Riff Tone

Radio/Video

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarIbanez Iceman (likely IC300 or custom, as used by Daron Malakian on Mezmerize era studio recordings)

AmpMarshall JCM800 (studio recording, as used by Daron Malakian on Mezmerize era; Friedman BE-100 sometimes used live, but not confirmed for studio)

PickupsIbanez stock humbuckers (dual humbucker, passive, ceramic magnets typical for Iceman of this era)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid5.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2004-2005 (Mezmerize sessions). Daron Malakian is known for using Ibanez Iceman guitars and Marshall JCM800 amps for clean and heavy tones in this era. No evidence of pedal use for clean tone in studio; all drive comes from amp. Settings estimated based on genre, era, and typical Marshall clean setup. No evidence of chorus, delay, or modulation on clean riff. Pickup selector set to bridge for clarity in main riff. No evidence of effects loop or pedalboard for clean section.

Tone Character(10)

bright and percussivearticulate attacktight low endslightly scooped midsclear, present highsminimal breakupno audible distortionno modulation or time-based effectssubtle room/amp reverbfocused, modern metal clean

Difficulty

The riff is moderately challenging due to its syncopated picking and need for clean, articulate playing, but does not require advanced techniques or high speed.

Sources

System Of A Down's Musical Ingredients : r/systemofadown - Reddit System of a Down's Daron Malakian Rig Rundown - Premier Guitar Hit the Tone | Aerials by System Of A Down (Daron Malakian) | Ep. 106 | Thomann

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