My Favorite Guitarist Just Keeps Evolving...

[edensdad]

+ 1 favorite guitarist, band, etc.

He keeps me interested. I get sick of music if it's played too much - for example: I never want to hear another Lynyrd Skynyrd song again, but I listen to Dream Theater's stuff, Petrucci's solo stuff, other DT side projects like LTE and the Explorer's club and never get sick of it. It's varied, melodic, musical, complex and inspiring.

Even though I'm the same age as JP and we are contemporaries with regard to our musical influences growing up and learning to play, he is my hero and IMO smokes the hell out of most of the other top players.

Even my loving wife, who listens to Christain funk, gospel and light rock likes DT.

I'm excited to play the next JP model guitar.
>^..^<

 

[edensdad]

P.S. - it's OK to be caught up in something and a huge fan - it makes life exciting to really grab onto something and have a passion.

Some people love NASCAR, others love Football, I love Prog Metal.

My wife thought it was odd at first that I would consider flying halfway across the country to see a band, now she would think it odd if I didn't find some way to see DT on the next tour.

>^..^<

 

[eliot323]

Good post and nice to see someone able to recognise that "life is short; so learn from your mistakes; and stand behind the choices that you make" ("The Answer lies within").

There's no doubt JP is one of the world's most accomplished players, able to play with technical excellence but also with great feeling and restraint when required by the song or the mood - I was spell-bound by his intro to "the Spirit carries on" on the Score DVD and by his Edge-like playing on "I walk beside you". His DVD still inspires me to practice with the metronome and his MM guitars are just inspirational to play.

He's one of my heros - he's a stand-up guy and not in the least pretentious - he is just himself...so no need to apologise for your admiration of a true musician.

My wife has also become a recent and true Dream Theater convert since watching Score - she plays piano and violin and has become smitten with Jordan Rudess...joined the conservatory, got the books/CDs etc. We're both 40...

Soon we can jam!

 

[edensdad]

My wife has also become a recent and true Dream Theater convert since watching Score - she plays piano and violin and has become smitten with Jordan Rudess...joined the conservatory, got the books/CDs etc. We're both 40...

Soon we can jam!

 

[Warg Master]

One other thing BP. This is something you never need to do.

Agreed.


26, 1 kid....... I broke the chain??


eh.....


Where's my guitar.... ah.... there it is... so I'll see you all lat.......

 

[roburado]

I'm 36, married, 2 kids.. (this seems to be a large demographic around here), and I too have been inspired by JP, his guitar, and his "Rock Discipline" video. I trust I'll be inspired by his next guitar, too.

So long as we're talking demographics. I'm in the 35, never married, no kids whatsoever demographic--a somewhat smaller group of people I'm sure. Yeah. I still love DT, and I'm one of the rabid fans. I go into work wearing DT workshirts. People think I'm maintenance/custodial until I change into my work clothes.

 

[Bungo]

Hey I'm 40, wife, 2 kids and I'm fat...but I still love Johns playing (hey I also went through a 15 year hiatus)

We're back on track people!...Bungo here, also 40, also 2 kids also fat! Hurrah!

Raz I think we're separated at birth!

I sort of lost interest in music and playing through a lot of the 90's as there really didn't seem to be much new stuff coming out that I liked much. Then I stumbled across Scenes from a Memory and have never looked back.

Whilst I'm still a massive Rush fan, DT are the band whose new releases I look forward to the most.

The two LTE albums, Scenes From A Memory, 6 Degrees, Train Of Thought and now Octavarium get the heaviest playing both at home and in the car.

I've had the chance to watch JP up close at about 6 DT shows now, and he never fails to impress! This includes the London cover shows of Number of The Beast and Dark Side Of The Moon. Top stuff!

 

[jeffrey]

Great post, Cud.

I share similar sentiments about JP. While I can't necessarily say he's my favorite artist (I don't have one really), he's arguably my favorite electric guitarist in more of a metal/rock genre.

I went through a funk about three years ago. I was in a band for the better part of five years that fell apart because of nothing more than bad attitudes and unwillingness to compromise.

This was the SECOND time this had happened to me. Another five years wasted.

The first time I didn't play for close to two years out of sheer depression, this time I was determined not to quit playing. I looked high and low for people to jam with, tried to motivate myself, etc. I spent a short bit of time re-introducing myself to Vai's older work (Flexable is still one of the greatest guitar records ever I think) and bought a UV777BK.

On a whim, and at my wife's insistence, I did that silly Guitarmageddon thing at Guitar Center in Austin here. I won the store finals and had the chance to go farther but decided I just wasn't into it. But a good thing came out of it...

A guy I met there watched me play and asked said "So you like Petrucci eh?"

I said "Pe-what? Who is that?"

"John Petrucci? Dream Theater? Heard of him?"

"Er, no. Should I?"

"Man! You play a lot of stuff like him; the picking, scalar stuff, 16th note triplets, you should check out his instructional video, you'd really like it."

So I did.

Call it one of those 'HOLY SH**!!' moments you don't have too often in life. So here's JP, playing much the way I play (only exponentially better of course) all this time and I'd never even really heard of him. That's what I get for avoiding magazines and listening to much music other than the small niche of stuff I like. :\

When the EBMM JP's came out I had to check one out. I really wasn't very impressed with the Ibenhad I was playing, but 7-strings, good ones, were hard to come by (and still are).

Needless to say, that guy who turned me on to that video and JP being the awesome player he is (and damn nice guy in person), and EBMM for making fantastic guitars, have brought me to this place and where I am currently with a very good band and a couple of guitars that constantly motivate me and make me very happy.

John and Sterling, thanks.

 

[CudBucket]

These are great stories. Oddly enough, even though I was a huge DT fan, I didn't plan on getting an EBMM Petrucci mainly because I assumed they were uber-expensive and secondly, I still hadn't gotten back into the gear enough to know which way was up. One day in December of 2003, I walked into GC and saw a used Pearl Redburst, dot inlays, natural headstock, no Piezo. I thought, "Hmm, that looks like the Petrucci model. Noone's here. I'll check it out". I knew in a few seconds that I was going to buy one. I drove home, told the wife and she said go ahead and order one. So I ordered one exactly like it and got it delivered to me in April of 2004. Just a few days after I saw DT for the first time in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. I'm now waiting on my 2nd brand new Petrucci. I can't wait to get it.

Dave

 

[eliot323]

I think one of the nice things about JP's signature guitars is they are so understated and not so obviously a "signature" guitar...unless you're in the know - I do get fed up of people who don't know who JP or DT is/are

I used to have a JEM7VWH and I got fed up of everyone wanting to know if I could play the Attitude Song...again!

At least with the JP I don't get requests to play 6 Degrees of Inner Turbulence...well not yet (he said wishing he could play the damn thing... )

Maybe one day.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Cud
That was a great post and one that has similarities to my own, - and it seems to others here too!

I didn't play a guitar in ernest for close on 15 years.- for so long that when I finally opened up my beat up Les Paul case with a beat up ol Les Paul, the cloth padding inside had stuck to it.

Seen too many people get hurt by bum deals and generally thought that I could do without it all.

I'm in my fifties married with 2 kids, and loving noodling around again.
I am going to have to get to hear JP's stuff as it passed me by.

Yeah stick around, this is a cool place to be and I for one hope that the EB forum will continue to flourish and attract new contributors whilst retaining us old uns!!