The first guitar John Petrucci picked up was a no-name plastic nylon-string guitar, which was so difficult to play that he soon gave up on the instrument. But somewhere along the way (you know, from really getting into the guitar around age 12, picking up more complex techniques, attending Berklee for a time, and eventually founding megastar prog metal group Dream Theater), Petrucci earned the chance to work with Ernie Ball Music Man to create a fantastic line of signature guitars.
Petrucci dropped by the Reverb studio to showcase some of the newest additions to his signature line: the Majesty Artisan, the JP-15, and the JP-16.
John Petrucci Signature Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty Artisan
The Majesty Artisan lives up to its name, providing artfully crafted angles and bevels designed to fit tightly yet comfortably against your body. The entire ergonomic design of the Majesty Artisan is meant to give you far reach and allow you to hit even the highest of frets. Everything from the through-neck design to the specifically carved horns are meant to extend and enhance the guitar’s playability.
And the guitar’s stately gold trappings, which include a Music Man Piezo floating tremolo bridge, hide extra goodies for your enjoyment. The volume knob actually contains a push function, which provides an additional 20dB of boost. The boost is obvious on clean tones, providing tons of volume, and although it doesn’t make as much of a difference when you’re playing with a bit of dirt, it does give you sustain for days. And to top it all off, the Majesty actually contains a preamp within its body, allowing you to play on lengthy cables without losing any sound.
John Petrucci Signature Ernie Ball Music Man JP-15
Sporting the same preamp and unique electronics as the Majesty, the JP-15 also carries on the tradition of the Ernie Ball Music Man JP guitars as a culmination of all the Anniversary series guitars before it. With a sculpted bolt-on neck that allows access to higher frets and a light, streamlined body, the JP-15 is a breeze to play and won’t be aggravating to have slung across your shoulder for hours-long shows.
The JP-15 wears Dimarzio Illuminator pickups along with a unique bridge exclusive to this model that has a Piezo pickup, which offers incredibly convincing acoustic-electric tones. You can even blend your “acoustic” sound and your electric sound together to create a doubling effect.
John Petrucci Signature Ernie Ball Music Man JP-16
Another member of the Anniversary series, the JP-16 is exemplary of Petrucci’s mission when designing these guitars: keep features of the guitar that are tried and true while offering new and exciting updates. And the JP-16 hearkens back to the original JP-6, which was first released in 2001, with the return of the scooped forearm contour. This specific shape is designed to feel smooth and offer an anchor for your forearm and hasn’t appeared on any Anniversary series models since the Anniversary series’ forerunner.
A new addition, however, is the Floyd Rose 1000 Pro floating tremolo system, which is a leap from the typical Music Man tremolo found on Petrucci’s signature guitars and a treat for Floyd Rose fans. With the JP-16’s Floyd Rose system, you get brighter sound with the same appointments you’ve come to know and love from Petrucci’s signature series.
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