GuitarDistortedSolo80% confidence
Kill Or Be Killed Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Muse
Muse · 2010s+ · metal
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Manson Oryx (custom multi-scale, 6-string, Drop B tuning)
Pickups
Manson PF-1 Matthew Bellamy Signature Pickup (bridge humbucker)
Amp
Orange Dual Terror DT30H 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 2022. Guitar and pickup confirmed for 'Kill Or Be Killed' era and song via Manson Guitar Works and Equipboard. Amp confirmed as part of Bellamy's studio rig. Effects chain includes Whammy pedal for programmed octave shifts in the solo. No evidence of additional pedals or amp effects beyond what is audible in the recording.
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass6
Gain8.5
Reverb1.5
Treble7
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- Digitech Whammy (exact model unknown) · modulation
Manson Oryx (PF-1 bridge pickup) → Digitech Whammy → Orange Dual Terror DT30H (low reverb)
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Tone Character
- tight, aggressive modern metal
- saturated high-gain lead
- octave-shifting solo lines
- clear note separation under heavy gain
- percussive attack
- sustained, harmonically rich
- articulate pick attack
- modern, compressed distortion
- crisp top end
- controlled low end
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for 'Kill Or Be Killed' solo found; settings estimated based on Orange Dual Terror typical use for modern metal, Bellamy's known preferences, and genre/era.
- Whammy pedal use in solo confirmed by Premier Guitar interview; exact model not specified, but Digitech Whammy is standard for Bellamy.
- No evidence of additional pedals (delay, reverb, modulation) in the solo section; only Whammy effect is clearly audible.
- Amp reverb is set low, as per typical modern metal tones and audible dryness in solo.
- Pickup and guitar model confirmed for this song/era, but not for every take—high confidence for studio version.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Matt Bellamy's solo tone on 'Kill Or Be Killed' is ultra high-gain, tight, and modern, with a focused low end, moderate mids, and aggressive treble/presence for cut. Muse's production is typically dry for solos, and these settings reflect his usual Diezel/Marshall high-gain stack approach for this heavy, modern metal-inspired track.