🎸 Metal · 2000s

Chop Suey! by System of a Down (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by System of a Down · riff

The Chop Suey! by System of a Down guitar tone is built on a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, dialed in at gain 8.5/10, bass 6.5, mid 4, treble 6.5, presence 7 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

8.5

GAIN

6.5

BASS

MID

6.5

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 284 metal tones in our researched catalog: Gain 8.5 sits above the metal average (7.3) — a hotter, more saturated take than most metal tones; mids at 4 are below average (5.2).

Guitar controls

VOLUME

8-10

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Ibanez Iceman (early 2000s, as seen in official music video and cited for Toxicity album era) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio, Toxicity era; most-cited amp for album and heavy riff sections)

Studio recording, 2001 (Toxicity album). Guitar and amp confirmed for this era and song via video and multiple sources. Settings are for the heavy/distorted riff section, not clean parts.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Mesa/Boogie songs & tones →🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier songs & tones →🎚️ Ibanez RG songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Ibanez Iceman (early 2000s, as seen in official music video and cited for Toxicity album era) → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio, Toxicity era; most-cited amp for album and heavy riff sections)

Effects

Ibanez Iceman → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (no pedals, no effects loop, amp distortion only)

Tone character

tight and percussive, scooped mids, aggressive palm muting, high-gain saturation, articulate attack, chunky power chords, sharp, cutting top end, thick low end, minimal ambience, focused, modern metal rhythm

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, fast tempo, loud dynamics · high-gain distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Chop Suey! sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Riff

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking with tight palm muting and rapid rhythmic changes, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Worth knowing

Amp settings are sourced from Ultimate Guitar Wiki, which does not specify amp model but matches typical Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier settings for this genre/era.
No explicit pedal or effect information for the studio recording of Chop Suey! riff section found in sources; no effects are clearly audible in the riff section beyond amp distortion.
Pickup model is inferred based on Ibanez Iceman stock configuration for early 2000s; exact pickup model not confirmed in sources.
Settings are for studio recording, not live performances.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Daron Malakian's tone on 'Chop Suey!' is modern, tight, and aggressive, typical of early 2000s nu-metal. He used high gain (Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier), tight bass, slightly scooped but not hollow mids, and crisp treble/presence for clarity. The track is very dry with little to no reverb.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

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Chop Suey! guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Chop Suey! guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 8.5, bass 6.5, mid 4, treble 6.5, presence 7, reverb 0. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Chop Suey! tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Ibanez Iceman (early 2000s, as seen in official music video and cited for Toxicity album era) · Amp: Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (studio, Toxicity era; most-cited amp for album and heavy riff sections); Ibanez Iceman → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (no pedals, no effects loop, amp distortion only).

Can I get the Chop Suey! tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like System of a Down on Chop Suey! — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup, the amp EQ above (gain 8.5, bass 6.5, mid 4, treble 6.5, presence 7, reverb 0), and Ibanez Iceman → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier (no pedals, no effects loop, amp distortion only). Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get System of a Down’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Metal guitar tones → · 🎚️ Mesa Dual Rectifier settings → · 🎛️ best metal amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎯 more scooped mids tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com