Domination amp settings — Marshall VS100r

The Pantera guitar tone for “Domination”, dialed in for a Marshall VS100r with a Epiphone SG Standard. Studio version, Cowboys from Hell (1990) — iconic rhythm and breakdown tone

Original rig

Dean ML (Bill Lawrence L-500XL) -> Furman PQ-3/PQ-4 Parametric EQ -> MXR 6-band Graphic EQ -> Randall RG100ES Solid-State Head -> Randall 4x12 Cabs (Celestion G12K-85)

Ultra-aggressive solid-state crunch with scooped 800Hz-1kHz mids, razor-sharp high-end bite, and tight low-end tracking

Amp settings — Marshall VS100r

CHANNELOverdrive 2 (OD2) — set Contour knob to 8.5

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	7
Mid	2
Treble	8
Reverb	0
Master	5

Don’t have a Marshall VS100r? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR 6-Band Graphic EQ

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned (run in FX loop to carve Dimebag's extreme smile-curve EQ)

100Hz 7 · 200Hz 6 · 400Hz 4 · 800Hz 1 · 1.6kHz 7 · 3.2kHz 8

Why these settings

The Marshall Valvestate VS100R's OD2 channel provides the sharp solid-state clipping Dimebag relied on with his Randall rigs. We drop the amp mid knob down to 2 and crank the OD2 Contour knob to around 8.5 to aggressively scoop the 800Hz zone while keeping low-end punch tight. Pushing treble to 8 compensates for the Epiphone SG's slightly warmer humbucker compared to Dime's ultra-bright Bill Lawrence L-500XL blade.

PRO TIPDimebag's attack came from aggressive picking using rigid, heavy picks right near the bridge saddles combined with tight palm muting for precision tracking during the breakdown.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Marshall VS100r. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.