Premier Guitar’s new Muse Rig Rundown opens up Bellamy and Wolstenholme’s live systems
The new walkthrough focuses on custom instruments, Sustainiac-equipped Manson guitars, MIDI control and the parts stockpiles behind Muse’s engineered stage rigs.
· Edited by Peter Luha
Credit: Premier Guitar
Premier Guitar has published a new Rig Rundown with Muse, with Matt Bellamy’s tech Chris Whitemyer and Chris Wolstenholme’s tech Jon Ashworth walking through the band’s live guitar and bass systems. The feature was recorded around the group’s Lakewood Amphitheater stop outside Atlanta.
Among the details, Bellamy’s main Manson MB handles at least half of the set and uses a Manson humbucker with a Sustainiac. The wider rig is built around custom instruments, MIDI control and carefully maintained stocks of parts for gear that has evolved across years of touring.
Rather than a generic lesson, this is a current technical look at how one of rock’s most effects-heavy bands keeps a complex live system practical enough to tour.
Credit: YouTube
Why it matters
Muse’s rigs are unusually integrated combinations of custom instruments, sustain systems, MIDI and effects, making a detailed current walkthrough useful to players interested in live guitar-system design.
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