Riff Tone

The Root of All Evil

Dream Theater

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarMusic Man John Petrucci JP6

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (likely 2-channel or 3-channel, as used by Petrucci in 2005 studio sessions)

PickupsDiMarzio D Sonic (bridge), DiMarzio Air Norton (neck), humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass6

mid5.5

treble6.5

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2005. Gear inferred from Petrucci's known rig for 'Octavarium' era. No explicit source confirms pedals or alternate amps for this riff section. Eb Standard tuning per source 1.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingmodern high-gain saturationarticulate low endfocused midrangeclear note separationcompressed dynamicsminimal ambiencedry and in-your-faceprecise pick attack

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast palm muting and precise alternate picking at a moderate tempo, with syncopated rhythms typical of Dream Theater's metal style.

Sources

Nº of songs per guitar tuning : r/Dreamtheater - Reddit Best Petrucci Tone : r/Dreamtheater - Reddit Any good dream theatre sections to learn for an intermediate guitar ...

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