Thomas John Peterson (born May 9, 1950), better known as Tom Petersson, is an American musician who is best known as the bass guitar player for the rock band Cheap Trick.

[1] Before joining Cheap Trick, Petersson played in a number of bands, including the Bol Weevils, the Grim Reapers, Sick Man of Europe, and Fuse.

[9] From 1985 to 1987, he joined Pete Comita, who had briefly replaced him in Cheap Trick, in a reformed version of his early band, Sick Man of Europe, which also included songwriter Janna Allen.

[15] He prominently used a vintage Gibson Thunderbird bass as his main stage instrument for many years, until a girlfriend threw it out of a hotel window during an argument.

[citation needed] Professionally, he has endorsed a number of different bass brands during his career, including Hamer, Chandler, Waterstone, Electrical Guitar Company, Hofner, and Mike Lull.