Riff Tone

Toxicity

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarIbanez Iceman IC300

AmpMesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

PickupsAxis Humbucker 4 (bridge), Axis Humbucker 3 (neck)

Amp Settings

gain8.5

bass6.5

mid4.5

treble6.5

reverb0

presence7

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2001. Daron Malakian used the Ibanez Iceman IC300 with stock Axis humbuckers for the main riff section of 'Toxicity.' The amp was primarily a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. No evidence of pedal use for the main riff; effects are minimal and mostly amp-based. Settings are for the studio recording, not live.

Tone Character(10)

tight and percussivescooped midsaggressive palm mutingchunky low endarticulate note definitiondry and focusedhigh-gain saturationminimal ambiencecrisp attackcompressed dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires precise, fast alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, with syncopated rhythms that demand good right-hand control and stamina.

Sources

Compare revision #2 with #3 for "System of a Down ... - Ultimate Guitar System of a Down - Chop Suey Daron Malakian | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 17 times by the community

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