Groove Metal1996The Great Southern Trendkill

Floods (Guitar Riff) Amp Settings

by Pantera

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Original Recording Settings

Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Floods (Guitar Riff)" by Pantera

Original Gear

Guitar: Washburn Dimebag Darrell signature-era guitars (exact model for the Floods rhythm tracking not specified in retrieved sources)
Pickups: Bill Lawrence L-500 series (family cited; exact pickup and guitar for Floods rhythm not specified) (bridge)
Amplifier: Randall RG-100 head (carpeted RG-100 cited in Trendkill-era interview context)
Channel: Not specified
Tuning: D standard (A≈425Hz; slightly flat concert pitch)
Pickup Selector: bridge

Trendkill-era accounts emphasize EQ-driven gain staging + tight gating into Randall solid-state heads.

Amp Settings

Gain

7.0

Bass

7.0

Mid

2.0

Treble

6.0

Presence

6.0

Master Volume

6.0

Volume

7.0

No published, song-specific knob positions were found in retrieved sources; values estimated to represent Trendkill-era scooped rhythm tightness and clarity.

Effects Chain

→

Furman PQ-3 (parametric EQ)

parametric EQ / pre-boost

→

MXR 6-band graphic EQ (blue)

graphic EQ / pre-boost

→

Noise gate (Boss model noted in 1996 Trendkill interview; Rocktron gates referenced by tech for broader rig history)

noise gate

→

1.Furman PQ-3 (parametric EQ) — Documented Trendkill-era front-end shaping tool; part of the core rhythm tightness.

2.MXR 6-band graphic EQ (blue) — Documented Trendkill-era front-end shaping tool; used as complementary cut/boost stage.

3.Noise gate (Boss model noted in 1996 Trendkill interview; Rocktron gates referenced by tech for broader rig history) — Tight gating repeatedly emphasized in tech commentary as central to the percussive ‘machine’ stop-start feel.

Playing Technique

Aggressive pick attack with tight, consistent palm muting and fast right-hand control; articulate chord grips and micro-bends/slurs ‘inside’ riffs add dimension (as Dimebag notes, subtleties matter).

Sources+

Guitar World (From the Archive; June 1996 interview, published online Jan 22, 2013): Trendkill-era RG-100 + PQ-3 + MXR 6-band + noise gate described; emphasis on rhythm clarity and minimal multi-tracking.
MusicRadar (Dimebag Day; Grady Champion interview, published Dec 8, 2019): explanation of gating importance and EQ interaction as gain staging in Dimebag’s rig concept.
Songsterr (Floods tab; includes “D Standard 425Hz” notation): supports commonly used performance tuning reference for Floods in guitarist communities.