Tone library / System of a down / Toxicity

Toxicity amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb

The System of a down guitar tone for “Toxicity”, dialed in for a Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Fender American Ultra Stratocaster. Studio version, Toxicity album (2001), Cello Studios

Original rig

Ibanez Iceman IC300/IC520 (bridge humbucker, Drop C tuning) → Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier + Marshall JMP Plexi blend, no pedals, SM57/SM87 mics into 1176 compressors

Scooped, aggressive high-gain chug with tight low-mids and compressed attack

Amp settings — Fender Deluxe Reverb

BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	0
Bass	3
Mid	2
Treble	7
Reverb	0
Master	6

Don’t have a Fender Deluxe Reverb? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss MT-2 Metal Zone

RECOMMENDED — not owned. This pedal provides the Rectifier-style scoop and saturation the Deluxe cannot produce on its own. Run into amp input, amp stays clean.

Dist 9 · Level 8 · Low 7 · High 7 · Mid Freq 3 · Mid Level 2

Why these settings

Your Deluxe Reverb is a clean-platform Fender with no high-gain channel — it cannot replicate a Rectifier's preamp saturation without a pedal. The MT-2 Metal Zone (or equivalent high-gain distortion like a Revv G3, MXR Fullbore, or ProCo Rat) is mandatory here. Amp gain stays at zero; the pedal is the entire gain structure. Bass cut to 3 and mid scooped to 2 on the amp compensate for the Deluxe's naturally scooped voicing and the Strat's single-coil brightness vs Malakian's bridge humbucker. Treble stays high (7) to preserve the aggressive pick attack.

PRO TIPRetune to Drop C (C-G-C-F-A-D) before dialing anything — the entire riff's weight comes from that tuning. Use a compressor pedal before the MT-2 (4:1 ratio, medium attack, sustain around 6) to replicate the 1176 compression on the original recording and tighten the palm-muted chugs.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Fender Deluxe Reverb. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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