Matt Bellamy with his Manson MB1

-Recent update: In April 2009, Manson’s Guitar Shop announced that Matt Bellamy’s signature guitars would be available to the public under the MB-1 model name. Available in two colors (“Matt” black and glitter red) this guitar comes packed with all the features the nerd guitarist drools over. It also comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s the price for excellence. For more pics and full details, visit the Manson Signature Guitars page. Here are the posted specs for the MB-1:

• Alder Body
• Birds Eye Maple Neck
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• MBK-2 Bridge Humbucker
• Fernandes Sustainer Humbucking Neck Pickup
• Fixed Bridge
• Gotoh 510 Machine Heads
• Kill Switch
• Volume, Tone
• Sustainer On/Off Switch
• Sustainer – Harmonic/Fundamental Switch
• 3-way Pickup Selector Switch
• Manson Deluxe Logo Hard Case

After being wowed by Matt Bellamy and his incredible performance at the Muse concert in LA, I began reading up on Matt Bellamy’s guitar setup and continued my new-found fascination with the band. I’ve sometimes wonder if everything that can be done with the electric guitar is already avaliable. What if found was a bit inspiring.

I have to start with his guitars, as they are amazing pieces of work. Matt Bellamy has his guitars custom built by Hugh Manson of Manson Guitars. At first glance, they appear to be a cross breed of a Les Paul and a Telecaster, with some exaggerated looks. But the extra knobs and controls on the guitars serve various purposes depending on the guitar. The guitar I saw the most at the recent show was The Mirror Manson.

The Mirror Manson was a pretty incredible sight to see under the stage lights for it’s obvious reflective properties, because of how hard it is to look away from it. Combine it with their usual amazing light show and it’s going to be a blinding experience. Haha. The guitar is equipped with a pair of Mississippi Queens pickups from Bare Knuckle. But the really incredible part of this guitar is the MXR Phase 90 Roland GK2 MIDI internal pickup and the Fuzz Factory effects built right in, with the control knobs accessable on the guitar. (Check out how this thing is wired!)

He has multiple versions of these guitars with other features like Kaoss pads and MIDI control sliders buit in for contol over his Whammy pedal and other floor effects. Check out the Muse Wiki site for lots more info.

Here’s an overview video I found on youtube to see more…