Dimebag’s first guitar was a Hofner Les Paul knockoff/copy, which he got from his father on his 11th birthday, which was on August 20, 1977. Dime was asked some years prior by his father which present he wanted, a bike or a guitar, at which point Dime chose a bike.

Dimebag started getting into metal music as the months went by, and his interest in playing the guitar increased. He eventually returned to his father and expressed that he’d like a guitar after all.

When I discovered Ace Frehley and Black Sabbath I went back to my old man and asked if I could trade my bike back for the guitar. [laughs] Actually, I didn’t ask him that, but if I was slick, that’s what I would’ve done! I didn’t get my first guitar until my next birthday. I was about 11, and he gave me a Les Paul copy and a Pignose amp.

Initially, I just used the guitar as a prop. I’d pose with it in front of a mirror in my Kiss makeup when I was skipping school. Then I figured out how to play the main riff to Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water on just the E string. 

Dimebag Darrell – the Far Beyond Driven interview: “I knew it was going to be one bad motherf**ker – refreshing, new, and that’s what it was”

Sometime in the late 70s, Dime removed the neck pickup from the guitar and installed a smoke bomb device in the pickup cavity. He apparently did this in preparation for a high-school talent show, at which he performed one of Kiss/Ace Frehley’s songs.

Dimebag’s first Dean guitar was a 1980s sunburst model which he got from his father the same day that he won his second Dean – the one that would eventually be known as “Dean from Hell”. This all took place sometime in 1981 when Dime was just 15 years old.

As a kid it was always my dream to be with Dean guitars, to play a Dean guitar – to own one some day. And funny enough, how this whole thing evolved, after countless days of skipping school and gawking at the Dean catalog, learning inside and out everything about it, and dreaming it would happen some day, there was a guitar contest that came to town, and the a prize was the Dean ML guitar.

And at the same time – I didn’t know, my dad ordered me a cherry burst Dean ML Standard. The day when that thing came in was the night of the contest – and I won it! That was the best day of my life. I won the guitar, and my dad got me a bad-ass fu**ing Dean standard.

Dimebag Darrell – original source needed

Dimebag won this 1981 Dean ML at a guitar contest in 1981, the same day that his father bought him his first Dean – the sunburst ML. Owning a Dean guitar was a long-time dream of Dimebag’s, and as luck would have it, he got two of them on the same day.

This second Dean that he got that day, the one that would eventually be known as “Dean from Hell” at that point featured a maroon-colored body, and it was just a completely stock Dean ML – far from how the guitar ended up looking later on.

Dimebag was photographed with a white Dean ML guitar during a photo shoot in 1983, and on it was seen in some other photos taken around that same time. It’s likely that this was his main guitar in 1983/84, but besides that, not much can be said about the guitar.

This 1980s Dean ML was used by Dimebag around 1992, and more prominently later on during the Far Beyond Driven era. The guitar was basically used as a second to the Dean from Hell, most often on the songs in alternate tunings.

My main guitar is still my blue ’81 Dean with the Kiss stickers. That guitar just can’t be topped. I use that on all the songs that are in standard tuning. When we tune down to D, I use my brown tobacco-burst Dean.

Dimebag

As far as specs, “Far Beyond Driven” Dean ML featured a tobacco sunburst finish on a mahogany body with a maple top, and it was of course fitted with a Floyd Rose tremolo. As far as pickups, the bridge pickup is an original DiMarzio, while the neck pickup was changed a few times before Dimebag settled on a Seymour Duncan Distortion pickup.

This is the first guitar that Washburn sent out to Dimebag in 1994, based on the Dean ML. The guitar was a prototype, and sort of Washburn’s way of proving to Dime that they can make anything he needs. Soon after that, Dimebag signed a 10-year contract with Washburn and used a great variety of guitars produced by the company up until around 2004, when he returned to Dean.

To our knowledge, he never used this particular prototype guitar in any of the live performances.

The Washburn guitars produced for Dimebag were, as already noted, based almost entirely on the Dean ML model. To avoid obvious copyright issues, Washburn adjusted the headstock slightly, so one horn was shorter than the other.

