Riff Tone

Knights of Cydonia

Muse

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarManson MB-1

AmpDiezel VH4

PickupsCustom Manson bridge humbucker

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6.5

mid5.5

treble8.5

reverb0.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzZVEX ZVEX Fuzz Factory

Notes

Studio recording, 2006. Matt Bellamy used his Manson MB-1 with a custom bridge humbucker into a Diezel VH4 amp for the main riff. The ZVEX Fuzz Factory is a key part of the tone. No evidence of additional modulation or time-based pedals in the riff section; delay is only lightly present if at all. Settings are inferred from forum posts and typical Muse rig for this era.

Tone Character(10)

buzzing, saturated fuzztight, percussive attackaggressive and cuttingcrunchy, reverb-lesswavy, synth-like distortionhigh-end sizzlecompressed sustainarticulate note separationno ambient washfocused, bridge pickup bite

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking and tight palm muting at a high tempo, all while controlling a heavily fuzzed tone that can easily become noisy or muddy.

Sources

matt bellamy knights of cydonia tone? - forum topic Knights of cydonia effects - forum topic Guitars Used In The 50 Best Guitar Solos Help with some live guitar effects/tones : r/Muse 12 reasons why Matt Bellamy is a 21st-century guitar hero

This tone has been researched 7 times by the community

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