The Guitar Sound of Chop Suey!: With Plugins, Budget Setup, or Studio Gear
What equipment do you need to play System of a Down's biggest hit?
The Guitar Sound of Chop Suey!: With Plugins, Budget Setup, or Studio Gear · Source: MediaPunch Inc / Alamy
If you’re looking to recreate the guitar sound of ‘Chop Suey!’, we have a few tips for you! Which plugins, entry-level gear, and high-end studio equipment will help you achieve the same sound?
System of a Down’s Most Popular Song
The history of Chop Suey!
What an explosive musical moment System of a Down’s second album was in the early 2000s. Where Korn and Limp Bizkit had laid the thunderous foundation in the years before, and Linkin Park had taken the somewhat more well-behaved, poppier nu metal route, SoaD were its crazy climax. Their album “Toxicity” with songs like its title track, “Aerials” and “Psycho” was a tidal wave.
The beloved/hated nu metal had never sounded so brutal, so dynamic. And ‘Chop Suey!’ was the start. Written in 1999 by guitarist Daron Malakian during SoaD’s tour for their self-titled debut album, he presented the song to the band as a fully fleshed-out demo during the recording of “Toxicity” under the name “Suicide.” Although Malakian had also written the initial lyrics, singer Serj Tankian changed a few things during the recording.
System of a Down also changed the song’s title. At the end of production, when it came to selecting the singles, the band mutually agreed that “Suicide” should be the first release. But out of concern that radio stations might not play the song due to its controversial title, the band changed it to “Chop Suey!”, which, according to Daron, was onomatopoeic, as if “Suicide” had been split into two words.
Fun fact: If you listen closely, you can hear Serj say “Rolling Suicide” at the very beginning of the album version of the song.
The Guitar Sound of Chop Suey!: Daron Malakian’s Equipment
Guitarist Daron Malakian is quite the purist when it comes to his equipment. Over the years, he has emphasized in interviews that he sees himself primarily as a songwriter rather than a technically skilled guitarist.
During the recording of ‘Chop Suey!’, Daron mostly played the visually extravagant Ibanez Iceman IC300 (as seen in the video), but he also often played a Gibson SG. Later on, Ibanez released an Iceman signature guitar for Daron, the DMM-1.
As far as the equipment for the guitar sound of Chop Suey! goes, most of the distortion comes directly from the amp. Malakian was a Marshall player, and a 1959 Plexi Super Lead with 4×12 cabinets was his go-to half-stack.
But Dual and Triple Rectifiers also played a role in the recording, with their scooped sound, as producer Rick Rubin layered and doubled everything during production. For the clean sounds, Daron also used a Boss DD-6 delay and an MXR Phase 90.
Achieving the Guitar Sound of Chop Suey! with Plugins
Provided you have a guitar, cables, and tabs, there are various plugins to get the guitar sound of Chop Suey! For starters, check out ToneX from IK Multimedia, which includes the Plexi Tone Collection, and the Marshall Suite from Softube’s Amp Room*.
Both plugins include Plexi amp models that allow you to get very close to Daron’s sound. ToneX additionally offers pedal emulations for delay and phaser, as well as an extension for the Dual Rectifier sound. There is also the freeware NAM Player, where you can find a popular NAM capture for a Plexi Super Lead 1959.
The guitar sound of Chop Suey!: Budget gear for Beginners
To get closer to the guitar sound of Chop Suey! at a beginner-friendly budget, you don’t need much besides a guitar tuned to drop C and a cable. Marshall itself offers the Marshall 1959 Distortion*, a pedal that delivers the legendary sound of a Plexi preamp section.
Alternatively, there are the Wampler Plexi-Drive Mini* or, slightly more expensive and more comprehensive, the Universal Audio UAFX Lion 68* for the Plexi sound. If you want an actual amp, the Origin 20 from Marshall* comes pretty close to the Plexi timbre.
Studio Equipment for the Guitar Sound of Chop Suey!
If you’re going to go Marshall, then go for a 1959 Modified* with seven tubes and the legendary sound of a Plexi. And of course an actual Dual Rectifier*! Just put a signal splitter in front of these two and you can play both heads at the same time!
And, of course, to get even closer to the guitar sound of Chop Suey! is with the right pedals. Although the Boss DD-6 is no longer available, all of the pedal’s sounds and effect settings can be found in the DD-500*. And, of course, there is the Phase 90 from MXR*.
Conclusion
Will System of a Down ever release another album? And if so, will it come close to the creative madness that is “Toxicity”? We may never know.
But now it’s your turn, dear readers. How do you get close to the guitar sound of Chop Suey!? And what equipment do you use? And, on a completely different note, what songs would you like to see in this series? Which guitar sound is difficult to crack?
Let us know in the comments!
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