This Washburn model Dime 3 was one of Dimebag’s main guitars around the release of Pantera’s 1996 album. The guitar was known for its rebel flag design, and the words “The Great Southern Trendkillers” written on the lower horn.

As far as specs, the guitar was equipped with a Floyd Rose tremolo system, a Bill Lawrence L-500XL pickup in the bridge position, and a Seymor Duncan SH1-N’59 in the neck position.

This is one of many Washburn guitars that Dime started using around 1995. This guitar in particular featured a green and yellow sunburst finish, so Dimebag nicknamed it “Slime”.

Based on the photos available, he likely owned several of these guitars, the most famous of which was the one with a green Volkswagen sticker on it seen in the photo below. That guitar in particular was equipped with a Seymour Duncan SH1-N’59 pickup in the neck position, and possibly another Seymour Duncan pickup in the bridge. However, most of the other “Dime Slimes” that he played had a Bill Lawrence L-500XL pickup in the bridge.

This Washburn was one of Dime’s main guitars during the “The Great Southern Trendkill” era and was most famously used during the Ozz fest in 1998. The guitar had a camo finish, the word “Trendkill” written on the upper horn, “Roswell” on the side, and a sticker of an alien on the back. The specs were the same as with most of Dime’s guitars – Floyd Rose tremolo, and Bill Lawrence X500XL/Seymour Duncan SH1-N’59 set of pickups.

This is another among the many Washburn guitars that Dime started using in the mid to late 90s. This guitar, in particular, featured a body wrapped in real Python skin, topped off with a high gloss finish. It was one of the few guitars that weren’t equipped with a Floyd Rose tremolo. Instead, it was fitted with a TP-6 style wraparound bridge.

Dime mostly used it just when playing “Sandblasted Skin” live with Pantera.

The guitar was also featured in Ola Englands video on YouTube, where he visited DIme’s house and got to see some of his guitars.

This Washburn Dime 3 guitar Dimebag got sometime towards the late 90s. He used the guitar during the 1999 Pantera and Black Sabbath tour and during the “Reinventing the Steel” studio sessions. He owned several nearly identical guitars like these, but the one he most often used had a small American flag on the body, and two all-black pickups.

His main guitars (on “Reinventing the Steel”) were a Washburn Solid Korina Wood ML, his favorite Washburn Dime Slime ML, his Washburn Southern Cross ML, a couple of Washburn Korean stock black ML’s, and a custom-made Washburn Black ML baritone scale, which he used specifically on It Makes Them Disappear.

Producer Sterling Winfield on the making of Pantera’s final album, Reinventing the Steel

Dean Razorback is a guitar that Dime co-designed together with Dean. Though he never actually used the guitar himself, and it was released by Dean posthumously, he did play the prototype and had approved it about a month or two before his death.

The finalized model came in various versions, featuring either mahogany, maple or basswood, mahogany or maple neck, and ebony or rosewood fretboard. It also came equipped with either EMG, DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan pickups.

Dimebag received a Pignose amp, together with a Les Paul guitar, for his 11th birthday in 1977. This was the first guitar and the first amp that he ever used, and he honed his skills on these, practicing hours in his bedroom.

I didn’t get my first guitar until my next birthday. I was about 11, and he gave me a Les Paul copy and a Pignose amp.

Initially, I just used the guitar as a prop. I’d pose with it in front of a mirror in my Kiss makeup when I was skipping school. Then I figured out how to play the main riff to Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water on just the E string.

Dimebag Darrell – the Far Beyond Driven interview: “I knew it was going to be one bad motherf**ker – refreshing, new, and that’s what it was”

Pignose is a small 5W battery-powered amp invented by Richard Edlund and Wayne Kimbell in 1969. The two sent out prototypes to the popular guitarists of that era, including Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, and Terry Kath. This led to the amp gaining some notoriety, so the inventors decided to form a company, and start producing the amp for everyone. The amp was officially revealed at the 1973 NAMM (an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants), and was named Pignose Legendary 7-100.

