Top 5Seen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Photo: Birgit Fostervold (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by John Myung. Every item links to its public source.
20 items · Last checked What bass does John Myung play?
John Myung has been seen using Music Man Bongo 6-string basses with a Demeter rack, Fractal Audio Axe-FX II and Moog Taurus 3 pedals. He has said he went back to Ashdown amps for Distance Over Time, recording with an ABM-1200 EVO IV head and touring an ABM 600 EVO IV.
Top 5
Where to start with John Myung's gear.
01
02
Top 5Seen using
Fractal Audio
Axe-Fx IISeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
03
Ernie Ball Music Man
Custom Bongo 6-string bass
Top 5Seen using
Ernie Ball Music Man
Custom Bongo 6-string bassSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
04
Ernie Ball Music Man
John Myung Bongo bass
Top 5SponsoredHas said they use
Ernie Ball Music Man
John Myung Bongo bass“In terms of having something that really works on all levels it has everything that I need.”
Said in John Myung Interview: Building Dream Theatre (Gearnews), January 2024
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05
Rickenbacker
Bass
Top 5Has said they use
Rickenbacker
Bass“I got a Rickenbacker, and then I was playing nonstop, all the time!”
Said in John Myung Interview: Building Dream Theatre (Gearnews), January 2024
No store page for this one.
What bass gear John Myung uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Basses
Ernie Ball Music Man
Custom Bongo 6-string bassSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Ernie Ball Music Man
John Myung Bongo bass
SponsoredHas said they use
Ernie Ball Music Man
John Myung Bongo bass“In terms of having something that really works on all levels it has everything that I need.”
Said in John Myung Interview: Building Dream Theatre (Gearnews), January 2024
No store page for this one.
Rickenbacker
Bass
Has said they use
Rickenbacker
Bass“I got a Rickenbacker, and then I was playing nonstop, all the time!”
Said in John Myung Interview: Building Dream Theatre (Gearnews), January 2024
No store page for this one.
Amps
Ashdown
ABM-1200 EVO IV head
Has said they use
Ashdown
ABM-1200 EVO IV headSaid in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Ashdown
ABM-410H cabinet
Has said they use
Ashdown
ABM-410H cabinetSaid in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
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Ashdown
ABM 600 EVO IV head
Has said they use
Ashdown
ABM 600 EVO IV head“I love the simplicity of it. There is so little dial turning necessary.”
Said in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Ashdown
ABM 410 cabinet
Has said they use
Ashdown
ABM 410 cabinetSaid in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Ashdown
APM-1000 power amp
Has said they use
Ashdown
APM-1000 power ampSaid in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
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Ashdown
RPM-1 preamp
Has said they use
Ashdown
RPM-1 preampSaid in John Myung (Ashdown Engineering artist page), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Rack
Demeter
VTHF-300M
Seen using
Demeter
VTHF-300MSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
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Demeter
Tube DI
Seen using
Demeter
Tube DISeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
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Demeter
Optical Compressor
Seen using
Demeter
Optical CompressorSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Demeter
Bass preamp
Seen using
Demeter
Bass preampSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Radial Engineering
JDX speaker simulator
Seen using
Radial Engineering
JDX speaker simulatorSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Radial Engineering
JD7 signal splitter
Seen using
Radial Engineering
JD7 signal splitterSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Seen using
Fractal Audio
Axe-Fx IISeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
Floor
Fractal Audio
MFC-101 MIDI foot controllerSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
Ernie Ball
Volume pedal
Seen using
Ernie Ball
Volume pedalSeen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
Moog
Taurus 3 bass pedals
Seen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung (Premier Guitar), October 2011
No store page for this one.
Questions
About John Myung's gear.
What bass does John Myung play?
He has been seen using custom Music Man Bongo 6-string basses, and in a 2024 interview he said his signature Bongo bass had everything he needed. He has also said a Rickenbacker was one of his first basses.
What amp does John Myung use?
Ashdown says he recorded Distance Over Time with an ABM-1200 EVO IV head into ABM-410H cabs and toured with an ABM 600 EVO IV into an ABM 410 cabinet. In 2011 his rack ran a Demeter VTHF-300M.
What effects does John Myung use?
His 2011 Premier Guitar Rig Rundown names a Fractal Audio Axe-FX II with an MFC-101 controller, a Demeter Optical Compressor, an Ernie Ball volume pedal and Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals.
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Named in this guide
JM
John Myung
About this guide · Last checked
John Myung is the founding bassist of Dream Theater. This guide covers his Music Man basses, Ashdown amps, Demeter rack and effects from Premier Guitar, Ashdown and interview sources.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. John Myung didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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