Tone library / Dream theater / Night terror

Night terror amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb

The Dream theater guitar tone for “Night terror”, dialed in for a Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Parasomnia (2024) — John Petrucci's modern high-gain prog metal tone

Original rig

Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+/Mark V, Ernie Ball Music Man Majesty with DiMarzio Illuminator pickups, Fractal Axe-FX for effects, TC Electronic G-System

Tight, articulate high-gain with pronounced upper-mids, surgical precision, scooped but not muddy, aggressive pick attack with liquid sustain
Amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb
CHANNELNormal (clean platform)BRIGHToff
GAIN 3 BASS 4 MID 6 TREBLE 5 REVERB 0 MASTER 5
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass4
Mid6
Treble5
Reverb0
Master5
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01Mooer GE150 — High Gain Amp Model

Run GE150 into Deluxe Reverb's clean channel as a power amp — the GE150 IS your preamp and gain source here. Use the 4x12 cab sim OFF if running into real amp, or ON with headphones/direct

Amp Type Mesa Mark / Rectifier model (select 'RECT' or 'MARK' in amp sim menu) · Gain 7 · Bass 4 · Mid 7 · Treble 6 · Presence 5 · Master 6

02Mooer GE150 — Noise Gate

Essential for Petrucci's tight palm mutes — gate kills string noise between riffs

Threshold 4 · Decay 3

03Mooer GE150 — Compressor

Light compression for sustain on lead lines

Level 6 · Sustain 4

04Mooer GE150 — Delay

Subtle slapback for lead sections — Petrucci uses stereo delays but mono works; keep mix low

Time 4 · Feedback 3 · Mix 2

05Mooer GE150 — Reverb

Very subtle — the studio mix has minimal verb on guitars

Type Hall or Room · Decay 3 · Mix 2
Why these settings

Your Fender Deluxe Reverb cannot produce Petrucci's Mesa Mark high-gain tone on its own — it's a clean platform amp. The GE150 must be your entire preamp/gain source using its Mesa/Rectifier amp model. Set the Deluxe Reverb completely clean (gain 3, flat EQ) so it amplifies the GE150's tone without coloring it. Your GRG170DX's Infinity R humbuckers are hotter than Petrucci's DiMarzios, so I pulled GE150 gain back to 7 instead of 8 to prevent mud.

PRO TIPPetrucci's pick attack is critical — use a heavy pick (1.5mm+), angle it slightly, and pick closer to the bridge for that tight, percussive chunk on palm mutes. The tone comes from the hands as much as the gear.

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These settings are for a Fender Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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