MESA/Boogie Tone Summit - John Petrucci/Doug West - Dream Theater Guitar Tones History

John Petrucci has been using Mesa amplification for over 30 years, and Mesa amplifiers have been featured on nearly every Dream Theater album made. During a Tone Summit on November 14, 2016, John joined Mesa R & D Director, Doug West at the Guitar Sanctuary Performance Hall in McKinney, Texas for a night of discussion about tone, John’s Mesa signature amp - the JP-2C - and the amps behind the tones of various Dream Theater songs over the years.
John and Doug discuss approaches to dialing in sounds and some of the history behind the JP2C signature project, while John shares tracks from his library of Dream Theater sounds and then plays those riffs through his JP-2C rig for comparison.
It was a great night of stories, helpful hints, and Tone. Our thanks to John and his tech Maddi Schieferstein for taking the time for this event. Also, big thanks to Clint Franzen and George Fuller from the Guitar Sanctuary for hosting.
The guitar for this event was recorded with John Petrucci’s Signature Ernie Ball Music Man JP 16 six and seven string guitars into stereo JP2C heads and two Rectifier 4x12 Traditional cabinets. Mic’d with a Sennheiser 421 and a Beyer Dynamic 160 on one side and a AER AR22 and an SM57 on the other cab with a stereo pair of Earthworks QTC-50 Room mics blended in at 10% of the final mix.
For more information on the JP-2C:
www.mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/...
And the Limited Production JP-2C:
www.mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/...
www.dreamtheater.com
www.johnpetrucci.com
www.mesaboogie.com

[@mesaboogie]

Here are the other two videos which are part of the same Tone Summit: MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: John Petrucci, Doug West and the JP-2C kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH3ce6J6o716bas MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: Doug West & John Petrucci - The Mesa R & D Process kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWamh32KpsitqbM Thanks for watching!

[@EL34]

MESA/Boogie I LOVE watching these series. John is an amazing teacher when it comes to EQ philosophy. Any chance there was a segment where he talked about his tone from SFAM? Or was that all MarkIV era?

[@mesaboogie]

Glad you dig, EL34. What was included in this video was all that was included from the discussions of the various songs and albums... so that didn't get covered, sorry to say. Rock on!

[@Scrambles2112]

Uhh thanks for watching? Thanks for posting!!!

[@joshgreenoguitar5733]

Thank you, Boogie!

[@FedericoMK]

@@mesaboogie is there any chance that you will release the whole summit in its entirety?

[@Despond]

I could watch hours of JP just testing boogies with his engineers as well.

[@emissarygtrist]

I’ve watched this video more times than I’m willing to admit.

[@thereignofdando]

10:37 "that's fuckin crushing right?' - JP 2018.

[@fndrn8]

his playing always puts a smile on my face

[@simonsitinjak]

3:07 Pull Me Under 3:25 Riff of Metropolis 4:47 5:21 Don't use any reverb or compression, just the pure sound (only Guitar, cable, and amp) 9:41 Riff 14:30 Top Riff 15:53 16:34 Great riff I think John is a very humble guy.

[@BFRPetrucci]

I got to see this in person! was an absolutely amazing night.

[@fjk1138]

I could watch this all day.

[@rickfeith6372]

Super badass amp MESA...greetings from the east coast

[@theodorekail985]

the nicest guitarist in the industry.

[@spamsponge]

What a beautiful looking venue.

[@JosephFacer]

Awesome video. Cool to see the JP-2C doing all the other Boogie tones and to hear some iso guitar tracks. What a massive tone.

[@andresantel2137]

I wish this session is longer, I could watch him play and discuss the history for hours

[@marc-antoinemetivier2854]

Very nice, thank you for sharing!

[@Lithuania8634]

Caught in a web is one of the best riffs he's made

[@marcosribeiro1036]

what a sick guitar sound! AWESOME

[@morejelloplease]

this video will be clicked on often.... the guitar sounds excellent coming thru the speakers on the tv, computer, etc. this is quite the eargasm! thanks mesa and john!

[@jettsom]

So happy to have found a deal on used JP-2C! This will be my amp forever. This video doesn’t show up but the clean is great too!

