again, the brand seems to have pulled out all the stops to update its limited-edition collection, which, for those who are unfamiliar with the range, offers up high-spec guitars previously reserved for family and artists as “a celebration of our heritage in instrument craftsmanship.”

Cast your eyes below to peruse the awesome foursome of Ernie Ball’s freshest Family Reserve lineup.

Luke II in Grapes Of Wrath

Limited to only 85 pieces worldwide, the freshly finished Luke III flashes a mesmeric Grapes of Wrath colorway, which makes use of translucent green and purple hues. It also features an okoume body, a roasted maple neck, an ebony fretboard and simulated Atlante abalone inlays.

Each piece – which also features two humbuckers, stainless steel frets and pearloid Schaller locking tuners –  comes with a tremolo cover autographed by Steve Lukather.

StingRay Special 5 HH Slugger

The only bass of the bunch arrives in the form of the StingRay 5 Special Slugger – a natural-finished five-string that features a lightweight ash body, an oil-and-wax-finished figured roasted maple neck and black fretboard position markers.

Dual alnico humbucking pickups also make the cut, and are controlled by a three-band EQ – accommodated by ornate striped ebony wooden control knobs – and a five-way switch. Finishing touches include an absent pickguard and cloverleaf tuners. Only 50 pieces are available.

Spalted maple-topped JP15 Piledriver

Ernie Ball Music Man’s penultimate offering is a JP15 Piledriver, which is kitted out with a luxurious, highly figured spalted maple top. The top is paired with a roasted maple neck and fretboard, which in turn features alongside 24 stainless steel frets, custom JP15 inlays and black hardware.

Each guitar in the 60-piece run also features a tremolo cover signed by John Petrucci.

Albert Lee HH in Cherry Punch

Last but not least is a new-look, Cherry Punch-finished Albert Lee model. Highlights include a double-humbucker configuration – unlike the HSS iteration of the previous Ball Family Reserve collection drop – and a lightweight okoume body.

Elsewhere, the guitar is appointed with a roasted maple neck with birdseye maple fingerboard, 22 stainless steel frets, a natural headstock and white block inlays, as well as a Tune-O-Matic stop tail bridge and Schaller locking tuners.

The sparkly, yellow-and-cherry-red Albert Lee will be limited to only 75 pieces worldwide, and each guitar comes adorned with a signed tremolo back plate.

To find out more, visit Ernie Ball Music Man.

On The Alien, the first single from their upcoming album, A View From The Top Of The World, Dream Theater went down a decidedly sci-fi-influenced route, examining life on Earth from an extraterrestrial point of view.

For the album's brand-new second single – Invisible Monster – though, the prog-metal heroes have snapped their focus all the way back inward, documenting the effects of anxiety, and how it haunts and follows those who struggle with its effects.

Wielding the six-string version of his Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty signature guitar, the song finds John Petrucci in versatile form, leading the track off with an eerie, delay-drenched opening riff, powering the first verse with titanium-like chugs, and topping things off with a climactic, typically blazing solo.

You can check out the song's William “Wombat” Felch-directed music video below.

“It was written after we’d written a bunch of material," Petrucci said of the song in a press release. "A lot of the music was super energetic and upbeat tempo-wise. Mike [Mangini, Dream Theater's drummer] suggested we do something a little different though. 

"So, we started working on a more mid-temp song. The hook, riff, and melody changed so naturally. I equate it to Pull Me Under back in the day where we’d just start playing, something would come out, and we’d be like, ‘Whoa, that’s cool’. There’s a serendipitous moment where it happens. 

"Lyrically, it’s about how anxiety plagues people," he added. "It’s like there’s an invisible monster beating you. You don’t see it, but it’s haunting you all of the time.”  

Set for an October 22 release via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music, A View From The Top Of The World was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James “Jimmy T” Meslin. You can check out its cover art and track list below.

The album also marks the first recorded appearance of Petrucci's new signature electric guitar, the impressively-spec'd, eight-string Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty 8.

To preorder the album, stop by Dream Theater's website. 

Dream Theater – A View From The Top Of The World:

1. The Alien 
2. Answering The Call 
3. Invisible Monster 
4. Sleeping Giant
5. Transcending Time 
6. Awaken The Master
7. A View From The Top Of The World