John Petrucci -- Mark V -- Settings and Tone Tips (Part 1)

John Petrucci discusses the philosophy behind his Mark V settings and demonstrates the tones used in Dream Theater.
Recorded in Petaluma, CA at Mesa/Boogie - June, 2010.
Part 1 details Mark V channels 1 and 2 settings with playing examples.

[@bigblockelectra]

must have been school picture day at mesaboogie

[@ultimatemetalguitartones]

epic comment haha

[@k33pstrumming39]

Also his guitar tone can be described as a coffee

[@dennismeyers2008]

that was good!

[@travboat]

Forget the low, mid, high, and presence knobs... I want an amp with knobs that read scoopy, chimey, blusey, chunky, and flubby.

[@deanmlshredder]

Bass. Mid. Treble Hammer. Mace. Dagger

[@alexz635]

Petrucci then: Talking about philosophies. Petrucci now: A philosopher's beard.

[@zennyfrommoga]

I've watched this so many times and it still never bores me

[@Snowy0123]

Zach Henniner me too. The mark 5 25 video sent me straight to Sweetwater to buy one. I've had the amp for almost a year and I'm still getting the hang of the subtle tones. .

[@rustyshackleford4743]

Honestly, the stuff he was playing on the clean channel is what impresses me about him the most. Sure his speed and accuracy is amazing, but to play what he played so clean and flawlessly is extremely difficult

[@charliewall1353]

Rusty Shackleford I need more sequences in my life like the one he played

[@zipisto8964]

That exact section comes from a Dream Theater song called "Hollow years" c:

[@chrisparker6282]

my flat fingers would have been buzzing up a storm

[@TheEarCandy]

No doubt! My sausage fingers would NEVER be able t pull that off. Its been fun watching him and Rusty Cooley working together lately.

[@LeeGee]

Unusual voicings

[@chrisparker6282]

i like how people describe sounds: flubby, scooped, chimey, bell-like, powerful, singing, tight, chunky, crunchy, aggressive, narrow, tubular, broad, loose and squishy.

[@metalheadblues]

I personally like barky and metallic tones

[@themaggot8]

I like how we understand what he's trying to say, which is weird

[@nckhed]

@@metalheadblues Barky metal tones, for sure. I'm trying to get away from the metallic sound, though. Just ordered a Mark V 35 combo, first tube amp ever. I'm hoping I can dial in some sweet, bluesy cleans and a good, barking metal tone.

[@JeremieFriez]

Damn... 13 years ago... I bought my first Mark V the very day these two videos were released. It was kind of sign for me ah ah! Had to sell my first one for a year in 2015 and bought another back in 2016... Still in love with that amp and all the possibilities. With a JP or a Cutlass it's just a killer combo! Thanks Mesa/Boogie!

[@michelegrassi4385]

3:26 i love the chords of Hollow Years !!! Petrucci ' s chords are as great as his solos.

[@0Heavy0Metal0]

Magic. This guy is, IMHO, in the top 5 currently playing. I saw him at a one of the G3 things in Chicago and he's just got "it", whatever "it" is. Not only speed, which is unfortunately one of those things for some folks think is the only thing that matters. His rhythm, tone, knowlege, and technique are what set him apart from all the other "shredders". And his personality is great. He signed autographs till there were no more to sign, and that's a rare thing.

[@fergeraci]

To your point, 10 years later after your comment, he released Terminal Velocity. I saw him touring with Portnoy three weeks ago. He is the best out there musically and technically.

[@ortzinator]

This sounds 10x better than any other Mark V demo I've heard...

[@camflan123]

Most likely because john petrucci is playing on if

[@tubemonks]

This clean sound is great, its also very good for practise. Many beginners try to run too soon and go for max distortion like the pros, but it hides your mistakes and they will just persist. So I practise in clean and when its right, only then go and kick ass. It will also sound better because your picking will be spot on.

[@mesaboogie]

Agree, +Tubemonks ! Great advice. Thanks for sharing! :)

[@DimeWyldeSynTremonti]

+ 1 on that! I spend 90% of my practice time on channel 1 on my Mark V. It's so articulate, precise and dynamic (not to mention beautiful) that even your tiniest missteps are painfully obvious, and makes you really focus hard on proper technique. Even pick angle makes a huge difference with a sound like that. It has made me a much better player even with heavily distorted tones. Getting a Mark V is the best thing that has ever happened to my technique!

[@tubemonks]

+DimeWyldeSynTremonti Great - keep it up!