[@pinomartelli4060]

Mesa rules: I still have and play my original 1991 mark4 amp. It's done thousands of gigs and still sounds incredible now . Everyone is buying the latest thing but a boogie is for life. Change configurations on it and you have a new amp. Never gets old

[@dougmorato]

Awesome video. Thanks for it.

[@roymartin500]

Right after Doug said, "that sounded so thin" sarcastically, I had to go back and listen cause it was so huge even through my phone.

[@MickDavies]

Great video! Epic!

[@mesaboogie]

Thanks, Mick! :)

[@nickyounger1368]

Dear Mesa Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you do. you are truly here for your fans. I know your mission is to inspire musicians to play their best and I have to say, you have done exactly that. Words cannot describe how much you have inspired me to do my favorite thing in the whole world, and that's to play guitar. Thank you again. I cannot wait until I can budget for a JP-2C. It is, by far, the most prefect thing to allow the guitar to sound it's absolute best. You're my hero's.

[@mesaboogie]

Wow, Nick - thank you so much! This is an amazing comment and compliment - the finest we can get, actually, when you're told that you inspire people to create and play music. Just... thank you. And keep on rockin'. :) Cheers!

[@deasnutz4ever]

His tone on Suspended animation is actually his best ever. It beats his Ibanez days.

[@mesametal8768]

SO awesome guys,,i love all my mesa amps,,new and old!keep up the good work my mkv 25 is signed by randall and i love it,,such great tones and crunch,i play it more than my mkv big brother...PURE BOOGIE!!!!!!!

[@STRATOHOLICRichman]

Finally guys, I've been waiting for this for too long!!!

[@STRATOHOLICRichman]

I feel like there's still a lot more here... please make these regular uploads of possible!! In love with my Rectos and Mark amps, the best amps ever.

[@mesaboogie]

Thanks for the kind words, Strat-o-holic! Here are the other two videos which are part of the same Tone Summit: MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: John Petrucci, Doug West and the JP-2C kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH3ce6J6o716bas MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: Doug West & John Petrucci - The Mesa R & D Process kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWamh32KpsitqbM Thanks for watching!

[@STRATOHOLICRichman]

Thank you! I had seen the R&D portion of the event but not sure if I was able to find the other part. Maybe you guys will consider releasing it as a full feature at some point and/or doing more like this with John. On a side note I'd like to find a gig bag for my Mark V 25 head and was wondering if the TA-30 bag would fit.

[@mesaboogie]

Hey There - I don't think a TA-30 bag will fit the Mark Five: 25. Ultimately, we'd suggest you contact Studio Slips to have them make you something that fits the amp perfectly: studioslips.com Thanks again for watching! :)

[@MichaelTaylor-ew5pg]

This is my second time watchin this video, love Boogie amps man! I got a Mark V a couple years back and I swear that thing sounds better everyday!

[@mesaboogie]

This is awesome, Michael Taylor. Thanks for the kind words and hope the amp continues to serve well!

[@mosquitobrainsrg]

We need another John Petrucci album!!!

[@IanMustafa]

mosquitobrainsrg no. We need more songs in wimpy version

[@gearwalker89]

John petrucci: i need a new amp. Mesa: How many?

[@reyhanvivaldi9597]

I don't know why I'm watching this. I'm not even a guitarist, this vid makes me want to learn playing guitar.

[@sladehorne3849]

Reyhan Vivaldi go for it

[@reyhanvivaldi9597]

And now, I have a guitar :D

[@carlocandelora547]

+Reyhan Vivaldi great, now learn it

[@rasyfopeh2977]

I’m saving my money for this AMP and GUITAR! Thank you Mesa boogie and Mr Petrucci.

[@jasonfuller8219]

I would love to see Hetfied demonstrate

[@jsullivan2112]

@@rockapartie Yeah, the bulk of his sound came from other people tweaking everything, not him. Especially Fleming, obv.

[@clamdigr]

Having owned two Mark IVs over the years, when you guys simulated one, but with the tightness of the IIC+........WOW.

[@DaleRasco]

Very cool. Hope it's a mini-series that you guys will be adding to.

