November 2011 \ Features \ Rig Rundown \ Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung

Rig Rundown: Dream Theater's John Myung

Rebecca Dirks, photos by Luke Viertel

See the basses, amps, and effects Myung uses live with video and photos.
Premier Guitar November 2011

PG's Rebecca Dirks caught up with Dream Theater tech John Zocco to check out the gear John Myung used for the band's A Dramatic Tour of Events fall 2011 tour. Watch the video below (and click here to see our John Petrucci Rig Rundown):

Basses


Myung plays custom Music Man Bongo 6-string basses. The basses have a standard body size with a 5-string bass neck for closer string spacing. The basses only have a single volume control (the top knob) while the other knobs are locked at the middle position so their settings aren't accidentally adjusted. The pickups are set to an even blend of single-coil and humbucker. The string gauge is .032-.130. The blue bass is used for alternate tunings (low A and low D). He also uses a fretless bass (not pictured) for an acoustic set.

Rack

Myung uses a Shure UR4D wireless. From there the signal goes into a switcher, then to a Radial JD-7 splitter that splits into three signals. The first goes straight to a Demeter Tube DI, while the second goes through a Demeter Optical Compressor, Demeter Preamp, then Demeter VTHF-300M into a Radial JDX speaker simulator. The third output goes into the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, which handles overdrive, chorus, reverb, and any other effects processing.

Floor


On the floor, Myung uses a Fractal Audio MFC-101 switcher with all of the patches he needs to switch between effects. He uses an Ernie Ball Volume Pedal as Master Volume to pull the signal back to tune. He started using the Moog Taurus 3 pedals this tour for what his tech calls, "seat-rattling low end."


     

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Comments

 (6 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Shaggy
on 03/13/2012 		Sterling Ball tried to make the 19mm folks happy by offering to build an SR5 with the 19mm spacing if he got enough confirmed orders to make production worth while. He needed a minimum of 100 if I remember correctly,and I think only about 25 folks expressed serious interest.It was a small but very vocal minority.
Ian Perge
on 01/18/2012 		It's not likely that JM's custom string-spacing Bongo 6-string will ever become a Production Model. It took 5 years of simply producing and good sales for the 4 & 5-string Bongos, the steady demand from loyal Music Man players asking for one, and a high-profile artist that *played* a Sixer like Myung to jump onto the Music Man ship and ask for one for Sterling Ball to make some artist models/prototypes for JM and then start a production version after Myung was seen with in on tour. However, in general the majority of Bassists are actually asking for a WIDER-spaced StingRay 5 & 6s rather than a tighter one: people have been asking for a 19mm SR as opposed to the 17.5mm standard, which led to an aborted "Factory Special Run" of StingRay 5s with 19mm spacing that failed to sell. So if the model that far more people have asked for but didn't purchase (with extenuating circumstances, I'd add...) as well as the fact that there's no Signature Bass models (and if there is, Tony Levin should get the first out of simple fairness! ;-) there's absolutely NO way Sterling Ball is going to make a tight-spaced Bongo 6 which it's already at the low side of average @ 17.5mm... for example, Spectors are @ 16.5 while Fender 5s are at the "full" 19mm.
Mark
on 01/10/2012 		Any clue when those type Bongos will be available to the masses?
claudio
on 11/12/2011 		demeter power amp, actually powers nothing, its output goes to the jdx,it is only for capturing tube tone
bagend teether
on 10/29/2011 		so he's going from the power amp to direct box/dummy load?
radial jdx speaker simulator.
so direct no cabinets outside of PA it's all out there in "audio land"
bongo boy
on 10/29/2011 		so did i miss something? what's his demeter amp powering?



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