Riff Tone

Cowboys from Hell

Pantera

Guitarmetal1990s

Original Gear

GuitarDean ML (likely 1980s/early 1990s, Bill Lawrence L500XL bridge pickup)

AmpRandall RG100ES solid-state head into Randall 412JB 4x12 cabinet

PickupsBill Lawrence L500XL (bridge humbucker)

Amp Settings

gain5

bass5.5

mid4.5

treble7.5

reverb0.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1990. Dimebag's clean tones were rare and typically used the same rig as his distorted tones, with amp gain rolled back and no pedals. No evidence of a different amp or guitar for clean sections on this song. No chorus or delay used on clean riff sections; those effects were reserved for solos or other songs.

Tone Character(10)

bright and cleartight and percussivedry, punchy attackminimal reverbno breakup or edgearticulate single-note clarityno modulation or time-based effectsbridge pickup snapsolid-state clean (not glassy or warm)studio precision

Difficulty

The clean riff requires precise, syncopated picking at a fast tempo with tight muting and clear articulation, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Amp Settings for Cowboys from Hell by Pantera (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk Complete Guide to Pantera 'Cowboys From Hell'Dimebag Darrell’s guitars: the Pantera legend’s gear in depth | Guitar World Get Dimebag Darrell’s Tone from Pantera’s ‘Cowboys from Hell’ on Your iPhone or iPad with Amplitube for iOS | Guitar World

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