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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by John Petrucci. Every item links to its public source.
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What guitar does John Petrucci play?

John Petrucci uses Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty 6-, 7- and 8-string guitars, a Mesa/Boogie JP-2C for rhythm, a vintage Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ for leads and a Roland JC-120 for cleans, according to Premier Guitar's 2025 Parasomnia feature. His effects include his Dunlop JP95 wah, a Keeley Blues Disorder, Boss CE-2W and DC-2W choruses and an MXR Bass Compressor.

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What gear John Petrucci uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Guitars

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Amps and cabinet

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Pedals

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Studio: mics and preamps

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Studio: plugins

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Records that shaped him

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Questions

About John Petrucci's gear.

What guitar does John Petrucci play?

His Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty signature, in 6-, 7- and 8-string versions with DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker pickups. He used all three on Dream Theater's Parasomnia, in a spread of tunings.

What amp does John Petrucci use?

On Parasomnia he used his Mesa/Boogie JP-2C signature head on everything except the solos. For leads he chose the vintage Mark IIC+ he used on early Dream Theater records and Suspended Animation, and a Roland JC-120 for cleans, into a Mesa 4x12 Rectifier Traditional Straight cabinet.

What pedals does John Petrucci use?

Premier Guitar lists an MXR Bass Compressor, Boss CE-2W and DC-2W, MXR Stereo Chorus, a Keeley Blues Disorder and his Dunlop JP95 Cry Baby wah, powered by an MXR CAE MC403 Power System, plus TC Electronic units.

What mics and plugins did John Petrucci use on Parasomnia?

Guitars went through the Neve preamp used on Dream Theater's 1990s records, with an sE VR2 on rhythms, Royer R-121s for leads and cleans, and sE RNR1 and RNT room mics. Plugins included Waves H-Delay and Soundtoys EchoBoy, MicroShift and Crystallizer.

What albums influenced John Petrucci?

He named Al Di Meola's Casino, Steve Morse's The Introduction and Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't Stand the Weather as three albums that had a big impact on him, and has said his circle of friends listened to Yes's Close to the Edge and Rush's Hemispheres and 2112.

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John Petrucci
About this guide · Last checked

John Petrucci is the guitarist and producer of Dream Theater, the progressive metal band he co-founded at Berklee in 1985. This guide covers the guitars, amps, pedals, mics, preamps and plugins Premier Guitar listed for the Parasomnia sessions in 2025, plus the records he has named as the ones that shaped him as a teenager.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. John Petrucci didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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