[@mesaboogie]

Here are the other two videos which are part of the same Tone Summit: MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: John Petrucci, Doug West and the JP-2C kzbin.info/www/bejne/hH3ce6J6o716bas MESA/Boogie Tone Summit: Doug West & John Petrucci - The Mesa R & D Process kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWamh32KpsitqbM Thanks for watching!

[@starblaster77]

These boogies rock!

[@5150forevermore]

Ive watched this about twenty times. There is now a JP2C in my living room. People dont give Mesa enough credit for this incredible work of art. And yes...It is a real 2C+.

[@cunjoz]

would you recommend it over a mark V?

[@5150forevermore]

@@cunjoz 100% . There's a reason there are so many Mark 5s available for resale. JP2C is a much better amp all around imo. I have a Mark IV Revision A and the JP2C nails that classic 2C+ tone just fine.

[@cunjoz]

@@5150forevermore thanks pal. well, i better start saving so i can buy it in 10 years lol

[@lewismcnicholas2631]

Just ordered mine this week after the same amount of views!

[@DustyBilbo]

@@lewismcnicholas2631 How are you liking it?

[@Goku16053]

Great sound!!! John Petrucci is a fantastic guitarist!!! Is the best!!!!!

[@Nicolas-fj8or]

amazing

[@seantierson2633]

"not tuned the same, but" proceeds to crush it without thinking

[@noahwinslow2692]

John P is literally one of my favorite guitarists. He has so much room to brag; yet he doesn’t. He is an amazing guitarist

[@Golem29]

I would've genuinely liked him to go into the tones for each album.

[@claudespeed13579]

Who wouldn't

[@FastRedPonyCar]

Now we just need Ernie Ball to release a JP signature guitar with the Picasso art that his old JPM100 had. As much as I love my Mystic JP6, the visual identity of the picasso art is a part of DT history!

[@thesphericalguy9018]

Or even better, John can switch to Ibanez again! It's time for a change haha. Love those old tones, much clearer.

[@merqury5]

Just even a tiny Picasso woulda been a super cool nod to where it started.

[@xGshikamaru]

TheSphericalGuy bring back the RG2027X and the piezo edge pro 7 😍

[@Rick5150]

Id love that. I think they could do something similar but Ibanez owns that artwork as it's not an actual "Picasso" but rather just in the style. You probably knew that, but I've often felt the same way that another abstract art guitar would be great for Petrucci!

[@jameswoynilko7962]

Wish I could have been there!..just picked up my first Boogie!..a mark v 25..incredible amp!

[@NuZTheRockerOFFICIAL]

I have it too.. I couldn't be happier with the tones I got from that little thing.

[@deanmlshredder]

Damn right. One lunchbox head to rule them all and I would happily dive into a volcano after it.

[@luisgoregonzalez7394]

John is awesome

[@Montreal_Audio_Systems]

Tommorow im going and pick one up i cant wait.

[@brendenrodgers7821]

Enjoy. It’s one of the greatest amps on the market. Tough to dial in but once it’s dialed holy is it insane

[@kasmeria]

This is actually better than a current DT full-band live show.

[@theericbeaty]

"Here's the wimpy version" - 16:24. Brilliant!

[@kionihernandez356]

dude that riff was nasty! what song is that? heavy as 5 piggybacked elephants

[@denisclc]

Kioni Hernandez song is Behind the Veil

[@DannyMiami09]

Always loved his Mark IV Tones, so pleased I own one

[@bahritkharakor9257]

JP one of a kind Guitarist...love him!

[@mootbooxle]

I’m not a huge fan of DT, at all, but I think John Petrucci is a super cool dude in addition to being a virtuoso musician! Great personality.

[@TastyChevelle]

You should be a fan of Dream Theater! All of the members are just as skilled and creative musicians as John but they all work together cohesively. That is why their music is some of the fucking craziest ever written and basically only they could ever play it.

[@progreviews]

Such a nice guy

[@rishavbanerjee5565]

Nice.... The amp sounds awesome...

