Getting John Petrucci Mark V tone with JFET and opamps?

Ever since I listened to this video, I have been dying to replicate the Pull me under sound!

This is just UNBELIEVABLE, those palm mutes are as heavy and deadly as they are precise.

Disclaimer, this link here http://www.ssguitar.com/index.php?topic=2713.0 shows that the circuit below is fasle and doesnt work! Do not follow this schematic. EDIT

So I have been scratching my head as to how to replicate that and finally I found a Mark IV Lead Jeft simulator circuit online:

This circuit is really unique, a few things stand out that could create that heavy yet perfectly articulate sound:

• The tone stack is before distortion: by removing bass, the distorted sound is much less wooly and much clearer, the opposite of a fuzz for example
• Clean signal is mixed with the distorted sound: The signal takes parallel paths, one of them is just a low pass filter (removes trebles) and that is mixed with the distorted signal, that must certainly participate in the clarity of that sound.
• Graphic EQ: not included in this diagram but Mark series amp feature a graphic EQ after distortion, it could be replaced by a tone stack since John seems to only scoop mids at 750 Hz but it imples that imitating that sound requires 2 tone stacks, pre and post distortion.

So I am going to breadboard that circuit and and try it with an external graphic EQ and see if I can dial his tone.

Next step will be to eliminate parts until I can replicate that sound with as little components as possible to create a new unique, Pull me under JP distortion pedal 🙂

Stay tuned!

Giorgio