Riff Tone

Question!

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

Guitar1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard

AmpMarshall JCM 800 (modded, studio recording)

PickupsGibson PAF-style humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain8

bass5.5

mid5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

overdriveIbanez Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

noise_gateMXR MXR Smart Gate Pro

Notes

Studio recording for 'Mezmerize' (2005). Daron Malakian is confirmed to use the 1962 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard in the 'Question!' music video and studio sessions. Amp is a modded Marshall JCM 800, as referenced in multiple gear rundowns and forum discussions. No evidence of live-specific gear for the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingscooped midshigh-gain saturationarticulate attackchunky low endclear note separationmodern metal crunchminimal ambiencefocused midrange

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking and aggressive palm muting, with complex rhythm changes and precise timing, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Sources

Daron Malakian Daron Malakian guitar tone (Mesmerize) : r/systemofadown How to Sound Like System of a Down - Guitar Tone : r/systemofadown [QUESTION] guitar tone : r/systemofadown Is there a way I could make this DS-1 boss pedal sound ...

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account