
Song Rig
Floods
Dimebag Darrell · The Great Southern Trendkill · 1996
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
One of the most emotionally devastating guitar solos in metal — Dime moves from the crushing verse tone to a clean, almost jazzy melodic lead in the outro. The solo tone is warm and open, a stark contrast to the aggressive rhythm sound, built on a clean Randall channel with volume swells.
Signal Chain
- 1Dean ML or Washburn Dime signature
- 2Randall Century 200 (clean channel)
- 3MXR Flanger/Doubler (subtle modulation)
- 4volume pedal (swells)
Amp Settings
Clean Randall channel for the outro solo — gain very low for warmth without breakup. The emotional weight comes entirely from phrasing and vibrato. MXR flanger set very subtle, almost below notice, adds a slight bloom to held notes.
Technique
How to Play It
Wide, slow vibrato on bent notes in the solo — Dime's clean-tone vibrato is slower and deeper than his driven tone. Volume pedal swells on sustained notes for the orchestral quality.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Any guitar with a humbucker → clean amp channel → MXR Flanger → reverb. The tone is simple; the phrasing is everything.
Your Gear
Adapt to My Amp
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