Rig Rundown - Dream Theater's John Petrucci

www.premierguit... PG's Rebecca Dirks is On Location in Rosemont, IL at the Dream Theater show. Here we catch up with Dream Theater tech Maddi to see the guitar rig of John Petrucci. Don't miss our John Myung Rig Rundown here: • Rig Rundown - Dream Th...

[@KevinKoolx]

Great guitar tech, he actually knows what he's talking about!

[@FaimlyGuyFan]

I was thinking the same thing, such a great guitar tech, and seems very easy and fun to work with!

[@utkuaslan8232]

are all these really, I mean really, necessary? or I am not understanding what he is telling so overreacting?

[@valpulsinelli3449]

He does she doesn't, when you have to ask how many frets the guitar has then your clueless.

[@aaronhenning5184]

@@valpulsinelli3449 she is leading the information for the viewer. She wants the viewer to know how many frets are on his signature guitars. It's the job of the interviewer to ask questions that give us viewers as much information as possible.

[@clothbooster]

Lol a guitar tech is paid exactly for this, to know about the gear

[@thinkingape7655]

Not a bad way to spend $100,000 🤘🏻

[@jonscottacord]

I can imagine that conversation. "yeah, I don't want actual live speaker cabinets on stage, I just want to hear my guitar coming out of live speakers on stage" haha. Incredible.

[@gainonten4031]

why didn't they keep the monitors in the 1st place lol

[@Danyel76]

Great tech, respect for him...and for Rebecca of course, big fan of her.

[@KeeperOfPoops]

i disagree, it's so much more lame when the fuckboy techie does the gear cos we wanna see the real person do the real deal not some random fuckboy

[@nino9273]

William Allison why do you call him a fuckboy? He seems like a really nice guy and he knows exactly what he's talking about

[@zankfrappa6427]

@@KeeperOfPoops he probably knows the rig better than John tbh and John's too busy for this plus why you gotta complain, if you wanna be a gearhead be happy you get to see their gear dont bitch cus the tech guy showed it to us!

[@TheInceptum]

This button activates the landmine underneath the audience allowing me to go into world domination mode.

[@jeromevillanueva2207]

We miss Adam02.

[@joeguitar70]

Wow, Rebecca Dirks really knows her stuff and asked very interesting questions for the benefit of us all even at the cost to make the tech uneasy answering them occasionally. Well done girl, really impressed!!!!!!

[@gabrielatyia6703]

simp

[@ethanmoeckel753]

The strings are a "custom" set .010, .012, .016, .024, .036, .046. Dudley, the chief gear designer from EBMM, came up with that, John tried them out and he LOVES them. And the 7-string you might ask? Same as the six-string, but with a handy .056 gauge for the "low B".

[@maxstatic]

Rebecca was always the best of the interviewers

[@Strato13]

Matt comes off as a very lovable sweet dude. Very down to earth and very knowledgeable about his craft! I'm sure he's invaluable to JP.

[@hjubris]

15:27 it's very exciting to go back and hear John's tech talking about the prototype of his current Majesty signature series.

[@MisterTee]

I have been substituting the 13 and 17 out of a regular 10-46 set with a 12 and 16 for years now. Got the idea from Carl Verheyen. It gives a really nice, balanced feel.

[@ethanmoeckel753]

I heard John's tech Matt said he uses the String Action gauge by StewMac (Stewart-McDonald). It's a "must-have" piece which I cannot do without on my guitars and bass. My action on my guitars are fairly high to most people. And my basses are set lower than others. i set my basses either 2 millimeters on the treble side and slightly 2 in-a-half millimeters on the bass side. Or a 4/64" going gradually down to a heavy 3/64" on the high side ('cause I'm a fan of Flea from the band Red Hot Chili Peppers).

[@martinschmidt1652]

I really like that in these videos you see the techs do the rundown. the stars up front get enough light, but they are just not the full story. and most of them are super cool guys.

[@MetalxMasters]

This guy knows his shit. I really like it when a tech knows what he's talking about. All the other techs in these videos are either clueless or they just seem like they don't want to be doing the rundown.