[@arsenalfanrichi]

I've never got that, I've always foud my playing sounds tight and clean when clean and sloppy on drive settings

[@emilysmithguitar_8740]

They're two different sets of skills. There are mistakes that a clean channel will gloss over, such as mistakes in muting. Learning to control a distortion channel is a skill of its own. I would recommend practicing distorted licks and riffs on a crunch sound with enough gain that you don't get to hide with the cleans but not enough distortion that you can rely on it to cover up sloppiness.

[@danielalejandro2036]

its says 2010... but the enviroment feels 90s lmao

[@felphero]

that wall is only missing a Nirvana or Pearl Jam poster

[@TunnelSnake-es7tu]

Look at those tight jeans 👖 lol

[@jalaskabtu]

De volta para o futuro com Michael J. Fox

[@FEAROWNAGE]

@@felphero An Images and Words poster.

[@christopher4443]

Isn't that just regular 2000s video ever

[@guitargodsecrets]

This is a fine example that it's more about the player than the guitar itself. You can spend so much on equipment, but it ultimately boils down to the person playing it.

[@GeekUpToDeath]

I loved clean sound, he´s awesome and very humble!

[@blackfender100]

That clean sound is great. And the crunch is sick. John is Such a nice guy all the time.

[@SaerdnaOoOoo]

He's so down to earth, pedagogic and upright. He would be a great teacher.

[@TheStratman007]

I listened to this demo and went out and bought one...killer amp, fair price, and outstanding tone for my money. There are plenty of higher end amps. I believe the very best amp in the world in the one YOU like the best. John, imo, is one of the top ten players world wide.

[@nino9273]

Dr. Mark it's expensive as fuck in Europe though

[@SonicProvocateur]

John's Mark 1 lead tone put a smile on my face...as usual. Thanks for sharing, guys! Keep up the great work!

[@kam23ca]

So from the first few minutes, I see that he wants a nice scooped, rich, full bodied middle sound, not too pointy, not "right here", soft, more chimey. No danger of flubbyness or darkness.

[@mrChurchill1985]

Even when John improvises a song you know is a guitar God! Such skill perfection from practice experience and inspiration! Amazing!

[@ryshenton]

I like mesa's because I think they are kind of classy sounding. It really brings out the subtleties in kore intricate or complex playing styles, instead of just that full on "heavy metal" high mid saturated or dark sound a lot of metal players sound like to me, kind of surreal and such.

[@lungfixer]

I love how John still looks at the neck when he plays. No poseur bullshit.

[@georgeskarpo]

John Petrucci is the coolest nerd in the history of music! :-)

[@acidmetal609]

3:28 ...Heaven :)

[@gerbian6575]

When you're about to click off but you realize John Petrucci is giving YOU advice on guitar and you must respect and stay on the video until it's over

[@liampellerin9696]

It would be great if John did a Settings and tone tips for the Mark v 25.

[@istolethisaccount]

1:22 "it is great for, whatever I just mentioned" 😂😂 Gotta love John Petrucci!!

[@gizemkayhan9245]

What i just mentioned

[@GuillermoSmyser]

This is one of my favorite finishes of his guitars in the last couple years.

[@tomcharlwood1031]

I've started gigging with the V:35 combo and can't wait to try these out live!

[@mdjubasak]

I just got my mark V on Monday. I could not be happier.

[@jasoncain1575]

Owned a Mark V for a few years, but only just now watched this. I thought it was kind of neat to see how many similar setting I use to him, like independent conformation, haha.

[@Joziaac]

So true. There's such a world of difference between being merely playing the right notes at the right times and carefully carving the soundscape you want.

[@DomSchu]

Videos like this make me want to swap out my Single Rectifier for a Mark V once I can afford it. Even though I love my Rec this just has so much more versatility, and the gained up tones sound much tighter.

[@Anthony0697]

Aaaaand no one noticed another sneak peek of Gemini from the new album, played 10 years before its release ??? 9:30

[@robchang22]

JP is so good at what he does and so humble at the same time

[@JPZmods]

@PositivelyInsane He's using the humbuckers in split coil mode. The bottom switch is in the middle position(coil split) and the top switch is in the bottom position which means the piezo is inactive and only the magnetics are engaged. If you listen closely to the Hollow Years demo he bumps the magnetic selector switch when he first starts strumming which changes it to the bridge pickup for the second chord before he switches back to split coils for the third strummed chord.

