A handful of dates have been nailed down for this year's edition of Joe Satriani [ tickets ]'s G3 tour, which features the guitar hero with fellow axemen John Petrucci [ tickets ] and Paul Gilbert [ tickets ].

The North American outing gets under way March 14 in Phoenix and so far has dates in Las Vegas; Reno, NV; Berkeley, CA; and Los Angeles. Details are listed below, and more shows will be announced soon, according to a press release.

"I can't wait to hit the stage with John and Paul," Satriani said in a statement. "They are two of the scariest, most amazing players I've ever heard!"

The G3 formula will be the same as in past years, with each guitarist playing individual sets with their own bands and then gathering together with Satriani's band for an all-star jam session. Special guests will be invited to join in the jam in select cities. Past guests have included Neal Schon, Gary Hoey, George Lynch, Billy Gibbons, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Fripp and Brian May.

This will be G3's fifth North American run and the tour's 12th outing worldwide since its 1996 inception. The most recent G3 run through America--which took place in 2003 and featured Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen--was filmed for the platinum-selling DVD "G3 Live in Denver." DVDs were also filmed for the 1996 trek and the 2005 Japanese tour with Vai and Petrucci.

Satriani has sold more than 10 million records since his 1986 breakthrough album, "Surfing with the Alien," according to a press release. He has scored 13 Grammy nominations and is in the running once again this year for his latest studio album, "Super Colossal," which surfaced last March. The guitarist also released the double-CD and double-DVD packages "Satriani Live!" in October. Those sets document the Anaheim, CA, stop on the Super Colossal tour.

Petrucci is the founding member and lead guitarist for progressive-metal outfit Dream Theater, and has recorded eight albums with the group. He is also involved in several side projects, including instrumental rock band Liquid Tension Experiment, prog-rock supergroup Explorers Club and the Sega Saturn video game "Necronomicon." In 2005, Petrucci put out a solo album and a record with Dream Theater in addition to his appearance on the "G3: Live in Tokyo" CD and DVD.

Gilbert first became known for his work with Racer X and went on to garner platinum success with Mr. Big, which topped the charts with the rock ballad "To Be With You" in 1992. The musician went solo in 1998 and released his latest album, "Get Out of My Yard," last August.