How Pantera Fans Can Finally See Dimebag Darrell’s Treasured ‘Bathroom Guitar’

How Pantera Fans Can Finally See Dimebag Darrell’s Treasured ‘Bathroom Guitar’

Rob CarrollRob CarrollPublished: November 12, 2026Scott Gries, Getty Images, Photo by Jeanne Rouillard on Unsplash

Dimebag Darrell’s famed one-of-a-kind “bathroom guitar” is making a rare appearance nearly 22 years after the Pantera member’s tragic death.

Yes, the guitar is exactly what you think it is.

Where Pantera Fans Can See Dimebag’s ‘Bathroom Guitar’

Among the displays included in a newly opened exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art is a guitar once owned by Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell Abbott, who spent part of his childhood living in the Texas city.

According to the museum’s website, “Arlington 150: Stories of a Legacy” is meant to trace the history of the city from its earliest settlers to today. And that apparently includes what Dimebag called his “bathroom guitar.”

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Sitting inside a clear case in one of the Arlington Museum of Art’s exhibit spaces are a prototype guitar and an amp once owned by Dimebag. The sharp-edged guitar’s style should be immediately recognizable to Pantera fans.

READ MORE: The Megadeth Album that ‘Changed’ Dimebag Darrell’s Life

A video shared by the museum noted that both the guitar and amp were at one time set up in Dimebag’s bathroom, where he would work on music.

What appears to be a drum kit from late Pantera drummer and Dimebag’s brother, Vinnie Paul, sits on a stage not far from the guitar.

What Vinnie Paul Said About Dimebag’s ‘Bathroom Guitar’

The topic of Dimebag working on guitar riffs in his bathroom started coming up following his death.

In a 2016 interview with Loudwire, Vinnie Paul talked about all of the “stuff” his brother left behind when he died in 2004 after suffering a gunshot wound while performing in Columbus, Ohio. One of the items he highlighted during the interview was his Dimebag’s “bathroom guitar.”

“One of the things people don’t know about Dime is he had a guitar in his bathroom. I went in his bathroom one time and I sat down. I was like, ‘he’s got a guitar, he’s got his little tape recorder. What’s that doing in here?'” Vinnie Paul recalled. “He goes, ‘Man, that’s where I write all my riffs. That’s why my riffs are the shit sittin’ right there on the toilet.'”

That day, he learned his brother wrote some of his most “amazing” riffs inside the bathroom, using that guitar. There were also apparently some less serious pieces of music that came out of Dimebag’s bathroom, too.

“He would go and have a bad experience at Taco Bell and write a song about it.”

WATCH: Vinnie Paul: What the World Doesn’t Know About Dimebag Darrell

The exhibit featuring Dimebag Darrell’s “bathroom guitar” is open at the Arlington Museum of Art through Feb. 28.

Keep reading for a look back at the history of Pantera through classic photos and album art.

Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner

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