John Petrucci's Tone

[Code001]

Mark IIC+ and Recto on each side. Godly tone.

Actually it was IIC+, IV, Rackmount Recto, Triaxis and Formula. He didn't use every single amp all the time, but there were times when he had all four running at once for certain tones. Scenes was done the same way. I&W was Triaxis mostly. Six Degrees was mainly IIC+ with The Glass Prison being a Dual Recto. ToT and Octavarium were all RK. Actually, towards the end of his Octavarium tour, he started to put his IIC+s back into his rig. There is debate whether or not he used it on the 20th Anniversary Score DVD as well, but I cannot confirm, nor deny this.

<--- Petrucci fanoby

For the record, my favorite tone is from Scenes, but I love all his tones starting from I&W all the way up to Octavarium. Songs like Panic Attack, In the Name of God and This Dying Soul just wouldn't sound as good with the IIC+ IMO.

 

[Hawksmoor]

I love his tones on TOT, that's the sound I think of when I want to desribe a meaty sound.

His earlier tone were clearer and more defined, but it's my opinion that he hanged his tone to convey the agression on TOT.

 

[angusyoungwanabe]

i voted they both sound the same, but thats cuz there's no "I like them both, so who cares" option. i think both "eras" are great for what there for. ibanez had more clarity and EB has more agression, but that prolly has more to do with amp changes anyway.

 

[Drew]

Well, my favorite Petrucci tone is his EBMM-into-Mark-IIC+ G3 live tone, which absolutely blew me away.

But I agree, his rig has changed WAY too much over the years to really say which guitar sounded better - his "Ibanez" sound was mostly a Triaxis or MK-IIC+, while his "EBMM" tone has been increasingly leaning towards a Rectifier. Of course the "Iby" tone will sound "clearer," it's from a much clearer sounding amp.

As such, no vote - there's too many other factors in play.

 

[technomancer]

As such, no vote - there's too many other factors in play.

+1

 

[Leon]

For the record, my favorite tone is from Scenes...

 

[Metal Ken]

 

[Nik]

IMO his "Suspended Animation" tone is by far the greatest tone I've ever heard. You have to keep in mind that his playing and phrasing has changed over the years, and you have to separate tone from note-choice and phrasing.

 

[2powern]

IMO his "Suspended Animation" tone is by far the greatest tone I've ever heard. You have to keep in mind that his playing and phrasing has changed over the years, and you have to separate tone from note-choice and phrasing.

+1

I've been listening to that cd all day.

 

[Buzz762]

+1

I've been listening to that cd all day.

+2

I too, have been listening to suspended animation for the better part of today. It happens to be the only CD I had in my car besides a non-working Nightwish CD. I got stuck in heavy traffic. Turned my usual one hour drive into two.

 

[Azyiu]

He sounds good on both guitars! With that said, if you are more into the heavier / metal-type sound, I think the Ernie Ball is the choice. But hell, I love my JPM still!

 

[rummy]

the more i learn about guitar/amp electronics/gear-in-general, the more i realize that there is a rediculous number of factors when it comes to tone. i mean, you've got: picks, picking style, strings, bridge, nut, frets, guitar wood (multiple types?), pot quality ( ), connection wire, instrument cable, amp characteristics, tube(s), EQ, output impedance, speakers, cabinets, microphones, mic cables, mic preamps, recording devices, media types.... you could go on. or, just ask Eric Johnson

The potentiometer or the type of bud they happen to be smoking?

 

[Pablo]

Well, I voted Ibanez simply for the era. I've owned both the Ibby JPM and the MusicMan signature, and my MusicMan sounded quite a bit better than my Ibanez... The thing is that I just don't like Rectifiers, and that's pretty much all he's been toying with the last couple of yours. On a happy note, rumour has it that Petrucci has gone away from his massive Road King rig and started using his B-rig, which is decidedly Mk flavoured.

Cheers¨

Eske

 

[Donnie]

EBMM on Suspended Animation. Especially Jaws of Life.

 

[jaredowty]

I like the clean tones off I&W, the lead tone off Scenes, and the rhythm tones off Suspended Animation (especially Jaws of Life and Tunnel Vision).

 

[mrpotente]

I really like the heavy crunch of JPM7 on The Mirror and the depth of the EBJP7 on Glass Prison...the question is , would it sound the same if i changes the EB to the Ibanez Era with respective rigs and vice versa?? humm

 

[Code001]

Both those tones were done with rectifiers. The Mirror was a rackmount recto and the Glass Prison was a 3 channel dual I believe. And yes, Petrucci will sound the same no matter what he plays through. Just look at his rackmount settings compared to his new recto settings. COMPLETELY different, but it still sounds like Petrucci. His newer tone is more scooped and compressed compared to his older tone.

 

[Christopher]

I just pulled out my entire DT catalog again recently and have given this some serious thought. The discussion get pretty cloudy for me simply because the way I feel about each album clouds my opinion on his tones. For example, when just looking at his tones alone, I think 6DOIT has my favorite guitar tones ever but it is my least favorite disc because of the song writing. I love Images and Awake the most and John's tone is cool back then but I wasn't crazy about the super glossy production that was in vogue back then. I love his playing on TOT but I'm not crazy about his tone, and I'm a Recto nut.

 

[jaredowty]

Glass Prison was a 3 channel dual I believe.

3 Channel Triple, actually, according to an interview I read in a 2001 Guitar Player issue..

 

[mrpotente]

I would love to see A change of Seasons studio recorded now with is modern tone (glass prison, tot, 8v) with the same guitar back in 95, i think it would kick more ass then before...