[@hadley101]

Wow, was just thinking this is the best tech I've seen so far and look here someone else thinks he's a random tech. This is John's Tech, not some radom guy but get your point. It's not JP himself.

[@richardaaron4454]

Yeah he is good. People don't realize that the musicians nor the techs usually program all the midi crap in those effect processors and relay pedal boards, that is done at a factory. Even still this guy knows his shit.

[@ethanmoeckel753]

I like that baritone guitar. The BFR (Ball Family Reserve) model before coming out with the JP10's and JP11's. A nice tobacco burst finish. The DIMarzio pickups are CrunchLab and Liquifire from his signature models. A long scale length; 27 inches. Tuned to A on one song "On These Walls" (the only song with the baritone tuned to A). I haven't played a baritone guitar or can't play one AT ALL. But if anyone wants to jam along, that's fine and it works for me.

[@malmstrethai]

Guy really knows his stuff; I think I need a tech like that... y'know, once I'm famous...

[@JSBroadcast]

I recently had a friend who is also a tech to come up and help me configure my pedals, pedal board, my amp etc. It's then when I realized how much I actually suck at those things and how important is to have a professional that can help you with getting the sound you desire. As someone who wants to PLAY and MAKE music, it is really hard to keep track of all those details yourself. John is lucky to have this guy and every other musician should be super grateful for having one. Getting those awesome sounds out of your amp and your effects takes a lot of time and effort, almost as much as actually playing.

[@jbmusicman1]

I've seen John many times. And by "seen" I mean actually speak, hang out with etc. humble, engaging...brilliant. all around nice guy...each and every time.

[@jeromeclemente3672]

Impressive, Dana White

[@Zhaggysfaction]

"What does John like about that compressor?" "He likes how it compresses the sound." You don't say. It's always funny to hear people talk when they don't quite know what to say but have to say something.

[@nomadnomad9517]

Watch it again, that is not all that he says.

[@Zhaggysfaction]

Nomad Nomad Oh come on, it was a joke :) Of course I watched it and he did eladorate on it.

[@nomadnomad9517]

Sorry mate, bit sick of trolls that misquote.

[@MB-yw3pv]

yea because some idiot will actually base their opinion off of comments made by these trolls and then another idiot does the same and on and on it goes

[@richardaaron4454]

Well a compressor only does one thing lol... It makes all the strings the same volume.

[@kjmg65]

She is adorable

[@garybloom7445]

gotta put on a rackshow.....

[@okioki1131]

agreed

[@MikePortnoyAmob1]

ATTENTION! A lot of people are curious about JLB's equipment. Here's the complete rundown: Neumann U87 matched stereo set, Behringer Multigate Pro XR4400 Quad Expander/Gate API 512c vocal preamp, TC Electronic Voicelive Touch Vocal Processor, Celemony Melodyne, Pro Tools multiband compressor, limiter, de-esser, expander, high pass filter, linear phase EQ harmonic exciter, sample delay, stereo-widener, cathedral reverb + additional pitch correction - MP

[@TheWanttobegood]

That was a great rundown on jp if every possible rig malfunction possible was to happen to John he would thank the people for their patience grab a chord go over and plug right in to the head and make most guitarists wish they could even come close to the magic this man has in his FINGERS!

[@gram440a]

I was at that show, great show! Guitar sound was absolutely amazing. It was weird watching them check the amps with the PA off. You could see those 6 cabinets staring you in the face, but you could tell the sound was coming from FAR AWAY!

[@ethanmoeckel753]

I like the JP11 that John Petrucci has in a nice black color with metallic silver.

[@moustachio334]

John and his tech are an awesome team. I love the idea of the thumpers!

[@96muttrix96]

He got some beautiful guitars!

[@timetye4163]

true, though I dislike the majesty models...

[@BlakeMullens]

Vayle I did too, but the more i see it the more i start to like it, but thats just me.

[@RockstarVideoMaker]

Love that new Dreamscape pedal from TC electronics!!!