[@scottg1911]

Hey Boogie, can you start a fundraiser we can all donate to so we can get Hetfield on here going over all his tones pretty please 🤗

[@lathrin]

That'd be awesome for MOP and Justice. Then again Fleming himself has posted and talked about the guitar rigs used on the Mesa era albums

[@The_rocking_scotsman]

For the questions about the Intro song It's called : Animate-inanimate From his solo CD : Suspended Animation

[@mattvalero6061]

the clean tone he use for Hollow years intro is wonderfull.

[@bodd66]

Just got a new Mark V head today...& this video as well as part 2 is a big reason for getting it PLUS I sold my Soldano Hot Rod head to get it. I went into the store twice to try it out & I've been playing it for hours today. Sounds amazing. Cheers John & Mesa! : )

[@creatinovic]

"Animate Inanimate" by John Petrucci - song used in the intro and outro of part 2

[@gunjansingh686]

Finally i learnt hollow years from this video..thank you john ..you are just a god of guitar.

[@waranghira]

So that's how he plays Hollow Years

[@scootertb26]

the really really incredible guitar players are the ones who can play like John in clean mode, its impossible to hide sloppiness in clean playing, I used to always practice in the clean channel, should go back to that method makes a person a way better player

[@RMCultOfficial]

This guy is just amazing, not only playing but teaching. Nice amps of course, I'm getting one right now on the road.

[@TheLazySpud]

I just got this amp a few days ago, and it's all because of this man!

[@delandreese]

I've got myself one of these and thats it no more searching for tone. Mesa Boogie are the best if thats not to a narrow minded thing to say. I've still got a lot of learning to do regarding getting different sounds as there is so much available here. In a few words though.. WHAT AN AMAZING AMPLIFIER!!! Also great to watch J.P demonstrate and discuss.. An awesome guy!!

[@imit]

I can never watch a John Petrucci instructional video without thinking of that parody video.

[@WhiteDeath]

Hollow years is my favourite song! I always wanted to know the way he played it, I'm so happy! thanks for uploading!!

[@DangerRifai]

Yes. Sit down and learn something you feel is 'too hard' for you to currently play. Something you would never have otherwise attempted to play. No matter how long it takes you to learn it. Deconstruct it, get the notation/tabs, learn it note-for-note and play it slowly at first, then work up your speed. You will move forward without realising it. I'm speaking from experience here.

[@onevoiceinc]

Both Petrucci and the Mesa sound over the top amazing (incredible!), BUT inquiring minds want to know, is Dave Grohl going for the John Petrucci look or is Petrucci going for the Dave Grohl look? Regardless, Petrucci looks more rested. So how many kidneys do I gotta sell to get one of these amps? =)

[@vladislavvolkov8760]

All excellent as always

[@Ignore14]

My guitar teacher has the mark iv, he said it's the best amp he's ever owned. And now I see that Petrucci uses a Mark V! I think I'm getting a Mesa for my next amp...

[@brandon_945]

I love John’s style when he’s improvising arpeggios and he has such a vast knowledge of different chord shapes and progressions. Is there any way someone could steer me towards a particular book I can buy to try to learn that sort of chord progression/arpeggios shapes?

[@nznr82]

very informative.. and petrucci always amazes me..

[@adambyoung]

GLORIOUS clean sound!!

[@vadimosovsky]

1992 - 2015 the gear only gets smaller

[@paulwatson9217]

True but it still dose not get any lighter, and we get older.

[@cenkonsoy]

While watching JP playing i found myself singing the song.. You are great dude, great..

[@AndrewJayGuitar]

Awesome.Thank you Mesa/Boogie!

[@musicman700]

finally some new vids with JP, greaat! :)

[@ricklaurencem.regonda8507]

John Petrucci is not finding the tone, the tone finds him

[@aishwaryauniyal]

he is always so happy.

[@0Heavy0Metal0]

They have this exact setup at my local shop, and I love it. I have come to know the owners very well, and they will let me fool around with it afterhours. It is a tweakers dream come true. If you can't get the tone that is in your head to come out of the speakers, then you don't really know what your really after. And if you don't know what your after, this head will help you find it. I get lost in time when I get into dialing in my sound. Two hours will pass and I don't even realize it. Nice

[@progmetaller]

You, guys, should do a similar video featuring the 2:90 and the Triaxis, so we, proud users of these amazing pieces of gear, can learn from John's philosophy on how to properly work these guys around. .

[@tahaeken3810]

6:49 sounds like Illumination Theory

[@timbuk1126]

He's such a nice guy. A true class act. Mesa/Boogie ftw!