The amp was powered by six AA batteries or an optional AC and was housed in a hinged case design, allowing for some storage. It also had a preamplifier output jack on the rear, allowing it to be connected to a larger amplifier for use as a guitar distortion effect.=

Dimebag acquired a Randall RG100 amp sometime in the late 80s and used it on Pantera’s breakthrough record, Cowboys from Hell, released in 1990. From that point on he switched to a Randall Century 200, but came back to the RG100 in 1996, and used it on The Great Southern Trendkill.

I ended up using the old, carpeted Randall RG-100 head I recorded Cowboys From Hell with (on The Great Southern Trendkill).

From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

As far as the origin story, according to his guitar tech, Grady Champion, Dime got this amp after winning a guitar contest.

Dimebag was seen using a couple of Marshall JCM800 stacks in an early Pantera gig played in Italy in 1990. It’s also worth noting that these could also be JCM900s because it’s very hard to say anything conclusive based on the video material available.

It’s possible that Dime used these before making his dedicated live rig, which was powered by a Randall RG100HT.

Dimebag used the Randall Century 200 amp on Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven, before eventually going back to the Randall RG100 in 1996. According to Dime’s guitar tech, Grady Champion, during that time the Century 200 was used for overdriven sound, while a Mesa-Boogie was used for clean.

Next was when we got the Century 200s. We used six of those with a Bradshaw splitter. We ended up taking a Century 200 out and put in a Mesa-Boogie Mk IV for the clean stuff. That was the mainstay of the rig for some time.

Dimebag day: Dime’s longtime tech Grady Champion talks guitars, amps and tone

The Randall RG100HT is the amp that Dimebag used for playing live starting from around 1992. It’s more or less a rack version of the RG100 which DImebag used on the Cowboys from Hell album.

They’re Randall RG100 HTs they’re rack mount. I think HT means rack mount, I don’t know.

Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) 1992, A never-published interview with Dimebag Darrell

According to Grady Champion. Dimebag’s guitar tech, Dime used a Mesa-Boogie Mk IV for clean sound during a period from 1992 to 1996, while he was using Randall Century 200 amps for dirty tone.

Next was when we got the Century 200s. We used six of those with a Bradshaw splitter. We ended up taking a Century 200 out and put in a Mesa-Boogie Mk IV for the clean stuff. That was the mainstay of the rig for some time.

Dimebag day: Dime’s longtime tech Grady Champion talks guitars, amps and tone

This is Dimebag’s signature amp made by Randall, developed based on his feedback and needs. The amp featured two channels, independent gain and master volume, dual 3-band active EQs with mid sweep on distortion channel, a 9-band graphic EQ, and built-in effects.

According to Dimebag, he used the amp as part of his “B” rig – the “A” rig being his usual RG100 and Furman EQ/MXR EQs.

I have two different setups that I use. If I’m playing through the regular Randall RG100H, then the guitar goes to the Furman 4-band parametric EQ, to the MXR 6-band graphic EQ and into Randall. If I’m playing through Warheads, then I’m pretty much plugged straight in without those outboard EQs, because they’re built in.

Dimebag for Seymour Duncan

However, according to Dime’s guitar tech Grady Champion, the Warhead was only used for clean tones.

Dimebag used a Randall Warhead X2 amp for a brief period of time in 2003. He developed the amp together with Randall to be a sort of simpler version of the older Warhead model.

The Warhead X2 featured the same 300-watt power amp with two-channels and the mid-sweep, but the graphic EQ and effects were removed.

It’s basically a stripped-down version of the Warhead 1. The Warhead 1 had so many bells and whistles on it that if you didn’t know what you were doing, you could either tune it in really kick ass, or you could lose focus of what you were doing. I had so much stuff on that thing because I wanted everybody to have full control over it. But kids today just want to plug in and jam. So I’ve kinda just simplified the Warhead 2 so there’s no way you can get any uncool tones out of it.

Dimebag for Guitar.com, 2004

Dimebag started using Krank amps around 2004. On stage, he used three Krank Revolution heads, connected to 2 cabs each, loaded with Eminence Texas Heat speakers. This is the first tube amp that Dime used, or intended to use regularly, as all of his previous amps were solid-state.

Apparently, Dime saw one of Krank amps somewhere and decided to contact to company and see if they’d be up for a collaboration.

