MATT BELLAMY (MUSE)

TECH-SAVVY FRONTMAN FOR ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ROCK BANDS.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE onto something when Brian May is among your fans. The Queen guitarist has called U.K altrockers Muse “extraordinary musicians” who “let their madness show through.” Both descriptions fit guitarist Matt Bellamy, who is famous for his techloaded, forward-thinking approach to the electric guitar. His Manson guitars have features like the Roland GK MIDI pickup system, built-in effects pedals, LED lights, Fernandes Sustainer pickups, ribbon MIDI controllers, Kaoss pad controllers and plenty more. Despite the high-tech sonic influences, Bellamy’s love of traditional classical music permeates Muse’s music. That said, he acknowledges that alt-rock’s landscape has changed dramatically from the group’s 1990’s heyday. But he can cope just fine. “The guitar has become a textural instrument rather than a lead instrument,” he told the BBC in 2018. “And I think that’s probably a good thing.”

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