Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci recently spoke with MusicRadar.com about the band's new album The Astonishing, their upcoming tour, and offered his top 5 tips for guitarists. An excerpt from the interview is available below

Petrucci: “One of the main things I look for in a guitarist is in the sound itself. I go for a certain sound, and I think it’s an important thing for making a player more identifiable in the big giant pool of musicians out there. You want a sound that people will recognise just as much as your playing. It’s something I’ve worked on through the many, many years!

My sound is the result of listening to a lot of Rush and Metallica, because I kinda combined the two. I dial in this heavy Metallica crunch, which I’ve always used Mesa/Boogie amps to get… it’s a very thick, crunchy, percussive sound. I actually have a new signature Mesa head that’s just coming out called the JP-2C, which I’m really excited about.

Then, as for the Rush influence, it’s using the big extended chords with added 9ths and open strings, with some chorus on there. Combine the two and I think you get what is my sound, or at least the sound I identify with!”

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