Riff Tone

Lonely Day

System Of A Down

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

Guitar1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard (doubled with early '80s Gibson Korina Flying V)

AmpMarshall (likely JMP or Mode Four prototype) blended with Friedman 100-watt head

PickupsGibson PAF-style humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble6

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2005 (Mezmerize/Hypnotize sessions). Daron Malakian doubled rhythm parts with SG and Flying V. Amp blend is Marshall (main) and Friedman (modded Marshall style). No pedals used for riff section; guitar plugged straight into amp. Settings from Ultimate Guitar Wiki are for studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

mid-heavy and full-bodiedtight and articulate rhythmwarm, punchy chordsclear note separationslightly compressed from amp gainnot overly saturatedno ambient effectsclassic Marshall crunchpresent but not harsh treblefocused low end

Difficulty

The riff section is built on simple power chords and straightforward rhythm, making it accessible for beginners with some experience. No complex techniques or fast passages are present.

Sources

System of a Down - Lonely Day | Wiki @ Ultimate-Guitar.com Daron Malakian on how System of a Down ended up recording their first new music in 15 years – and what the future holds for the alt-metal icons | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 6 times by the community

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