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Quick tone direction
Build at least two sounds: a clear clean voice and a tight, shaped high-gain voice. Use a high-output bridge pickup for heavy parts and keep the lead gate loose enough for long sustain.
- Clean
- Clear and full, with light ambience and no heavy gate
- Heavy gain
- Tight solid-state-style saturation with deliberate EQ shaping
- Pickup
- Bridge humbucker for heavy parts; use a warmer position for clean passages if needed
- Lead effects
- Moderate ambience and vocal wah movement where the phrase requires it
- Gate
- Firm for rhythm, lighter for the sustaining lead
Cemetery Gates moves between clean, heavy rhythm and lead textures. One control state cannot reproduce the full arrangement.
Read the Pantera tone guideThe recording
Recorded in 1990 with producer Terry Date, Dimebag Darrell’s clean intro arpeggios are performed on the neck pickup of his Dean ML, routed through a Furman PQ‑3 parametric EQ and an MXR six‑band graphic EQ into a Randall RG100ES solid‑state head. The same chain, with the bridge pickup and the amp’s gain turned up, creates the crushing groove that defines the song’s verses and solo. The solid‑state amp and its paired Randall 4×12 cabinet provide tight low‑end and scooped mids, while the EQ pedals shape the tone for both clean and distorted sections. Dimebag’s technique includes precise alternate‑picking, aggressive palm‑muting, and wide‑range whammy‑bar dives that sit prominently in the mix.
Tuning E A D G B E
Signal chain
Original gear
Dean ML 'Dean From Hell' (early 1980s)
Guitar
Dimebag recorded the clean intro and the heavy verses with his Dean ML, using the neck pickup for the clean arpeggios and the bridge Bill Lawrence L‑500XL for the distorted sections.
Furman PQ‑3 Parametric EQ
Parametric EQ
A Furman PQ‑3 parametric EQ was placed before the amp to sculpt the mids and highs, a documented part of Dimebag’s studio chain for 'Cemetery Gates'.
MXR 6‑Band Graphic EQ (M109)
Graphic EQ
The MXR six‑band graphic EQ provided the signature mids‑scooped tone that gives the song its aggressive edge.
Randall RG100ES solid‑state amp
Amplifier
The solid‑state Randall RG100ES head supplied the tight, high‑gain crunch heard on the heavy sections of 'Cemetery Gates', as confirmed by studio rig documentation.
Randall 4×12 Cabinet
Cabinet
The RG100ES was typically paired with a Randall 4×12 speaker cabinet, delivering the focused low‑end and scooped mids heard on the record (likely used in the session).
Alternatives
Practical playing approach
Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.
- 1.Use the neck pickup and roll back the tone knob for the clean intro arpeggios.
- 2.Apply aggressive alternate picking and palm‑muted chugs on the heavy riffs.
- 3.Employ wide‑range whammy‑bar dives and controlled harmonic squeals during the solo.
- 4.Maintain tight timing with syncopated groove rhythms.
- 5.Blend bridge and neck pickup tones for dynamic contrast.
Frequently asked questions
What gear was used for the Cemetery Gates guitar tone?
The available research points to Dean ML 'Dean From Hell' (early 1980s) into Randall RG100ES solid‑state amp. The full reported signal chain and evidence links are listed on this page.
Are the original Cemetery Gates amp settings documented?
Exact historical knob positions are not reliably documented for most recordings. ToneTwin does not publish generated values as studio fact; it creates playable settings only for the amp and pedals a player selects.
What tuning is Cemetery Gates in?
The current research record lists E A D G B E. ToneTwin keeps corrections open when reliable accounts disagree.
How do I recreate the Cemetery Gates tone on my own gear?
Use the reported pickup, gain character, effects and signal-chain order as the target, then translate that target to your equipment. The matcher models controls for your selected rig rather than copying undocumented studio numbers.
Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.
