Tone Central: The Neck-Thru Design That Makes John Petrucci’s New Majesty the Player’s Choice

There are a thousand reasons to fall for John Petrucci’s new signature Majesty. Maybe you’ve been stunned by the spotlight-stealing colors on Dream Theater’s summer arena tour. Perhaps you’ve been shaken by the brutal beauty of the custom-designed DiMarzio pickups on the prog-metallers’ acclaimed Distance Over Time album. But it’s only when you strap on the Majesty and explore its unique thru-neck that you realize this is the most fluid, toneful and technique-boosting model you’ve ever held in your hands.

The 2019 Majesty’s are based on the pursuit of just making the guitar more and more comfortable to play,” Petrucci said. “And pushing the boundaries as far as design.

The Concept

Since joining us in 2001 to develop the JP series, Petrucci has always been a blue-sky thinker with a design talent to rival his chops. So when inspiration struck for a new generation of signature models, he didn’t hesitate to call up CEO Sterling Ball from the road.

And I proceeded to tell Sterling how I wanted to take the guitar to the next level,” Petrucci recalled, “do a neck-thru and have it be about strength, beauty and speed, just like a stallion. The stallion name eventually changed to Majesty.

The Challenge

Bolt-on and set-necks are easier and cheaper builds than the thru format, where a central block of tonewood runs the length of the instrument. But when it came to the new Majesty, neither Petrucci nor our master craftsmen were prepared to compromise. So began the arduous process of contouring the thru-neck for maximum resonance, unbeatable strength and unlimited access to every last one of the 24 frets — all vital demands for a player of Petrucci’s technical capabilities.

If we tried to chase after what other people like and we thought about that too much,” he reasoned of the Majesty’s one-off neck spec, “then the guitar wouldn’t be coming from a genuine place.

The Tone

The Majesty’s build process might be demanding — but one of the greatest paybacks of the thru-neck format is the unbeatable resonance and commanding tone.

“It’s one big piece of mahogany that the pickups and bridge are direct-mounted to, so there’s all the resonance right there,” Petrucci explained. “And then the sides, whether you choose basswood or mahogany, they’re all going to have different tonal characteristics. The Majesty guitar has a really bold, present, upfront sustaining personality to it. They’re absolutely unbelievable.

The Performance

For ambitious players, the flowing thru-neck spells musical freedom and complete creative expression. But when you choose the Majesty, you’ll quickly realize it’s just one of the design features that helps your fingers fly. From the satisfying neck profile with its high-gloss polyester finish, to the ebony fretboard with medium-jumbo stainless steel fret wire, the Majesty has been forensically considered from all angles to give you total command of your instrument.

The neck feels unbelievable,” Petrucci said. “It’s just really, really classy under your fingers.