For guitar geeks and gearheads, Music Radar recently caught up with Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci for an extensive rig rundown. An excerpt is available below.

Ernie Ball Music Man Nomac Majesty

“For our last album, The Astonishing, we had this guitar specially made - just a small run of 20 were made for NAMM. It was modelled from the album cover, there’s a creature called the NOMAC, which has black diamonds surrounded by white gold, three rubies and LEDs behind them that shine through. There’s stainless steel, a two-piece abalone inlay for the symbol… it’s unbelievable and a very special guitar to me. I’ll use it for Our New World and as it’s a $20,000 guitar, I have to be pretty careful with it!”

MESA/Boogie 1X12 Cabinets

“The main cabinets and heads onstage are not on. They are there just to show people what I’m using because everything is mic’d in a corner at the back. Actually, sometimes we have MIDI controlling these heads as well, so you’d see the amps change channels even though they’re not being fed! So, as I have no sound coming off stage and I use in-ear monitors, it doesn’t really feel like I’m playing guitar, unless there’s some thump. These little 1X12s resonate with the floor and give me feedback when I need it. Plus, I get to put my foot on it, that’s the number one thing (laughs)!” 

Go to this location for the complete rundown. 

In an interview with Germany's Gitarre & Bass, Petrucci discusses the recordings for the band's breakthrough 1992 album, Images And Words.

Says John: “We had no idea that it would end up doing what it did for us, basically launch our touring and international career as a band, but that’s really what it did. We had no idea, no. In fact, we didn’t even write songs, really, that had that potential in that atmosphere because all the things that were being played on the radio sounded nothing like Dream Theatre, so we didn’t really think we had a chance.”

Guitar/gear photos by James Sharrock/Future