Go backstage at a Dream Theater show, inspect John Petrucci’s guitar rack and you’ll find the 2019 Majesty signature models that are fit for the king of prog-metal. From tonewoods to pickups, all of these new models are special — but the limited-edition Tiger Eye Majesty is truly unique. It’s easy to fall for that smoky finish, but dig deeper and you’ll discover the one-off features that John and our master craftsmen have fused into the build.
It’s an absolutely stunning instrument,” John said, “and it sounds incredible.
Breaking The Blueprint
An electric guitar is only as good as its tonewoods. Scan the specs of the 2019 Majesty series and you’ll find premium mahogany and basswood as the timbers of choice. But the Tiger Eye Majesty breaks from the blueprint. Working closely with our designers and craftsmen, John shared his vision of a one-off model combining a three-piece Honduran mahogany thru-neck, alder body sides and full maple cap, for an amplified voice that oozes character.
What makes this guitar really special is the wood combination,” he explained. “This is the only Majesty that has a full maple top and alder body. I think that combination makes this guitar sound really exceptional.
To The Top
It takes a master craftsman to perfect a maple top. For the Tiger Eye Majesty, our team set out for the finest maple, book-matched to ensure the exquisite flame pattern rippled evenly across the entire top. With the top carefully glued to the Majesty body blank — and left to dry for up to four hours — the Tiger Eye entered the painstaking process of digital carving, with our ultra-precise computer-controlled cutter (CNC), finishing the body and fine-tuning a luxurious top that measures an optimum half-inch in thickness.
What’s really cool,” John explained, “is that this maple top is sorta featured throughout the guitar, so you see it on the headstock, and it continues on the back. It’s a three-piece neck, so there’s a strip of maple in the middle and then two strips of mahogany making up that neck. Absolutely gorgeous.
Finishing Touches
With the CNC work completed, the Tiger Eye Majesty was structurally sound but still a rough diamond, needing a few finishing touches to make it the stunner you see on the shelf. Next, our craftsmen brought the maple top to life with a detailed sanding and staining process, followed by a sealed polyester base coat, then another extensive sand-down. Only then was the guitar ready for the color coat, with the unmistakable Tiger Eye sunburst finish applied and buffed to a gloss-like gleam.
It’s gorgeous,” John noted. “And the Tiger Eye finish makes it that much more beautiful.
Roar Power
With its show-stealing looks and limited production run of 300 six and seven-string models, the Tiger Eye Majesty was the buzz of NAMM ’19. But it’s the performance that promises to make this electric guitar an all-time classic. With bulletproof hardware, ultra-playable neck, 20dB boost and custom-designed DiMarzio Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker pickups, the Tiger Eye Majesty is a winning choice for the most demanding live or studio work – and John is leading by example.
If you want to hear what this beautiful guitar sounds like,” he reflects, “I played it on the brand-new Dream Theater record, Distance Over Time.
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