[@RaspberryBuffalo]

"Flubbyness" - Probably the best descriptive word for a sound i've ever heard.

[@AndreyOrochi]

He spared us not going into the World Domination mode right away...

[@victoranjos99]

dude that tone is just... awesome!

[@iaushabtiu]

beautiful clean sound

[@HoriaAkiroh]

that pretty good head movement at 10:00 is just awesome

[@twoeagles19]

Really like this Song thanks for sharing your gift.

[@Joziaac]

Well technique exercises are probably the most effective way to develop your guitar playing. You can find plenty of technique exercises here on KZbin and online. The most important thing is to always start at a speed where you can consistently play something without making mistakes, then gradually up the speed, and slowly but surely you'll be able to play it faster and faster. It's tedious, but it's very effective.

[@MissEllieRed]

I just went to a Dream Theater concert last night, and my god....John Petrucci is the sexiest man alive.

[@satcheee]

How could u dislike this jealous much !!!!!!!

[@harrywilkinson6460]

So sleek and clean. When things sound easy and they're not..

[@kjaipo]

Anbody know where does the solo at 9:30 come from? I heard it before in the Once in a Livetime large guitar solo, but still don't know where does it come from actually.

[@SohamisRock]

Now that we've got the settings and tone tips out of the way, can we have a tutorial on how one can afford this? 😀

[@pedrobessa7770]

You are really the greatest guitarist in the world. You make the guitar speak!!!!

[@JonathanAdamWatson]

@JeuneGen I highly recommend TC Electronics effects processors. Specifically the G-System. The TC Electronics G-System will give you complete control over your rig and any other pedals you may want to integrate without changing the core of your amps sound. It also handles the switching for you of the channels (you may need an amp gizmo to interface with the Mark V to change amp channels, not sure because I own a Dual Rectifier 3-channel model and it does). Hope this helps

[@juankamehameha]

Lovely to hear Hollow Years 🤘🏽

[@mememem]

Nice Papyrus is my favourite font.

[@mesaboogie]

Bwahahaha! Thank you, +meme. Ahhhh - to be able to go back in the past and change things, right? :D

[@zachstadelmaier7339]

Clean tone is great.. there is a part of that progression that reminds me so much of a Dave Mathews tune (crash into me, or whatever) where he moves the bass not over the triad. Curious which song was written first. Either way great player and I've always dug his tone.

[@RaspberryBuffalo]

"Flubbyness" - Probably the best sound description i've heard.

[@JessuP977]

The song "Animate-Inanimate," is from the band Liquid Tension Experiment.

[@arpeggiomeister]

It is great to hear people talking about tone. I have to agree with the persone who mentioned that tone starts with your fingers. When I went to MI there was a guy there who play through the crappiest amps you ever heard but he could may them sing.

[@MrUltraworld]

The Mark V is one of the few amps that can do damn near anything with any guitar and sound great. It's built like a tank as well.

[@Guitarsthatkill]

It has an excellent in built reverb that you can set up for each channel.

[@RichardCowdrey]

Best clean sound I ever heard.

[@Zakksback17]

Oh yeah, don't forget to check John's rock discipline DVD, it's one of the best out there and will really teach you a lot about practicing and improving your technique.

[@SergeantFive]

He has such awesome adjectives to describe his sounds. "tight, spanky" "fat" "chimey" "pointy" "scoopy" "flubbiness" etc.

[@brahmaputraa22]

Nice final once live a time petrucci solo...miss that solo and his old guitar and his old skill....

[@thomasgrun7797]

Thank you infinitely for your help ! ;)

[@WhiteDeath]

Lol It's written at the bottom of the video. Hollow Years (fallin into infinity), on of my favourite songs. Just look for the Budokan version, you'll love that!

[@tibi1687]

Man that crunch channel with those single note riffs sounded like Lamb Of God! And yes i know they are using The Mark lineup of Mesa amps!

[@eliezerriveraperez3810]

Thank you John nice job and this class!!!!

[@andrisbeluska]

the opening song is called animate-inanimate (from john's solo album)

[@TAK808]

Definitely worth every penny. Proud Mark V owner here hahah

[@Zoury]

@bebo7002 The song in the intro is Animate Inanimate. The first song he demonstrates for clean tone is Hollow Years.

[@roba1899]

Why is Petrucci's tone so magical in his Rock Discipline video..is it compression? I loved that smooth almost 'fusion'y overdrive he had with his PBS guitar..please overlook my noobness