[@andrewpappas9311]

A friend of mine has a John Petrucci JP11 7-string that's a kind of Purple Burst, it's really cool and JP11's are awesome guitars

[@riffstud93]

Almost every rig rundown I watch, either here or another channel, there is some crazy awesome prototype guitar with a one-off feature we'll never be able to buy and they're just like "Yeah its a little brighter. We just use it as a backup and on one song sometimes." Haha. But for real that guitar with the aluminum top is badass

[@TheSnareguitar]

I was considering buying a Dreamscape pedal. Interesting that John doesn't use his own signature pedal live. Doesn't bode well for what it actually does... plus losing all the signal when using it, yeah... not good.

[@peripheraldevotee94]

I may just point out that this was filmed about four months before his pedal was released. The tech even says that the JP Chorus button was for future use (around 13:30 to 13:45) at that point.

[@Sensates85]

Love the gear rundowns. Good that she seems to enjoy her job!

[@DreamTheater96]

I met JP after the show in Philly. No ego at all. All around nice guy. Very polite and appreciative of his fans. A certain person that's commenting on this is missing the point. Just showing his rig. If you knew what you were talking about, you'd know that this rig is significantly smaller than previous tours. Octavarium was amazing. Black clouds was incredible. ADTOE is equally great. Suck a man.

[@funkboylazar]

She forgot to ask the guitar tech how thick the rod is.

[@MB-yw3pv]

BOOOOOOOOO! NOT EVEN CLOSE TO FUNNY, NOT A QUESTION ANY1 WOULD EVER EVER ASK

[@widowmaker5544]

@MB215 You just don't have a sense of humor

[@tobinwasabi]

Lol

[@MrMItzi-cc3xo]

we all know that no matter the size it's gonna fit in ….somehow

[@jbisch272]

Pauzidi Ipuing gay

[@SkorpheusZ]

@fsantosmajestade Exactly! The thing that made this so good is that she actually seems to know what she's talking about.

[@alittleinbetween]

Such a humble tech!

[@daphnewb5365]

truss rod adjustments while he plays? lawl

[@Cestariarts]

HAHAHAHA i laughed hard about it

[@MakeYouOnlyMine]

Isn't this Yngwie Malmsteen from the adam02 parody?

[@hamtheman222]

Yes! hahaha

[@lukeabrahamsen-collins808]

He has a cool rig and all but did you see mike’s drums in the background when they were talking pedals? It’s intimidating

[@PartyChicken407]

I love how they were talking about the Majesty.

[@Avalenor]

5:32 Yep! that definitely looks like a ,,B''-system to me!

[@MrMurens]

@kalakuttakamina He plays These Walls with the baritone, tuning in A standard.

[@texanguitar]

My brain would explode with this setup. I run 8-10 pedals most direct into the front of the amp, some in fx loop.

[@ShaneinDSM]

I would love to see RR's on the STAFF at Premier Guitar!

[@DropdaLTDtoB]

Is dream theater live as good as it sounds? 2 hours of a pure God like live show?

[@patrickolivier1]

I saw 3 times and it was pretty amazing every time! Was with Portnoy though, never seen ‘em with Mangini

[@SuperJBrowne]

Distortion is distortion especially the over saturated pre-amp kind but I guarantee if you crank your Dual-Rec it will be alot more dynamic and tight, thats the nature of tubes, but Axe-FX II is a great studio tool, especially with the patches that come out all the time but tube tone will never be beaten, it only takes a good pair of ears to know that.

[@yogengrg7690]

John's tech Maddi always has that serious look on his face. haha

[@ducky811]

I am definitely AMAZED that all of John's guitars are bolt on neck models!!!

[@JM-bg2ts]

God I miss you mrs Dirks

[@KeeperOfPoops]

she never would've left if these perverts in the comment section didn't make joke about seeing her rig

[@andrewpappas9311]

Did she leave?

[@KeeperOfPoops]

@Andrew Pappas yes, because of these sickos saying they wanna "see her rig"

[@andrewpappas9311]

William Allison Well then..

[@lo3572]

William Allison she left because of comments? It’s the internet.

[@JMelodic]

Best and most thorough rundown of Petrucci's rig, hands down!

