More than two decades after DIMEBAG DARRELL’s passing, a new company is stepping forward with a bold mission: to build the guitars he would be playing now.
Dime Guitarz officially launched this month as the exclusive home of official Dimebag Darrell guitars, bringing together Dime’s longtime partner Rita Haney and legendary guitar builder Dean Zelinsky.
According to Haney, the goal reaches beyond recreating the past.
“The mission is simple,” she says. “To build the guitars Dimebag Darrell would be playing today.”
The launch also arrives with a direct challenge to what Haney describes as widespread confusion surrounding Dime’s relationship with the modern Dean Guitars company, which recently saw its parent organization, Armadillo Enterprises (also parent of Luna Guitars and ddrum), file for bankruptcy protection following legal action involving Dime’s estate.
“There seems to be a misconception that Dime had a relationship with the Dean Guitars of today,” Haney says. “It simply isn’t true. Darrell never had a relationship with them.”
Instead, Haney points to Dimebag’s longtime connection with Dean Zelinsky, the founder and designer behind many of the guitars that became synonymous with the PANTERA guitarist’s career, including the legendary Dean From Hell.
“Dime played Dean Zelinsky’s MLs when he had braces on his teeth, and he died with one in his arms,” Haney says. “Dime’s innovation for tech, his love and trust of DZ’s brilliance, this is what the direction of this company is, to fulfill those wishes.”
For Zelinsky, the project carries a different kind of weight.
“I’ve been fortunate to have a long and incredible career in the guitar business,” he says. “After everything I’ve accomplished in this industry, helping carry Darrell’s legacy forward may be the most meaningful work I’ve ever done.”
The launch marks the beginning of a new chapter for one of metal’s most influential names, with Dime Guitarz promising future instruments that honor Dimebag’s legacy while looking ahead to where his creativity might have taken him next.
