Keeley El Rey Dorado Overdrive | Brothers Break Down | BYOB Tik Tok Pedal Video

Keeley El Rey Dorado Overdrive | Brothers Break Down

B.Y.O.B. is one of System Of A Down’s most famous songs–and it’s no surprise how it’s withstood the test of time. System Of A Down is known for being downright revolutionary in their genre, but today we’re going to focus on that punchy, intricate main riff. First, we’re going to ask you to do a huge favor. If you want to play along with the record, you’re going to need to tune your guitar to Drop C. We’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, but this is progressive metal we’re playing here.

@brosguitars Replying to @troll_face62 BYOB by System of a Down through Keeley El Rey Dorado Overdive #soad #systemofadown #metal ♬ original sound - brosguitars

Once you’ve made it past the easy part (sighing while you down-tune your guitar), you’re going to want to bring out Keeley’s El Rey Dorado Overdrive to maximize your accuracy.

Brothers Breakdown Recap

Let’s dive deep into the good ol’ El Rey Dorado Overdrive pedal. 

Classic Crunch

Progressive metal often has a distinctive crunch to it. This is vastly different from the kind of crunch that you’d expect from, say, an Orange amp. Moreover, it’s different from the crunch you’d expect from a Rat distortion pedal. The unique crunch that comes from the El Rey Dorado Overdrive pedal is perfect for players who need to keep up with the intensity of bands like System Of A Down. Remember, this riff isn’t just fast–Daron Malakian is impressively accurate in his playing. Each note he hits is clear as day, even for average, casual listeners who don’t know or care what Drop C tuning is. 

High And Low

These settings may seem redundant, but they make total sense. The low power mode provides more volume and girth than the high power mode. The high power mode focuses on compression and dynamics. The tone from this setting is really tight; it’d be great for progressive metal, but also other iterations of metalcore that you might expect to require totally different settings. Basically, this little machine is really cool.

Who’s It For

Obviously, this pedal is perfect for System Of A Down fans. If you want to completely replicate the tone from B.Y.O.B, this punchy overdrive is a fantastic place to begin. You honestly wouldn’t need to add much to your rig to complete the robust tone Mr. Malakian gets in this track. One of our amazing TikTok commenters mentioned that this riff is vaguely similar to a famous Pierce The Veil song (Bulls In The Bronx), so metalcore players could get some great use out of this pedal, regardless of which subdivision is their favorite. Coincidentally, that song is also tuned to Drop C. 

Explore the epic ebbs and flows of progressive metal with the El Rey Dorado overdrive pedal from Keeley. Keeley never disappoints with their pedals; their dedication to consistently creating unique, powerful products has helped them keep their position as industry leaders. Innovation in gear, while still creating products that can stay true to genres’ natural integrity, is so important in the grand scheme of musical evolution. In other words…this pedal is so cool, man!

If you’re ready to get to know this superstar guitar better, stop by Brothers Guitar Shop today. We’ll be happy to help you out. Also, be sure to check back weekly for new demos on our YouTube channel, as well as weekly blog posts. At Brothers Guitar Shop, we hope to help guitar players in New York unlock their fullest potential by giving them a place to explore.