GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Deer Dance Riff Guitar Tone Settings — System Of A Down
System Of A Down · 2000s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Ibanez Iceman IC300
Pickups
Ibanez stock humbuckers (likely Powersound or V7/V8, ceramic, high output)
Amp
Marshall JMP100 (100-watt, one channel stock, one channel modded for extra gain)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2000-2001. Guitar and amp confirmed for System of a Down's debut album era. No evidence of effects loop or additional rack gear for the riff section. No evidence of live rig being used for the studio recording.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass6
Gain8.5
Reverb0
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- saturated high-gain distortion
- articulate pick attack
- focused low end
- slightly scooped mids
- minimal ambience
- dry, in-your-face sound
- fast note decay
- no audible time-based or modulation effects
Notes & Caveats
- No direct amp knob settings for 'Deer Dance' found; settings estimated based on Marshall JMP100 typical metal usage and era.
- No pedal or effect is audible or cited for the riff section; all evidence points to straight guitar-amp tone.
- Ibanez Iceman IC300 and Marshall JMP100 confirmed for era and album, but pickup model is inferred from typical stock configuration.
- No evidence of effects loop or amp-based effects used for the riff section.
- Settings are for studio recording, not live.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Daron Malakian's tone on 'Deer Dance' is very high-gain, tight, and aggressive but not overly scooped; he typically used a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier with moderate bass, flat mids, and slightly boosted treble/presence for clarity. The track is dry with no audible reverb, matching early 2000s nu-metal/alt-metal production.