Matt Bellamy (Muse) guitar rig

Matt Bellamy, guitarist and vocalist for the band Muse, is arguably one of the most creative and influential musicians to emerge in the past decade. His unique approach to recording and use of effects has inspired a whole new breed of guitarists. Bellamy's gear is every bit as eclectic as his music.

In terms of guitars, Bellamy favours Manson six-string guitars, with the exception of a seven-string model used live for Citizen Erased which is tuned to: AADDGBE.

A majority of his Manson guitars have been custom built for him, and/or at the very least, heavily modified. Many of them contain built in effects pedal circuits.

Effects/units that are known to have been built into some of Bellamy's Manson guitars include, Z.Vex Fuzz Factory, Z.Vex Wah Probe, MXR Phase 90, Kaoss Pad and Tronical PowerTune Automatic Guitar Tuning System.

A Diezel VH4 sits at the core of Bellamy's guitar tone. The VH4 is feed into a Soldano cabinet. Other amplifiers seen in his stage rig include a Marshall head, most probably a Marshall 1959HW 100-watt head, and a Vox AC-30 head.


Prior to using the Diezel VH4, Bellamy was known to use a Marshall JCM2000 DSL.

Effects wise, Bellamy's rig has evolved from a more traditional pedal board into amp set up, into a technological beast.

In the early days, during the Showbiz/Origin of Symmetry era, his pedal board included a Digitech Whammy, Line 6 DL4, Roland V-Synth, DOD Equalizer, Zvex Fuzz Factory, Electro Harmonix Micro Synth.

As the bands music evolved, Bellamy moved more toward a midi controlled rack system. The fact that the Diezel VH4 can be midi controlled may also have had something to do with this.

His most current 'Black Holes and Revelations' rig features a Rocktron All Access Unit to control his rack, a Digitech Whammy, Kaoss Pad and two Ernie Ball Volume/Expression pedals, one for controlling volume and one for controlling the Whammy.

His rack features the following:

TC Electronic TC2990 Delay Rack Unit

Muse Research Receptor

Nord Modulator G2 Rack Unit (used for Map of the Problematique)

ETA Systems PD11 Power Conditioner

Shure UR 4D four-way wireless system

Skrydstrup AS 4 amp switcher

He has also been known to use various rack units in the studio, as well as live. The Line 6 Echo Pro has been used for recording, as has the Line 6 POD XT Pro.

For live vocals, Bellamy uses Neumann KMS 105's. The vocal signal can be fed through an Avalon VT737 for a warmer subtle distorted vocal tone, or through a SansAmp GT2 switched via custom control switch operated by Bellamy for extreme distortion. The vocal signal also travels through a variety of other rack gear, including a TC Electronic Delay Unit, H35000 Harmonizer and System 6000 reverb.

If you want an introduction to Muse, pick up Black Holes and Revelations.