Riff Tone

Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper

Dream Theater

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarIbanez JPM100

AmpMarshall JMP-1 Preamp into Mesa/Boogie Strategy 400 Power Amp

PickupsDiMarzio Air Norton (neck), DiMarzio Steve's Special (bridge), HSH configuration

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1992. John Petrucci used the Ibanez JPM100 with DiMarzio pickups for the Images and Words album. The riff section is high-gain and does not use the Roland JC-120 (which was used only for cleans). The Marshall JMP-1 preamp was the main source of distortion for the riff. No evidence of additional pedals for the rhythm/riff section; effects are primarily rack-based or from the amp. All gear confirmed for studio recording of 'Metropolis Pt. 1' riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingarticulate note separationscooped but present midshigh-gain saturationclear attackmodern progressive metal clarityfast alternate pickingchunky low endcrisp high end

Difficulty

The riff section is technically demanding due to its fast tempo, intricate picking patterns, and complex rhythmic structure, requiring advanced right-hand technique and tight synchronization.

Sources

JP's guitar tone : r/Dreamtheater Do any pro guitarists use solid state amps??? - forum topic | Ultimate Guitar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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