The guitar legacy of the late DIMEBAG DARRELL ABBOTT — the PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN riff machine murdered onstage in 2004 — has a new home. A venture called Dime GuitarZ, founded by legendary guitar designer Dean Zelinsky together with Rita Haney, Dimebag's lifetime partner and the steward of his legacy, aims to build "the guitars Dimebag Darrell would be playing today."
The company operates under "In Dime We Trust," a Texas living trust that manages Dimebag's intellectual property and image. Crucially, Grady Champion — Dimebag's former PANTERA guitar tech — has signed on as a key contributor, lending hands-on authenticity to the project.
Haney was pointed about the company's mission and its lineage. "The mission is simple," she said. "To build the guitars Dimebag Darrell would be playing today." She stressed that Dimebag's true relationship was with designer Dean Zelinsky personally — not the modern incarnation of Dean Guitars — noting that her partner "died with one in his arms."
The first models, the Culprit line, will arrive in instantly recognizable signature finishes: Dime Slime, Dime Bolt and Black Jack. The guitars introduce a pair of Zelinsky innovations — the Z-Glide neck, a laser process said to remove 72% of neck-surface friction, and the DimeBooster circuit, which delivers up to 15dB of clean boost and charges via USB-C rather than relying on batteries.
The instruments will be available through Dimeguitarz.com, Thomann.de in Europe and affiliated retailers.
More than twenty years after his death, DIMEBAG DARRELL remains one of the most influential and beloved guitarists metal has ever produced. For the players who grew up worshipping his tone and his groove, a new line built with his family's blessing — and his old tech's hands — is a fitting tribute.