Riff Tone

Sad Statue

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG (likely 1962 reissue, as used by Daron Malakian on Mezmerize)

AmpMarshall JMP100 (100-watt, one channel stock, one channel modded for extra gain)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock, likely '57 Classics or similar PAF-style)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6

mid5

treble7

reverb0

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2004 (Mezmerize sessions). Guitar World confirms the SG and JMP100 were used for distorted tones on the album. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars/amps for this song's riff section.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussiveaggressive palm mutingsaturated high-gain distortionarticulate note separationfocused low endmidrange punchminimal ambiencefast attackclear pick definitiondry, unprocessed sound

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting in a dropped tuning, demanding good right-hand control and rhythmic precision, but does not involve advanced lead techniques.

Sources

System of a Down – Mezmerize - Gear & Equipment Used on the ...Daron Malakian: 21st Century Schizoid Man - Guitar World System Of A Down's Musical Ingredients : r/systemofadown - Reddit

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