Metal1990Cowboys from Hell

Cemetery Gates Amp Settings

by Pantera

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Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Cemetery Gates" by Pantera

Original Gear

Guitar: Dean ML ('Dean from Hell')
Pickups: Bill Lawrence L-500XL (bridge) for heavy sections; Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 (neck) for clean arpeggios (neck for clean intro/verses, bridge for heavy sections and solo)
Amplifier: Roland JC-120 (clean sections), Randall RG100ES (heavy sections)
Channel: Clean channel (JC-120), Distortion channel (Randall)
Tuning: Standard E
Pickup Selector: neck for clean, bridge for distorted
Strings: 0.009-0.042 (standard tuning, DR Strings)

Cemetery Gates famously uses two distinct tones — a pristine, chorused clean for the intro and verses (Roland JC-120 stereo chorus amp), and the standard Dimebag heavy tone (Randall) for the heavy sections. The IK Multimedia CFH Collection specifically models the JC-120 for this song.

Amp Settings

Bass

5.0

Mid

6.0

Treble

6.0

Volume

5.0

Clean tone settings estimated for the Roland JC-120 — known for its pristine, wide stereo clean with built-in chorus. Heavy section settings match the standard Cowboys from Hell Randall settings. The JC-120 is a solid-state amp with a characteristically bright, clean tone.

Effects Chain

→

Roland JC-120 built-in stereo chorus

chorus

→

Studio delay (handled by front-of-house engineer)

delay

→

1.Roland JC-120 built-in stereo chorus — The JC-120's legendary built-in chorus creates the wide, shimmering clean tone heard in the intro and verses. No external chorus pedal needed.

2.Studio delay (handled by front-of-house engineer) — Dimebag noted that his live soundman handled all delays: 'He does my delays — his choice of the delays, I don't care, just put the echo on there when it's needed.'

Playing Technique

The song showcases Dimebag's versatility. The clean intro features delicate arpeggiated picking on the neck pickup with volume swells. The heavy sections use the standard aggressive palm-muted riffing. The extended solo section is one of Dimebag's most celebrated — featuring soaring bends, whammy bar dive bombs, pinch harmonics, and emotional vibrato. The song demonstrates his ability to shift from tender to ferocious.

Sources+

IK Multimedia — Dimebag Darrell CFH Collection (specifically models Roland JC-120 'used on Cemetery Gates, fine-tuned to match the exact tone on the album')
Guitar World — Dimebag interview ('my soundman does my delays')
Guitar World — Dimebag Darrell CFH gear article (confirms JC-120 for Cemetery Gates)
Equipboard.com — Dimebag Darrell