I told the old lady, I said give them a ring and see if they wanna shoot one out to me to check it out, to see what’s going on with it. Odly enought, there it was. I plugged it up, and I was like “god damn”.

Because you see, I never played tubes before. A lot of people always thought that my old sound was tube becasue it was worm. I just – every tube amp I ever played I could never get enough gain. (But) when I plugged into the Krank, it was like I’m getting the warmth and the shred your fu*king face off – whats going on?

Dimebang Darrell at Krank Amps, 2004

A few weeks before Dime was shot, Krank produced his own signature amp called “The Krankenstein”, which Dime got to use only a few times.

The first time Dimebag used an EHX Big Muff pedal was sometime before he started playing in Pantera, some years after he got his first guitar – so likely around 1979/1980. It’s also very possible that he used the Big Muff on the early Pantera recordings, but we have no way of confirming this.

My old man showed me how to play barre chords, and that’s when things started getting really heavy. But I think the turning point came when I discovered an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Fuzz. Feedback! Distortion! Dude, that was all she wrote.

Dimebag Darrell – the Far Beyond Driven interview: “I knew it was going to be one bad motherf**ker – refreshing, new, and that’s what it was”

Dimebag also mentioned using the Big Muff (albeit the mini version) on Pantera’s 1996 album, The Great Southern Trendkill.

Dimebag used a blue MXR Six Band EQ to modify his sound to his own liking. According to him, it was one of the most important things in his signal chain, next to a Furman PQ-4 and PQ-3 Parametric EQs which he also used.

The only thing else I use is a Fermin PQ4 parametric equalizer. I just use that. I don’t really use it for much more than just cutting out some frequencies that I don’t want, and boosting a couple that I do want. And the main thing is another vital, detrimental thing to my tone, is a little blue MXR, 6 band EQ, 9-volt battery and that’s it, I use a.

Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) 1992, A never-published interview with Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag’s settings on the MXR 6-band EQ pedal were set in an upside-down V form, with the 800 band being the tip of the V shape.

The Rocktron Guitar Silencer is a rack noise gate that Dime used regularly as part of his setup. According to his guitar tech, Grady Champion, the noise guitar played a huge role in shaping Dime’s sound.

It was more the gate than the EQ. The frequencies in the Furman PQ-3 and PQ-4 that were cut, were boosted with the six-band, and vice-versa. The EQs worked like a giant gain stage. I kept the gate tight. The Rocktron Guitar Silencer was the favourite here.

Dimebag day: Dime’s longtime tech Grady Champion talks guitars, amps and tone

Dimebag used Furman PQ-4 Parametric EQ from around 1991 to adjust the sound of his rig to his liking. Sometime towards the late 90s, he switched to the PQ-3.

The only thing else I use is a Fermin PQ-4 parametric equalizer. I just use that. I don’t really use it for much more than just cutting out some frequencies that I don’t want, and boosting a couple that I do want.

Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) 1992, A never-published interview with Dimebag Darrell

Nowadays, people who want to replicate the “Dimebag sound” usually go for a Randal RG100, a Furman PQ-4 (or 3), and an MXR 6 Band Graphic Equalizer – which is another EQ that Dimebag used to alter his sound and make it more aggressive.

Dimebag used the Digitech WH-1 Whammy pedal to create quick jumps in octave, most famously heard on the main riff for the song “Becoming” from Pantera’s 1994 album Far Beyond Driven.

Basically, I just use the two octaves up on the whammy pedal, blowing sh*t up, grabbing octaves, and going up for that “squeal” sound. Probably most famously known on “Becoming”.

Dimebag Darrell talks about his gear in Damageplan

At one point around 2000, he ran two of these on his pedalboard, as can be seen on a rig diagram published by Guitar.com, that’s readily available online.

Dimebag mentioned in a 1994 interview that he used a Dunlop pedal on the song “Because”. He, unfortunately, did not specify the model. It could’ve been a 535Q, which came out that same year, or something older like the GCB95.

