Designed for John Petrucci’s Music Man JP13™ guitar, the new Illuminator™ Neck and Bridge Models are the next generation in John’s signature pickups with DiMarzio. John says he looks for versatility in his pickups so that he’s able to span a multitude of different sounds within one guitar, going from massive overdrive, very tight, rhythmical and aggressive to “more expressive, dynamic and very liquid” when he plays solos. They’re a bit bold — with more of the clarity and presence that John demands.

In keeping with John’s desire to increase the difference between neck and bridge pickup sounds, the Illuminator™ Bridge Model does three things: it increases midrange punch, bumps the highs up a notch, and tightens the lows. The sound jumps from the speakers when the strings are picked hard, and the low strings don’t get blurry with an overdriven amp.

John used the Illuminator™ and Illuminator 7™ pickups during the recording of Dream Theater’s self-titled album, released September 24, 2013.