Daron Malakian

In this interview, Daron talks about using a Big Apple Stratocaster for the first System of a Down album and the tours around it.

It can also be seen in this video which was filmed during the recording of the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b3imdhboB4

Daron Malakian using a Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 for Sick New World 2024 and the rehearsal sessions. The guitar is fitted with Daron's favorite specs as three '57 Classic Humbuckers and a sideways vibrola.

This pickups are mentioned in the equipment list

This strap-lock is mentioned in the equipment list

In this photo, Daron Malakian can be seen using a Shure U2 SM58.

This pickups are mentioned in the equipment list

At 7:53 in the Premier Guitar video titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian," the Friedman Amplification Brown Eye BE-100 tube guitar amp head is clearly visible as part of Daron Malakian's rig setup.

In the "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" video by Premier Guitar, at 8:02, a Friedman Amplification BE-100 Deluxe guitar amplifier head is visible in Daron Malakian's amp rack, positioned just below the Friedman Brown Eye 100 amplifier.

In the video titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" by Premier Guitar on YouTube, at the 8:05 mark, an Akai Professional RED MPK MINI MKII can be seen attached to Daron Malakian's pedalboard.

In the video titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" by Premier Guitar on YouTube, a Shure P9RA+ Wireless Receiver is clearly visible on Daron Malakian's pedalboard at the 8:05 mark, confirming his use of this specific gear.

In the video "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" by Premier Guitar, Daron Malakian is seen discussing his Gibson Flying V guitar at 20:32, highlighting its significance in his collection. Furthermore, at 29:45, his guitar tech, Patrick Lachman, provides a detailed explanation of the guitar, reinforcing its importance within Malakian's setup.

In a video by Premier Guitar titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian," at the 30:18 mark, Patrick Lachman, the guitar tech for Daron Malakian, showcases a Gibson ES-355 Electric Guitar with a distinctive black and gold finish.

At 33:26 in the Premier Guitar "Rig Rundown" video, Patrick Lachman, the tech for Daron Malakian, discusses the amp rack setup, where a Furman PL-Pro DMC Power Conditioner is visibly positioned at the bottom of the rack.

In a video by Premier Guitar titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian," at the 33:26 mark, an MXR Smart Gate® Pro M235 rack unit is visible in Daron Malakian’s amp rack, confirming his use of this specific gear.

In the video titled "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" by Premier Guitar, a Radial Engineering JX44 V2 Guitar, Amp, & FX Signal Manager is visibly included in Daron Malakian’s amp rack at the 33:26 mark.

In the video "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" by Premier Guitar, at the 33:26 mark, a Shure Axient Digital AD4Q four-channel wireless receiver is visible in Daron Malakian's amp rack, confirming its use in his setup.

At the 33:26 mark in the Premier Guitar's "Rig Rundown: System of a Down's Daron Malakian" video, a Peterson VS-R StroboRack virtual strobe tuner is visible at the top of Daron Malakian's amp rack.

In this video recorded by Sylvia Massy, the audio engineer for System Of A Down's first album, a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier 2-channel 100W Solo Head can be seen behind him.

In this article detailing the production process for Toxicity (and by proxy Steal This Album, as the songs were tracked alongside Toxicity's tracks), Daron's guitar tone was ran through the Urei Universal Audio 1176LN "Blackface" Peak Limiter:

"Recording Malakian’s guitar tracks was relatively straight-ahead, because he doesn’t like to play through effects pedals. His signal went through a combination of Marshall and Mesa Boogie cabinets and heads. 'The Mesa gave us the teeth, and the Marshall gave us the body,' Schiffman explains. 'The two together made a big, full, nice sound.' He put a 57 and an 87 on each cabinet, taking care that they were phased correctly, and then ran them through a pair of black-faced 1176s."

In this snippet from a January 2002 issue of Guitar Player, Daron Malakian describes how he uses a Triple Rectifier both in live performances and in the studio sessions for Toxicity (which also produced Steal This Album). Other sources show that it only has the same amount of knobs present on a 2-channel, confirming that it is a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier 2-Channel 150W Solo Head.

During the Metallica concert held on July 8, 2000, in Sparta, KY, at the timestamp 24:48 in the YouTube video titled "Metallica Live without James (feat. KoRn, SOAD, Kid Rock, etc.) (Sparta, 2000)" by metfan4l, Daron Malakian can be clearly seen playing a Explorer Electric Guitar.