[@peripheraldevotee94]

Well, they are using in-ears and micing cabinets, but like I was saying earlier, the style of DT's music demands the amount of pedals and amps JP uses. And they all use power. However, it's worth noting that the Axe-FX did get rid of heaps of rack-mounted stuff in JP's rig, which likely ate up even more power than this rig does. As far as I know, the Boogie amps are all set on 90W (as opposed to 45 or 10), but JP said this occurs only because of the resulting amount of dynamic headroom one gets.

[@carlosescudero9845]

where jp at? tell him to get his ass out here

[@mrmisterman999]

Terrance Hill The same way you managed mine kiddo. See when you try to out troll a troll you just get shit on and look stupid. Let this be a lesson to just sit down and shut up in the presence of someone superior to yourself.

[@KeeperOfPoops]

i ahree, this is the only reason i disliked the video, cos it's just a fuckboy and not the beard himself

[@danpena4472]

Best sound he ever had was on I&W. Perfect.

[@JayFraser0987]

@Randyolsson Nope, Petrucci does use 0.010's. When he did an interview for iguitarmag, Andy James asked him specifically that question, and he said that for him, 10's are perfect.

[@EndeavourBand]

Never, EVER doubt that you can do anything you set your sights on.

[@Gibsonguitar4life]

I've used one and I wouldn't use it over my Mesa Boogie Roadster and TC Electronics G-System. My rig is fairly simple...Other than what I named I use...A Maxon OD808, Behringer Rack Tuner, Furman PL-Plus C Power Conditioner, BBE 882i Sonic Maximizer, and a Rocktron Hush Super C. Easy to move around. Nice and clean. Not really a jumble of wires. Bring in my cabinet. Role in my rack/head case. Plug in about 3 wires and I'm ready to go. It's all about preference really. The Axe FX is nice though.

[@endezeichengrimm]

He would have to change all 6 strings to a thicker gauge and set up the Whammy bar to accommodate the lower tuning. It might also require a slight truss rod adjustment.

[@AndreNieri]

So he did change his TC delay units for the AXE Fx... wow, very inspiring change!

[@rushbum]

John start playing ibanez again!!

[@BlakeMullens]

why?

[@rushbum]

His sound was the bomb back in the awake images and words era

[@thewonderfulMRnoob]

rushbum John could play a twig with a rubber band tied to both ends and make it sound bomb.

[@tobinwasabi]

No

[@MrUltraworld]

The Piezo system in these guitars are absolutely the best I have tried. The tone can be set with small controls inside the control cavity. At first I thought this was limiting. But it truly is set it & forget it. Use something like a Fractal & nylon string tones are really convincing. They're great electric guitars, but the Piezo doesn't get the mention it deserves.

[@_rivergtr]

Very nice Tech!

[@Mesa3077Boogie]

great down to earth tech! I think i like the guitar tech better than i like John petrucci

[@KeeperOfPoops]

it's the other way for me cos the techs suck hballs

[@MB-yw3pv]

cos? hballs? when you get past puberty you will realize how retarded your comment is

[@VitorDuzarte]

@accless510 It's amazing how everything on his rig works. John is one of the most tallented guitar player in the world. Those amps are simply awesome

[@5urg3x]

This is pretty cool -- she knows all the right questions to ask for gearheads ^_^

[@gnrcr]

I like how they refer to John as ''he''. It's like they fear calling him by name.

[@Elemeninki]

@ltayl1 they spell it aluminum, therefore they pronounce it aluminum. Don't know why, but they do.

[@cassalinson]

This is one of the best video talking about JP rigs

[@downriverprod]

That foot wedge thing with the buttkickers is a really cool idea. The bassist for DMB has something similar set up.

[@SixStringHarmonies]

This made my freakin' day! Thank you PG!!! Been wondering what RD's been up to the past few weeks.....well, here we have it. Awesome Rundown!

[@DavideAnastasia]

I watch these videos only to see Rebecca

[@davedextermusic7129]

Ah. We might be talking about different things. I meant power as in the the actual volume/wattage, hence my miking up a practice amp thing! Clearly I'm not going to argue about the FX and PSUs John needs and I know there are good reasons for using whatever he feels he wants to. I just like the idea that you could, in theory, run a DT gig's guitar sound through a 20w Orange Crush or something.

