Sugar amp settings — Harley Benton HB-10G

The System of a down guitar tone for “Sugar”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-10G with a Harley Benton Progressive Series. Studio version, System of a Down self-titled album (1998)

Original rig

Ibanez Iceman IC100 with stock ceramic humbuckers → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Marshall JCM800 2203, bridge pickup, Drop C tuning

Tight, percussive, aggressive palm-muted crunch with focused midrange punch and modern metal clarity

Amp settings — Harley Benton HB-10G

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Treble	6
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Tube Screamer clone (e.g., Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Behringer TO800)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for this tone. Run into amp set clean; the pedal provides all the gain and midrange tightness. Without it, the amp cannot produce the tight, articulate saturation this song requires.

Drive 2 · Tone 6 · Level 8

Why these settings

The HB-10G is a small solid-state practice amp with only gain, bass, treble, and volume controls — no mid, presence, or reverb knobs exist on this amp. The original JCM800 tone is mid-forward and saturated; this amp cannot reach that saturation cleanly on its own. A TS-style pedal is mandatory — it provides the tight midrange punch and controlled gain that defines 'Sugar.' Amp gain stays moderate (7) to avoid the small speaker breaking up badly; bass cut to 4 prevents mud through the 6.5" speaker.

PRO TIPTune to Drop C (C-G-C-F-A-D) and use aggressive downpicked palm mutes directly over the bridge pickup pole pieces — the percussive attack on the original comes from Daron's right-hand position as much as the gear.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-10G. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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