Tone library / System of a down / Areials

Areials amp settings — Rohs Ms-15g

The System of a down guitar tone for “Areials”, dialed in for a Rohs Ms-15g with a Cougar Sg. Studio version, Toxicity (2001) — Drop C tuning (CGCFAD)

Original rig

Marshall JCM800 / Mesa Dual Rectifier, Gibson SG/Les Paul with humbuckers, no significant pedals — amp gain only

Tight, aggressive, mid-forward modern metal crunch with articulate low-end and cutting upper mids

Amp settings — Rohs Ms-15g

CHANNELOverdrive/Distortion channel (if available) or single channel with gain maxed

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	8
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Distortion Pedal (RECOMMENDED — not owned)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. A Boss DS-1 or MT-2 Metal Zone would get you much closer to this tight, high-gain tone. The Rohs MS-15G's onboard distortion lacks the saturation depth needed. If purchasing, set amp to clean and use pedal for all gain.

Gain/Distortion 7 · Tone 6 · Level/Volume 7

Why these settings

The Rohs MS-15G is a budget solid-state practice amp with limited gain staging compared to Malakian's JCM800/Rectifier setup. Push the amp's gain to near-max (8) and emphasize mids (+7) to approximate the JCM800's mid-forward bark. Bass is cut to 4 to prevent flabbiness in the small speaker—Drop C tuning will add low-end naturally. Reverb at 0; the original is bone-dry. Without an external distortion pedal, you will not achieve the full saturation of the original—this is the closest honest approximation.

PRO TIPDrop C tuning is essential for this song—standard tuning will sound completely wrong harmonically. If you can't retune, capo at fret 2 and play shapes two frets lower, but the low string riffs won't translate. Palm mute aggressively on the verse chugs (marked 'P.M.' in tabs) to get that tight, percussive attack Daron uses. Pick near the bridge with downstrokes for maximum aggression.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Rohs Ms-15g. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.