GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Assassin Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Muse
Muse · 2000s · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Manson MB-1
Pickups
Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (bridge), custom Manson single coil (neck)
Amp
Diezel VH4
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2006 (Black Holes and Revelations). Matt Bellamy is known to use the Manson MB-1 with a Hot Rails bridge pickup for heavy riff sections. The Diezel VH4 was the primary amp for high-gain tones on this album. No direct evidence of live rig or alternate gear for the studio riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass6
Gain8.5
Reverb1
Treble7
Presence6.5
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Tone Character
- tight and percussive
- aggressive palm muting
- saturated high-gain distortion
- articulate note separation
- modern metal clarity
- focused low end
- cutting upper mids
- compressed attack
- minimal ambience
- dry, in-your-face mix
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source gives exact amp knob settings for 'Assassin' riff; settings estimated based on Diezel VH4 typical metal usage and genre/era.
- No explicit pedal or effect chain for the studio riff section found in sources; pedalboard details for this specific recording are not available.
- Pedals like the Keeley Compressor are associated with Bellamy but not confirmed for this specific song/section.
- No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; distortion is amp-based.
- Pickup and amp model inferred from multiple Muse rig rundowns and era-correct studio usage.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Matt Bellamy's 'Assassin' tone is extremely high-gain, tight, and aggressive, typical of mid-2000s Muse and their Diezel VH4/Marshall amp blend. The bass is kept tight (5) to avoid muddiness, mids are neutral (5) for punch without honk, treble and presence are high (7/6.5) for clarity and cut, and reverb is off for a dry, percussive attack.