Pictures amp settings — Jixing Jx-6520
The System Of A Down guitar tone for “Pictures”, dialed in for a Jixing Jx-6520 with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Steal This Album! (2002)
Daron Malakian: Gibson SG with Seymour Duncan Custom Shop pickups → Friedman BE-100 (dirty channel, all amp-driven gain) → Marshall 4x12 with Celestion G12M-70s. Drop-C tuning. No dirt pedals — all distortion from the Friedman's preamp.
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Master | 5 |
01Distortion pedal (Boss DS-1, Behringer OD300, or similar)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone. The Jixing practice amp cannot produce high-gain metal saturation on its own. Run the amp near-clean and let the pedal provide all the dirt.
The Jixing JX-6520 is an unrecognized budget solid-state practice amp with limited gain headroom and likely only basic bass/treble/gain controls — presence and reverb knobs may not exist (set null). Malakian's Friedman BE-100 produces saturated high-gain from the preamp alone; your amp cannot reach this, so a dirt pedal is mandatory. Mid pushed to 7 compensates for small-speaker scoop and recreates SOAD's signature mid-forward bark. Gain at 7 adds edge without mud — the distortion pedal does the heavy lifting.
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These settings are for a Jixing Jx-6520. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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