That was one of the songs that started with Vinnie’s incredible drum groove. Because I used the Whammy Pedal on the rhythm part, I decided to use it on the lead as well. The only thing I had between my guitar and my amp was my Dunlop wah and the Whammy, so like an idiot I decided to try and play my solo using both effects simultaneously.

Dimebag Darrell – the Far Beyond Driven interview: “I knew it was going to be one bad motherf**ker – refreshing, new, and that’s what it was”

Dimebag mentioned using this pedal in an interview with Guitar World published in 1994. The interview was focused on Pantera’s 1996 Album, “The Great Southern Trendkill”, and Dime only mentioned the pedal in passing, so we don’t know on which song exactly he used it.

I also used a Roland AP-2 Phase II pedal, a KorgAX30G, a Digitech Whammy pedal, of course!, a Boss CE1 Chorus and a bunch of old Electro-Harmonix shit — a Small Stone Phaser, an Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix, a Little Big Muff and a Soul Preacher Compressor/Sustainer.

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’, Guitar World

Dimebag used the MXR Flanger/Double throughout his career, starting from around 1991. It can be heard on songs like “Cowboys from Hell” in the intro, on “Slaughtered” and “Hellbound”.

Dime also mentioned using the MXR Flanger/Doubler occasionally on Pantera’s 1996 album, “The Great Southern Trendkill”. Unfortunately, he did not specify anything more than that.

I hooked up my MXR Flanger/Doubler every once in a while and I used an E-Bow for a real smooth, continual sustain on “10’s.”

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’, Guitar World

Dimebag started using the Furman PQ-3 Parametric EQ around the time Pantera started working on material for their 1996 album, The Great Southern Trendkill.

In addition to my RG-100 stack, I used an old Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ, which has a different gain structure from the PQ-4’s I’ve got in my main rack, my blue MXR 6-band graphic EQ and a cheap little Boss Noise Gate. Then, when we did the demos, I was liking the way everything was sounding so I thought, “Don’t fuck with it, there it is!”

From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

There are some sources that claim that Dime used a PQ-3 on Cowboys from Hell too and that he switched to the PQ-4 for a few years, and then went back to the PQ-3 in 1996, but there doesn’t seem to be anything conclusive on this. Furthermore, in the 1992 interview (quoted on the PQ-4 page), Dime only mentioned the PQ-4 and didn’t say anything about using a PQ-3 prior to that.

Dimebag mentioned the Roland AP-2 Phased II pedal in a Guitar World interview as one of the effects that he used on Pantera’s 1996 album, but did not go into any specifics regarding which song he used it on.

In case you ever come across any interviews where Dime talks specifically about his use of a phaser, or you happen to have any more information on this, please be sure to post it in the comments.

Dimebag used an Ebow on the song “10’s” from Pantera’s 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill.

I used an E-Bow for a real smooth, continual sustain on “10’s.”

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’, Guitar World

Ebow is a handheld electronic device that is used to produce sustained notes and create various effects on an electric guitar. It works by creating a magnetic field that causes the guitar strings to vibrate continuously, producing a sustained sound similar to a bowed instrument. This effect allows guitarists to create long, sustained notes without having to pick or strum the strings repeatedly.

Lexicon Vortex is a rack multi-effect unit that Dimebag used on the studio recording of “The Underground in America” from Pantera’s 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill.

(I used) a Lexicon Vortex for the shimmering, breathy tone on my theme-like lead in “The Underground in America.”

From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

The Lexicon Vortex offers a wide range of effects, including chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, rotary, and more. The unit also includes unique sounds like pitch-shifted delays and modulated reverbs. So, among all of these, it’s unknown which settings exactly Dimebag used.

Korg AX30G is a digital effect processor and one of the effects that Dimebag mentioned using on Pantera’s 1996 album, The Great Southern Trendkill. Unfortunately, the unit was only mentioned by name, and Dime didn’t go into any details (for source see – From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’).

Dimebag used the Korg Pandora multi-effects unit on the song “10’s”. According to him, it was used on a small section to create a “fluttering” sound, so he could be referring to that noise that pops in the background throughout the song, the first time just before the vocals start.

