Over the years, System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian’s stage image has become inseparable from the Ibanez Iceman. The association was cemented in 2004 with the release of his limited‑edition signature model, the DMM1, but his history with the distinctive guitar goes back to the band’s earliest days.
In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Malakian recalls first encountering the Iceman around the time System of a Down signed their first record deal. “I’ve been using Gibsons as well live, but the Iceman is always in the mix,” he says. “The Iceman came in the mix when we first got signed for the first album. They gave us money to go buy equipment, and I went to Guitar Center. At that time, I was using Fenders on stage.”
Back then, Malakian’s main guitar was a Fender Big Apple Strat, a humbucker‑equipped model he favored during the sessions and early tours for the band’s debut album. “If you ever look at old pictures of me from the first record, you’ll see me playing Fender Strats, humbucker Strats – at that time, the one that I was using was called a Big Apple Strat,” he recalls.
That changed the day he spotted an Iceman hanging in the store. “I saw this Iceman sitting there, and I was like, ‘You know, that’s a guitar that not too many people use.’ It was unique. I never thought of using one before that,” Malakian says. Intrigued by its unconventional look, he bought it and brought it on tour — though at first it remained largely untouched.
“One of my techs was like, ‘Dude, you should use this thing,'” he says. “And one day on stage, I used it, and I was like, ‘This is really even. It’s shaped weird, but it sits on your body really comfortably.’ It feels just right, and that’s it. I just kept playing that guitar on stage more than the Fenders at that point.”
That decision marked the start of a long‑term relationship with Ibanez. Eventually, the company began building Iceman models specifically for him. “I remember, in the early days, I’d have my dad paint them,” he says. “Now I just have them in black and gold. That’s my thing.”
From that first chance encounter to his signature DMM1 model, the Iceman has remained central to Malakian’s stage presence and live tone. Even with other guitars in rotation, the Iceman continues to be a fixture in his rig — a rare example of a single model helping define a player’s sound and image for decades.
And hey – if you’re in the market for a Ibanez Iceman, get one right here.
