Riff Tone

Vicinity Of Obscenity

System Of A Down

Guitarmetal2000s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson SG Standard (early 2000s, likely stock pickups)

AmpMarshall JCM800 (modded, studio recording)

PickupsGibson humbuckers (stock SG pickups, likely 490R/498T set)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid5.5

treble7

reverb1

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording for 'Hypnotize' (2005); Daron Malakian is known to use a Gibson SG and a modded Marshall JCM800 in the studio for this era. No direct evidence for alternate guitars or amps on the clean section of this song. No evidence of pedal use for clean tone.

Tone Character(10)

percussive and drytight attackarticulate note separationminimal sustainslightly rolled-off highsmedium output, not glassyno audible reverb or delay tailsno modulation or chorusfocused midrangebridge pickup bite

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, percussive picking and tight muting for the dry, articulate clean tone, making it moderately challenging for intermediate players.

Sources

Daron Malakian guitar tone (Mesmerize) : r/systemofadown System of a Down Amp Settings Revealed: Get the Perfect Metal Tone!How to Sound Like System of a Down - Guitar Tone : r/systemofadown

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account