[@Matheuszalenski]

Awesome

[@Hello-dy1gh]

Straight respect, JP is an amazing guitarist and so is his signature Mesa Boogie Amp! JPII C+ vs Mark IV rev A or B it’s impossible to tell which is better.

[@dimebagtribute]

Is it me or while we grow old we like more the midranges than before...?

[@irmasil3]

Yeah, I used to scoop mids to death, nowadays a bit less (Still scooped enough I guess, still pretty metal). But, I still go back to my Triaxis and occasionally just put everything to 10 and mids/bass=0. And then, you can play Justice for All like a MAN....lol!!!

[@onurdonmez8181]

%100 true..especially after learning how to use Presence

[@etiennedu04]

I need one of these

[@creatorjan]

It chugs! 🤘

[@MichelOliveiraOfficial]

Best video!

[@MadNut321]

15:59 It's funny how it forced me to bop with you guys as soon as it started. The song and tone are just killer!

[@guitarhilley]

Just bought a Mark V last year...now I want a second one to play stereo...this thing is insane. It’s versatile, fat, loud and most important, the soundquality of the individual channels are equal to eachother. A lot of amps out there never are good in all channels...

[@juliensoyer5786]

great amp ! gosh

[@shivendrasingh3853]

John's majesty and mesa. so heavy

[@chennings]

Anybody noticed he's using a music sheet stand turned 90 degrees as a table? lol

[@billykos1554]

Well I'm getting my Mark 5/25 tomorrow and I only hope that I can get close to that sound. It's f.....g amazing

[@AlexTomasi]

yes you can, i've the 35w , check on the jp page it use a 25 in backstage and you can see pictures of what are theyr settings ! ;)

[@allahajen]

Would love a new JP solo album

[@Andy-jg1ve]

boogie real got this amp right all in,wow have to get one john and boogie hit this out of the park words don't do it its the best demo ever besides the meyer sound msl4 demo at namm there both epic

[@KiyoshiDaichi]

Best sounding amp i've heard in a while. Of course those amazing riffs by Mr Petrucci help a LOT.

[@theBloodwolf13]

Just saw John for the first time last night

[@theBloodwolf13]

Peter Nichols he was good. He played with his blues band. They were pretty good. He's definitely not as showy and Joe and John but still a good set

[@jonroberts986]

I keep coming back to watch this video again and again, and I can't tell if it's helping hold off the GAS for a JP-2C while I raise the money for one, or if it just makes me want it even more!

[@mackmayhem9878]

Im literally doing the same thing. Im trying to decide whether i should buy a Mark V, a JP2C or even an old Mark IV. Fuck.

[@MrUltraworld]

JP has sold a LOT of MB amps.

[@ricardofernandesduarte4604]

o melhor guitarrista do mundo John Petrucci incrível

[@jaymacdonnell4730]

What would be awesome is if he brought out the old Ibanez seven-string from the Awake era to do a compare and contrast.

[@BigDaddy-nt6yc]

Musicman for the landslide win.

[@darinsteele7091]

JP's downtuned stuff is really tasteful, what a master. And that palm muting is incredible, that amp is a beast.

[@MetalAzza]

I wish i could like this more than once

[@hotjoose9415]

I’m a drummer.... why am I watching this? Oh yeah, JP is f’n awesome!

[@cogee89]

The noise the person in the audience made at 10:34 was the most genuine, visceral reaction to that tone that we've all had at some point

[@thiagomessiahsousa4416]

MY IDOL ETERNITY!

[@MikeDries]

Man I wish there were some tone settings available from this.

[@user-xo5un8st4p]

5:57 Wowwwww❤❤

[@camilovsky227]

Petrucci is the man...

[@johnSmith-ne5dh]

Unbelievable......Petrucci is undoubtedly the best guitar player Ever👍

[@JamesRussoMillas]

You know, I never noticed the difference in attack on the IV vs the IIC+ until they pointed it out. For the context of DT I always slightly preferred the EQ of the IV but the tone of the IIC+ is superior in general.

[@elykus793]

SCOOPED

[@Swampster70]

Any chance you'd release the entire Tone Summit? I'm sure that others like myself would be willing to pay for that. Throw it all in - warts and all.

[@jimmiethompson3637]

Doug West is a genius!

