Although his setup was as simple as can be, the cutthroat tone that launched forth from his axe is seldom achieved by amateurs and professionals alike. It’s probably the most sought after sound in the metal community, and has been ever since he emerged on the scene with Pantera in the early 90’s.
Pantera themselves were a force more innovative than any other during that period, forming a mechanical tightness that has been constantly imitated but never surpassed. Years ahead of their time they were pounding out grooves that influenced the likes of Machine Head, Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Lamb Of God, and Unearth a decade before such acts had even launched their debuts.
The monstrous rhythm section fronted by Dimebag, with his brother Vinnie Paul on drums, found the band rocketing to the forefront of heavy music in the 90’s, and consistently pushing the boundaries into early 2002 before the band’s unfortunate demise.
Being a guitarist myself I always found Pantera’s music particularly interesting, not having to mention the fact that their soul axe-man was, in my opinion, the greatest that ever lived. Not perhaps for his technical ability, jaw dropping as it may be, but his innovation, fire, soul, spirit and sheer energy that was thrusted into every note. Most fretwork you’ll hear nowadays in the genre sounds stiff, lifeless, and without feeling in comparison.
The thing I always latched onto with Dimebag’s playing was how much it made me want to get out my seat and windmill like a motherfucker! This was probably due to the “push-pull”, or “groove” that was incorporated into the rhythms of the riffs and solos alike. Being heavily influenced by blues (as is most metal), and being a man of the South, there was even a warm country feel to his work. The stompy and catchy rhythms created by the two Abbott brothers were a fine concoction to get even the most placid of folk’s feet tapping, including my dad - possibly the biggest loather of heavy metal that ever walked the earth.
The Tone
The rhythm was one thing, but getting that “chainsaw” tone is another entirely. Just like with any guitar playing it can compare to an almost ‘nature or nurture’ argument, i.e. “is it the equipment he uses or the way he plays?” For Dimebag, as well as any other guitar greats, it’s a mixture of the two (unfortunately for us). But the desired tone can still be created, you’ll just never sound exactly like him – and on that note, nobody ever will.
Darrell favoured what has since been referred to as the ‘scooped’ tone. Ever evolving since the early days of thrash, the scooped tone is achieved by cutting or ‘scooping’ the mids out of your amp settings. This brings out that grunting, growling, snarling beast of a sound from your playing. Started by bands such as Metallica and Slayer in the early 80’s, it’s a must for most metal styles, although with today’s production you’ll find a lot less of the mid tone is cut to compensate for downtuning. But yesteryears bands used it in abundance, which is how they managed to have such a beefy, percussive, staccato sound whilst remaining in standard tuning.
So for a quick metal setup to your amp, assuming all tone pots are rated 0-10, it should read something like this:
Gain – 9
Bass/Low – 8.5
Mid – 2
Treble/High – 10
Dime used enough treble to make your head explode so make sure you crank it up. This helps achieve that razors edge tone, ensuring you have enough high dynamic to make all your pinched harmonics and lead runs scream out.
The Equipment
Obviously, the gear you use is going to have an impact on the sound, but you don’t have to have the exact rig to get close. His rig was possibly the simplest of any shredder that I’ve ever known, which is a great way to be if you’re a budding musician yourself. I find that getting bogged down in too many effects, eq’s, pointless tweaking devices and other expensive crap can deter from your creative styles. Keep it simple.
Dime was synonymous with his x-shaped Washburn, a design originally conceived by Dean, which was then sold onto Washburn in the early 90’s. The design is now, however, back in Dean’s hands with them producing the ‘Razorback’, a commemorative axe with all Dimes’ typical specifications.
Pick-up wise he used Seymour Duncan’s. In the neck position was an SH-1 ‘59 model which he used for those sweet blues textures (just check out the solo for ‘Walk’), and in the bridge was his signature monster – the SH-13 Dimebucker, which kicked out enough gain to maim a grown man, and all too often did - in the fierce mosh pits that his music spawned at live shows all over the world.
To ensure an even edgier crunch to his guitar attack Dime was adamant on using solid state amps (an avid Randall abuser for years), as opposed to tube/valve state. This is simply because you can get more drive from a solid state, where as valve driven amplification tends to be warmer, and more controlled. However, not long after he was on the road with Damageplan he developed an amp, alongside new company Krank, utilizing new valve state technology which had all the crunch and wildness that comes with solid state amps. It’s since become a must for the metal giants, with a barrage of names signing onto the Krank signature list, including axe slingers from As I Lay Dying, Shadows Fall, Godforbid, Nevermore, Avenged Sevenfold, Children of Bodom, and Arch Enemy, to name just a few.
As I said, Dime’s rig was simple and he used very few effects. The only ones you’ll hear are flange, and chorus (check out the intro to Revolution Is My Name) to get that watery effect and to add texture. Apart from that, the only other weapon in his metal arsenal was the trusty Jim Dunlop Cry Baby – the world’s favourite wah-wah pedal. A must for any metal player in my opinion, it’s the most versatile yet simplistic piece of equipment you’ll ever own.
