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Psycho — System Of A Down1 / 2
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Psycho Riff Guitar Tone Settings — System Of A Down

System Of A Down · 2000s · metal

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (stock, likely 490R/498T or Burstbuckers)
Amp
Marshall JCM800 (studio recording, Toxicity era)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup

Studio recording for 'Psycho' riff section, Toxicity album (2001). Guitar and amp confirmed for album sessions; no evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this riff. No evidence of pedal use for riff section.

Amp Settings

Mids
6
Bass
6
Gain
8
Reverb
0
Treble
7
Presence
6

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Tone Character

  • tight and percussive
  • aggressive palm muting
  • saturated high-gain distortion
  • articulate and focused attack
  • slightly scooped mids
  • chunky low end
  • crisp treble
  • dry, immediate response
  • compressed, modern metal feel
  • minimal ambience

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️No direct numeric amp settings found for 'Psycho' riff; settings estimated based on Marshall JCM800 usage for metal in early 2000s and typical SOAD tones.
  • ⚠️Pedal use for the riff section is not evidenced; delay pedal (Strymon DIG or Boss DD-5) is confirmed for solos only, not rhythm/riff.
  • ⚠️No evidence of modulation, delay, or reverb in the riff section; tone is dry and direct.
  • ⚠️Pickup choice inferred from genre, tone, and typical SOAD setup for heavy rhythm parts.
  • ⚠️If alternate amp or guitar models are found in future sources, update accordingly.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Daron Malakian's tone on 'Psycho' is tight, aggressive, and modern, with high gain but not overly scooped mids, reflecting his Mesa/Boogie Rectifier use and nu-metal/alt-metal conventions of the late '90s. The bass is controlled for clarity, mids are present but not boosted, treble and presence are set for cut and attack, and the tone is very dry with no audible reverb.

Sources