[@reggiebellamy7112]

Great rundown....thanks for posting

[@einarabelc5]

I know that theatre. Nokia Live. I was at THAT SHOW!!! My 1st DT show!!! Awesome!!!

[@jbmusicman1]

John's is tuned to "A Standard" but the Baritone BFR ships in Bb Standard

[@EclipseAtDusk]

@MrDrummerpony The guy who's comment right under yours already addressed this - different spelling. We don't have the second "I" in Aluminum/Aluminium. That's why we pronounce it differently. If we stressed the same syllable, and kept our spelling, it would sound terrible.

[@EclipseAtDusk]

@blackwidow88812 He used it on Lost Not Forgotten on A Dramatic Turn of Events, if I recall correctly.

[@zerozerotwosix]

While I watch and amazed by all the stuff they're talking, I only understand like 5% of it. LOL

[@sharktroubles]

Bunters196 you're a genius with the Black Widow (?) spider crawling on the default avatar. I can't get enough of it!

[@iganpparamarta8813]

Nice custom gauge 10-12-16-24-36-46. The BGD string is perfect for my hand. 9s is fun but the B&G are too loose.

[@elephantricity]

@swanky23 Not really. Regulars have a 9 on the high E. I use them.

[@themaggot8]

You crealy haven't tried an Axe FX. I was blown away when I tried one and I was able to match my Dual Rectifer's tone

[@nickp440]

Best guitar tech i have heard so far

[@jbmusicman1]

Interesting, TC Electronics had a shot at domination but you're right...everyone's using the Axefx. What's interesting is how much it can do...all the programming parameters....and John basically uses it as a stomp box

[@serdar213]

Those labels on controller wow !! ''their colors, graphichs are really cool.

[@Virtuoso80]

I hate to tell you, but the 'sexual desire' patch bypasses the 'honor' patch almost completely. The second can modify the first via post-processing, but the first is always going to be audible in mix no matter what.

[@homersimpson8561]

Well in fairness Billy Gibbons, Flea and John Myung (also of Dream Theatre) also had their Rig Rundowns done by their techs

[@SamMerrell1]

@dellexgr You mean the ones with the Tony Blair pick-ups? apparently his hands generated to much heat a lot more than the sun, so his guitars caught fire but the strings survied so he made them to make his new guitar!

[@terrymiller111]

Mogami + Neutrik (noy-trick!) is the truth for cabling. Keep up!

[@JasonMcFly]

Not many things could distract me from JPs guitar rig. Rebecca Dirks is one of them

[@brpadington]

I'd love to see a rundown of Rebecca's rack. I heard she was using the Mesa dual rectifier rev DD.

[@LambOfGod4Life888]

just love the rig...................

[@peripheraldevotee94]

If you're thinking the size of the rig is overkill, then you might want to consider playing music in a venue larger than a pub. The amount of power required for concerts in theaters and stadiums has to be high, in order to project the sound over large distances. Oh, and try playing a genre more complex than blues before you start whining about how many pedals get used. Progressive music has always required guitarists to have a wide palette of tones on hand; even more so when mixed with metal.

[@Despond]

How many frets are there? Err you can see the double dot...

[@MetalMan73100]

Despond Err, she doesn´t play guitar. Check out the length of her finger nails, boy.

[@lalalaa1232]

if you didn't went to a dt concert, you must, i can't describe it, is just amazing

[@darrenguitar]

custom set you would need to buy the strings seperatly are buy the packs with them in it and save the rest

[@TheRobertCostello]

you buy the each string individually cuz its was a experiment set up, but i heard he uses the Ernie Ball Cobalt Slinky now

[@plasticapple704]

My favorite interviewer.

[@lawndart188s]

That was a great video. Tech is a very good interview

[@Virtuoso80]

So you agree that there is thought processing that has to occur in order for that to happen. I'm sure I'm also capable of processing the pain of getting a tooth pulled in such a way that I don't disturb people in the room with my screams, but 1. It's not that easy and 2. Why should I go to all that effort for them?