Shavo Odadjian

In a Gibson interview, Shavo says, "When System of a Down were recording our first record, we went out to buy some equipment. I found this non-reverse body ’66 Thunderbird somewhere in Hollywood. I ended up using it on the entire record. It just felt right. Before that I was using a bass from a different company, and they gave me as many basses as I wanted, in any color I could imagine, but I didn’t like any of them as much as that Thunderbird. Those old Gibsons are the Rolexes and Cadillacs of guitars. They’re all about quality. Just holding that bass made me feel different. You have to fight with it a little to make it your own because it has a heavy headstock that dives to the ground if you let go of the neck. But once I mastered that bass I couldn’t go anywhere else."

This is an inaccuracy, however, as he would start using it during the recording of their second album, Toxicity. He also used it for live shows going forward.

Here you can see him playing a WHITE IV BASS

This photo shows Bassist and Band Lader Armenian So-Cal band System of a Down performing live with a red Ibanez BTB. Ibanez sponsored Shavo Odadjian shortly and in this time he picked up an Ibanez BTB-1000 as well as a BTB-500.

Odadjian can be seen playing a black Fender Precision Bass in this image.

Odadjian can be seen playing a Music Man Stingray in this image.

He started using a Warwick bass in 2017 for their 2017 tour.

In this documentary, at 6:36 and 3:41, shavo is seen with a 1961 stacked knob fender jazz bass in a natural finish. It was used all throughout mezmerize/hypnotize for its sharp attack, and great note clarity for high speed songs. The Gibson Thunderbird, was not used at all for what is on these two albums, due to the tone being much too boomy and not tight, like the fender jazz bass' tone.

Here are some tracks that this bass was used on for further evidence:

https://youtu.be/TVm1OqppOK0

https://youtu.be/k091342VpFk

he can been seen playing it through out the video

This bass is seen in the equipment list

Shavo is seen on stage in the first image on what appears to be like a brown Warwick Streamer LX, not a Fortress

In this video taken at the recent Sick New World festival, Shavo can be seen playing a Warwick P/J Streamer.

Shavo Odadjian is confirmed to use the Linc Luthier Custom Bass, as he is seen playing it live at the Metro in Chicago, IL (PROSHOT | 1998) throughout the entire show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er_k_2d0RdA). Furthermore, this bass was utilized during the recording of System of a Down's debut album.

In this photo, Shavo Odadjian can be seen using an Ibanez SR890 Standard Soundgear Bass in a concert from 1997. He used this bass guitar in a lot of early concerts.