[@themaggot8]

Doug said that the Mk IV can't sound like a IIC+/JP2C, but according to the manual of the IV there is a setting that literally says that it will sound like a IIC+...who do I believe?

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

He's saying that the Mark IV can't feel like the 2C+ due to the massive transformer that is in the JP2C.

[@themaggot8]

@@thechannelforeverything2170 he's literally saying that you can't mimic que sound of the IIC+/JP2C with the IV

[@jaymacdonnell4730]

Interesting to hear 'As I Am' played on a 7-string

[@gtrpimp76]

Jay MacDonnell I actually learned it with the 7 string by transposing down 1/2 step using the Transcribe! Software. I actually prefer it with the 7 and in B. I also learned “In the Name of God” that way as well. If you get a chance, try putting those 2 songs thru any software that will play it at normal tempo but transposed to B. I can actually see Dream Theater possibly doing it this way in future tours as evidenced by the I&W and beyond tour downtuned to Eb just to accommodate James’ decreasing vocal range.

[@davidcrawfordkeintjem3919]

In this season,, JP looks a humble man ;)

[@hectoreduardofuentealbapel7830]

I've seen another videos and is humble! There was one at Sweetwater and man, was talking with a guitar tech like friends!

[@davidcrawfordkeintjem3919]

Héctor Eduardo Fuentealba Pelayo yeah... that's right...

[@baycman]

im sooo glad I found a mark 2C+ from 1984... sooo terribly lucky; brilliant amp... and who would pass on one with a road case for a measly $300!... I had to do several repairs starting with removing animal urine from the grill cloth; removing several decades of dust; a complete cap job (11 capacitors) and new set of sliders all bought from mesa... eventually, and hopefully M Bendinelli as his initials are all over it, the the folks at boogie will graciously revisit the amp , and go through the circuit for any and all components that are "out of spec"... according to them perhaps now less than $200 as I have done a lot of the typical "tune up" issues... best amp I own regardless of the price! jp

[@MadNut321]

Turn on Captions at 7:59 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Even ghosts enjoy John's music!

[@MrCantgetno]

Santana, called boogies signature crunch "BURLY" i wonder if he was actually talking about johns beard look too? there both great artist's

[@jimicrack29]

thank you for sharing all the tones speechless. wish done plain guitar no special pick-ups or amp just figure out what had. that time . never seen any one buy a amp or guitar then make it sound good.

[@nicholastotoro7721]

Why hasn’t the Mark III ever been reissued? The II has had bits and pieces in the IV, V and now the JP2C. I’d looooooove to see the III.

[@PeanutButterPavement]

I've love one of these but $3700 for an amp head is crazy money. :(

[@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL]

Awake was quad with recto and c+, very interesting

[@emilegc]

Did he mentioned he used the Quad on Awake? Because I've seen this video some times before at didn't notice that. What he did say is that he used the Quad for Images and Words at around 5:05, correcting people that think he used a Triaxis. He used the Triaxis on the I&W tour though.

[@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL]

@@emilegc not sure if it was this video but he definately said he quad tracked Awake

[@emilegc]

@@AJPMUSIC_OFFICIAL oh yes, he quad tracked on Awake yes. I thought you meant that he used a Quad preamp on Awake. My bad.

[@trevorbaker6491]

16:00 That moment when everyone including yourself does it in synchronization

[@swampscott2670]

Well - the Mark IV still sounds better to this day. What we need is a reissue of the Mark IV with the same dual EQ and midi options.

[@frederiklabonte9884]

That jp2c clean too .

[@ricardofloresgarcia7777]

That is the mark v minus the midi

[@ventproc]

@@ricardofloresgarcia7777 Close, but what the lead channel is concerned the IV still has the edge over the V. Mark V wins the matchup on the other two channels though.

[@danielhenry4614]

I have both they are both great a re issue of the 4 with 2 graphic eq and also 2 lead channels

[@robertrogers2395]

Wow.

[@DannyMiami09]

That Mark IV sound is killer

[@ricardofernandesduarte4604]

John o melhor guitarrista do planeta Brasil

[@endisbandage7733]

ué