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Cemetery Gates Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Pantera
Pantera · 1990s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Washburn N4
Pickups
Bill Lawrence L-500XL bridge humbucker, Seymour Duncan SH-1 neck humbucker
Amp
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1990. For the clean intro/riff of 'Cemetery Gates', Dimebag Darrell used a Washburn N4 into a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus. This is confirmed by Equipboard and multiple interviews. The JC-120 was used specifically for the clean sections, not for the distorted parts. No evidence of live use for this exact setup; this is the studio tone.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb3
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- crystal-clear clean
- lush chorus modulation
- sparkling highs
- warm low end
- shimmering top end
- distinct stereo spread
- articulate note separation
- dynamic response to picking
- no audible distortion
- studio-quality clean
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No official amp knob settings for the Roland JC-120 on 'Cemetery Gates' clean section were found; settings estimated based on typical JC-120 clean usage and genre/era.
- Pedals are not explicitly confirmed for the clean section; chorus effect is from the amp's built-in chorus.
- Pickup choice inferred from typical clean tone and Dimebag's known use of neck pickup for cleans.
- If alternate guitars or amps are cited elsewhere, they refer to distorted sections or live use, not the clean studio recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Dimebag used a Randall solid-state amp with extreme gain, scooped mids, tight bass, and bright, cutting treble for 'Cemetery Gates.' The tone is dry and aggressive, with little to no reverb, matching early 90s Pantera production and genre conventions.