“Music drives you. It wakes you up, it gets you pumping. And, at the end of the day, the correct tune will chill you down.” – Dimebag Darrell

Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell is considered to be one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time. His in-your-face tone, screaming pinch harmonicsHarmonics involve lightly touching the string at specific points to produce bell-like tones. They add tonal variety. This technique is used for special sound effects. Harmonics can be natural or artificial, depending on the method used., and incredible sense of groove created some of the best metal songs of the 90s.

Star is born

Darrell Lance Abbott (aka ‘Dimebag’ Darrell or ‘Diamond’ Darrell) was born in Ennis, Ellis County, Texas, United States on August 20, 1966. His father, Jerry, was a country music producer and musician who encouraged his kids to take up musical instruments. Dimebag chose the guitar and started playing at age 12, his brother Vinnie went for the drums.

He soon started entering guitar competitions and understandably, usually won. Two of the prizes he received were a Dean guitar in one competition and a Randall amplifier in another. These two pieces of equipment influenced his gear choices and tone for the rest of his career.

His early influences were Ace Frehley of Kiss and Eddie Van Halen, and the first major act he saw live in concert was Kiss.

Rise

In 1981, Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul formed Pantera, who were originally a glam metal band and Dimebag even used the name Diamond Darrell.
However, by the late 80s, their style and influences had changed drastically to thrash bands such as Slayer, Exodus, Metallica, and darker metal bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

Fame

In 1990, Pantera released their groundbreaking album Cowboys From Hell, and groove metal was born. They perfected the style on their 1992 release, Vulgar Display of Power. This was also the year that “Diamond” Darrell became “Dimebag” Darrell.

By the mid-90s things weren’t going too well personally in the Pantera camp, mainly caused by drug abuse, and the band finally split up in 2003.

A year after the split, “Dimebag” and Vinnie formed Damageplan, along with vocalist/guitarist Pat Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla. The band retained the groove metal feel and released their only studio album, New Found Power in early 2004.

Now

On December 8, 2004, in Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, USA, Dimebag was shot onstage by a paranoid schizophrenic former US Marine during a Damageplan concert, he was 38 years old.

Regardless of the brutality of some of the band’s music, his legacy will be one of a mild-mannered man with out-of-this-world talent, who dearly loved music and all of his fans.

Many bands have written songs either as a tribute or mentioning the incident, including Avenged Sevenfold, Black Label Society, Limp Bizkit, Type O Negative, Machine Head, Kiuas, Hellyeah, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Buckethead, and Nickelback.

From the number of tributes, it’s obvious that Dimebag has had a major influence on countless guitarists and will undoubtedly carry on influencing metal guitarists for generations to come.

Right Hand

Alternate PickingAlternate picking involves striking the string with both downstrokes and upstrokes in a continuous motion. It enhances speed and precision. Guitarists use this technique for rapid note sequences., Economy PickingEconomy picking combines alternate picking and sweep picking for efficiency. It reduces hand movement. Guitarists use it to play fast, smooth passages., Palm MutingPalm muting involves lightly resting the palm on the strings near the bridge. It creates a dampened, rhythmic sound. This technique is common in rock and metal music., Pick SlideA pick slide involves dragging the pick along the string length. It creates a scratching sound. This effect is often used in rock music., Sweep Picking

Other Techniques

HarmonicsHarmonics involve lightly touching the string at specific points to produce bell-like tones. They add tonal variety. This technique is used for special sound effects. Harmonics can be natural or artificial, depending on the method used., Lead GuitarLead guitar focuses on melody lines and solos. It often uses techniques like bends and vibrato. This role is prominent in rock and blues bands., LegatoLegato technique connects notes smoothly without breaks. It often uses hammer-ons and pull-offs. This technique creates fluid, connected melodies., Rhythm GuitarRhythm guitar focuses on chord progressions and rhythmic patterns. It provides harmonic support. This role is crucial in most band settings., ShreddingShredding involves playing extremely fast, technical passages. It often uses techniques like alternate picking and tapping. This style is common in metal and rock music., TappingTapping involves hammering on and pulling off notes with both hands on the fretboard. It allows rapid, intricate melodies. This technique is popular in rock and metal., Whammy Bar

Techniques Breakdown

• Harmonic Divebombs, Double Hand Slides, Muted Syncopated Rhythm, Whammy Bar and Wah, Natural Harmonics in Riffs

• Pinch Harmonics

• Pedal Tones

• Quarter Note Bends

• Combining Blues Scales and Chromatic Scales, Wide Interval Pentatonic Licks

Guitars

• 

  Dean Dimebag Dime O Flage ML

  Best Money No Object Guitar for Dime Tone
• 

  Dean ML 79 With Floyd Rose

  Best Budget Guitar for Dime Tone

---

Amps

• Signal Processing

  • MXR M-126 Flanger/Doubler

    Original Modulation for “Cowboys from Hell” tone
  • 

    MXR EVH117 Eddie Van Halen Flanger Pedal

    Best Money No Object Modulation for “Cowboys from Hell” tone
  • 

    MXR M152 Micro Flanger Pedal

    Best Budget Modulation for “Cowboys from Hell” tone
  • 

    DigiTech Whammy DT Drop Tuning Pedal

    Best Money No Object Pedal for “Becoming” tone
  • 

    DigiTech Whammy 5 Pitch Shift Pedal

    Best Budget Pedal for “Becoming” tone
  • 

    MXR M-109 6-band Equalizer

    (Check Dimes Settings From Tone Tab!)
  • 

    Jim Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Wah

    Used in "This Love" Ending

  ---

  Accessories

  • 

    0.88mm Dunlop Tortex

• Song - This Love

---

Guitars

• 1981 Flame Series Dean ML (“Dean from Hell”)

A Bill Lawrence L-500-XL in the Bridge position and another in the Neck, but the neck pickup is flipped so that the pole pieces are further away from the end of the neck.

---

Amps

• Randall Century 200

Randall Century 200 through Randall Cabinets containing 4 x 12” Randall Jaguar speakers (made by Eminence). Settings: Gain - 7, Presence - 5, Treble - 8, Mid - 3, Bass - 8. Clean Tones - Mesa Boogie Mark IV

---

Signal Processing

• MXR M-109 6-band Equalizer

• Jim Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Wah

  For the end of the solo

MXR M-109 6-band Equalizer Settings: 100 - 25%, 200 - 50%, 400 - 65%, 800 - 85%, 1.6K - 60%, 3.2K - 35%. Rack Equipment: Furman PQ-4 Parametric Equalizer, MXR M-126 Flanger/Doubler, Rocktron Hush 2-B Noise Gate.

---

Accessories

• 

  0.88mm Dunlop Tortex Standard

  Similar to 0.88mm Dunlop Tortex Dime Used

Note that you can move away from this tab and continue to listen to the video. Enjoying reading about your favorite guitarists while enjoying their skills.

• Solos of Dimebag Darrell (must watch)

  Enjoy.

• Dimebag Darrell - Randall Clinic All MUSIC

  Dimebag Handling Some Pantera Riffs and Solos Like A Breeze

• Pantera - Cowboys From Hell

  Legendary Live Performance of Pantera

• Complete Guitar ‘Domination’

• Squeal like a pig!

• Dimebag shows you how to play sections from some of his songs

Here are some GND selected tabs with our difficulty ratings to help you choose what challenge level is right for you.

• Cemetery Gates

• Walk

• Domination

• Floods

• This Love

• Cowboys from Hell