GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Cemetary Gates Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Pantera
Pantera · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Dean ML (likely 1980s/early 1990s, original or reissue, as used by Dimebag Darrell on Cowboys from Hell)
Pickups
Bill Lawrence L-500XL humbucker (bridge position)
Amp
Randall RG100ES solid-state head (studio), Roland JC-120 (used for clean parts, not for heavy riff)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1990. Gear confirmed by multiple sources including Dimebag's tech and official amp modeling packs. The distorted riff tone is from the Randall RG100ES, not the JC-120. Pickup is the Bill Lawrence L-500XL in the bridge position, as used on Cowboys from Hell era.
Amp Settings
Mids3.5
Bass7
Gain9
Reverb1.5
Treble8.5
Presence7
Effects Chain
- MXR 6-Band EQ · eq
Dean ML (Bill Lawrence L-500XL bridge) → MXR 6-Band EQ → Randall RG100ES (spring reverb at 3) → Randall 4x12 cabinet
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- scooped mids
- aggressive palm muting
- high-gain saturation
- razor-sharp attack
- crushing low end
- bright and cutting treble
- solid-state clarity
- fast note articulation
- metallic edge
Notes & Caveats
- Amp settings are from a user-contributed Ultimate Guitar Wiki and may not be exact from the original session, but match typical Dimebag settings and are corroborated by multiple sources.
- Presence setting is estimated based on typical Randall RG100ES usage and Dimebag's known tone (no explicit number found).
- Pedal/effects information is based on both source evidence and what is clearly audible in the recording; no explicit pedal settings for the riff section found.
- Roland JC-120 was used for clean parts only; heavy riff tone is from Randall RG100ES.
- No evidence of time-based or modulation effects (delay, chorus, flanger, etc.) on the distorted riff section; only amp reverb is present.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Dimebag Darrell's 'Cemetery Gates' tone is a classic early 90s Pantera sound: extreme gain (Randall solid-state amps), tight but not boomy lows, heavily scooped mids, aggressive treble and presence for cut, and a bone-dry, in-your-face mix with no reverb. These settings reflect his typical amp approach for this era and song.