I also used one of those little Korg Pandora boxes for a weird, fluttering sound on a short passage in “10’s” and a Lexicon Vortex for the shimmering, breathy tone on my theme-like lead in “The Underground in America.”

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

The Korg Pandora is a small, battery-powered, guitar processor unit released in 1996, with 60 different effects built in. It’s rarely used for studio work because it’s generally considered to be of lesser quality when it comes to the sound produced, but it looks like Dimebag didn’t mind it at all.

In an interview with Guitar World just after the release of Pantera’s 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill, Dime mentioned that he used a Vox wah on the first part of the album.

I used my Vox Wah on the earlier part of the recording and then Jimmy Dunlop sent me one of his rack-mount units [Crybaby DCR-1SR]. Man, that thing is incredible, you can literally get whatever you want out of it. I also really like the idea that you can run a bunch of Wah pedals all over the place on stage with it so you’re not always tied to that one spot. The only uncool thing about it is that Rex [Brown, bassist] will be dicking me off every night ’cause he’ll be jumping on my pedals all the time!

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

It’s important to mention here that in 1994 Dimebag said that he used a Dunlop Wah, specifically on the song “Because”. So, it seems he went from Dunlop to Vox in 1996, and again to Dunlop (to the DCR-1SR).

Unfortunately, there don’t appear to be any photos of Dimebag’s pedalboard from this era, and Dime does not specify the exact Vox wah model that he was using. The V847 was the most popular model from around that period, so perhaps that’s the most likely candidate.

Dimebag used the Korg G1 guitar processor on the domes for The Great Southern Trendkill album. Apparently, some of the stuff sounded so good, that the band just used it on the actual record.

I also used a Korg G1 on the demos and some of that made it on the record. If l can’t beat a part of the demo we’II just extract that small section and use it. The G1 is a bad-sounding little unit, man.

From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

The Korg ToneWorks G1 is a guitar multi-effects processor that was first introduced in the mid-1990s. It features a variety of built-in effects, including distortion, overdrive, chorus, flanger, delay, and reverb, as well as a variety of amp simulations and cabinet emulations.

The types of all-in-one effect processors are often frowned upon as being inferior when compared to the classic dedicated effect pedals, but based on Dimebag’s experience, the G1 is definitely a good-sounding unit.

Dimebag used the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble while doing studio work on The Great Southern Trendkill, and possibly on other Pantera releases as well.

I also used a Roland AP-2 Phase II pedal, a KorgAX30G, a Digitech Whammy pedal, of course!, a Boss CE1 Chorus and a bunch of old Electro-Harmonix shit — a Small Stone Phaser, an Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix, a Little Big Muff and a Soul Preacher Compressor/Sustainer.

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’, Guitar World

Dimebag started using the Dunlop Cry Baby DCR-1sr rack-mounted wah sometime in 1996. In an interview with Guitar World in which he discussed Pantera’s 1996 album, Dime said that he used a Vox wah for the earlier part of the album, and then switched to the DCR-1SR, which he got directly from Dunlop.

I used my Vox Wah on the earlier part of the recording and then Jimmy Dunlop sent me one of his rack-mount units [Crybaby DCR-1SR]. Man, that thing is incredible, you can literally get whatever you want out of it.

I also really like the idea that you can run a bunch of Wah pedals all over the place on stage with it so you’re not always tied to that one spot. The only uncool thing about it is that Rex [Brown, bassist] will be dicking me off every night ’cause he’ll be jumping on my pedals all the time!

Dimebag Darrell Discusses Pantera’s 1996 Album, ‘The Great Southern Trendkill’

It’s unknown for how long Dime used this wah, but there is a rig diagram made by Guitar.com that indicates that in 2000 he was using a 535Q wah instead. We, of course, have no way of knowing how credible this diagram is, but it’s definitely possible that he decided to get rid of the rack wah and go back to a regular pedal at some point.

The EHX Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix is another pedal that Dimebag mentioned briefly in the 1996 Guitar World interview, while he was talking about the gear that he used during The Great Southern Trendkill studio sessions.

If you have any knowledge of the songs on which Dime used this pedal, please leave a comment below.

Soul Preacher Compressor/Sustainer is another pedal that Dimebag mentioned in the 1996 Guitar World interview, on which we basically have no information. As is the case with the rest of the pedals mentioned in that interview (all of which are listed on this page) if you have any more information on them, leave a comment below.

Dimebag used the MXR ZW-44 Zakk Wylde signature overdrive pedal extensively with Damageplan. It’s hard to find information online on when exactly this pedal came out, but it was likely sometime around 2000.

Most famously, Dimebag used this pedal during a demonstration of his effect in a short video recorded sometime in the early 2000s. He played a cover of Gary Moore’s “Still Got the Blues” to demonstrate the sustain that he gets from it.

It’s another overdrive. I grab it for sustain and stuff, you know.

Dimebag Darrell talks about his gear in Damageplan.

The Dunlop Wah from Hell is a signature guitar effects pedal created in collaboration between Dunlop and Dimebag Darrell sometime around 2003. The pedal was based heavily on the 535Q model, with some additional features added to it.

The main feature of the Dunlop Wah from Hell compared to the 535Q is a custom-tuned sweep that allows for a wide range of tonal variations, from subtle, understated wah to bold and aggressive. Aside from that, it has the same Q control and a switchable boost as the 535Q, which can be used to increase the gain and volume of the signal.

As far as whether DImebag actually used this pedal – most of the fans argue that Dime himself never used it and that he instead went with the 535Q. However, he was seen using the pedal in the famous video where he demonstrated his rig with the Damageplan.

The Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor was seen on the last known version of Dimebag’s pedalboard, used with Damageplan. Photos of this pedal can be seen on this page – Visiting Dimebag Darrell’s Home | The Making of Stompbox Book (scroll all the way to the bottom).

Based on the photo, the threshold on the NS-2 was set to around 11, decay to 8, and the mode was set to “reduction”.

In case you’re not familiar with what the noise suppressor guitar pedal is used for – it is used to reduce or eliminate unwanted noise, such as hum or hiss. The pedal works by detecting the level of the incoming signal and then cutting off the signal when it falls below a certain threshold. This can be helpful when playing with high-gain settings or using distortion (which Dime obviously did) or other effects that can add unwanted noise to the signal.

The Boss RV-3 was seen on the last known version of Dimebag’s pedalboard, photos of which can be seen here – Visiting Dimebag Darrell’s Home | The Making of Stompbox Book.

The pedal had a small tape covering it with all the settings written on it so that Dime could easily set it up without having to remember every individual knob position. Based on those settings, he set his balance knob to around 9 o clock, tone to 8, reverb time to 12, and mode to either 6, 7, or 8. On the RV-3, “6” and “7” on the mode knob reverb on top of delay, while “8” is only reverb – but it’s unfortunately very hard to say for sure which mode Dimebag used. It looks like it could be on 7, but it appears that there’s a number “6” written on the tape.

This is a Dimebag signature distortion pedal produced by MXR. It’s important to point out that this pedal was released posthumously, so Dime obviously never really used it himself. However, since it’s a well-known pedal and fans often opt to buy it, it’s still good to have it on this list.

The pedal was designed to sort of replicate Dime’s sound without all the EQs and the amps that he used in his rig – basically to be Dime’s sound in a box. However, it was not all that well received, and the general opinion is that it does not do the job that well. If you’re interested in hearing the pedal, Ola Englund’s review is a good place to start – WILL IT CHUG? – MXR Dime Distortion.

Dimebag used his own signature guitar strings made by DR strings called the “Hi-Voltage” Electric Guitar Strings. He used a 9-46 on all the guitars in standard tuning, and the 9-50 set on his drop-D guitars.

I’m using two different custom-gauged sets of DR strings which will soon be released as signature sets. One set is .009-.046 set and the other is .009-.050. I use the heavier strings on the lower tunings.

Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag used green Dunlop Tortex .88mm picks most of the time. He usually had custom prints depending on whether he played with Pantera or with Damageplan.

He was also seen using black guitar picks, again with his own custom prints, but at this point, we don’t know whether these were of different thicknesses or not.

Based on an ad from 1996, Dimebag used Specraflex braided guitar cables in his rig.