"Key Guitar in Muse Guitarist's Journey: Manson Launches Exact Replica of Matt Bellamy's Signature Guitar with Built-in Effects"] - Guitar | Technique

Manson Guitar Works has paid tribute to Matt Bellamy’s Number One electric guitar by releasing not one, not two, but three reissues – one of which is a painstakingly relic’d replica of the Muse frontman’s actual instrument.

The British guitar builder isn’t beating around the bush with this launch. The hallowed Black Edition, after all, is aptly described as “the pinnacle of Manson Guitar Works’ 46 years in business”.

“No matter what name it’s given, whether by fans, by techs or by Matt Bellamy himself, one thing is clear: this is the most significant guitar in the career of the Muse guitarist since its debut in 2001,” Manson adds.

Crafted over a three year period, used in the Time is Running Out music video, and heavily played by Bellamy in the stage and studio across the years, the Black Edition is Manson’s crowning glory, loaded with on-board Z-Vex effects, MIDI controls and more.

It’s a build that, Manson says, “stretches the boundary of what a guitar can do”. Bellamy himself has said that, “If I could only have one guitar in the world, the Black Edition would be it.”

The first is a meticulous remake of the Bellamy’s OG, with a “100 percent accurate body shape and relic’ing based on the original guitar”. That means it has glued joint repairs, chips, dings… you name it. If it’s on Bellamy’s, it’s on the Black Edition Origin Reissue.

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(Image credit: Manson Guitar Works)

That flagship model also offers accurately matched and sourced specs, some of which have become increasingly rare and hard to find.

So, yes, you get the Z-Vex Fuzz, the Z-Vex Wah-Probe, and all the MIDI powers, as well as the Sustainer, Killswitch, built-in LED side dots, and all appropriate controls. Pickups-wise, there’s a Seymour Duncan Hot P-90 and a Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen P-90.

As the ultimate recreation of Bellamy’s favorite Manson – along with the fact only nine will be made – that all comes with a price tag to match: £29,999.

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Manson Guitar Works Black Edition O.R. — (Image credit: Manson Guitar Works)

The Black Edition OR is joined by two near-identical ‘New Era’ reboots, one of which sports a Bellamy-style relic job. These builds have been described as ‘modern interpretations’ of the original, with modern upgrades and a slightly streamlined layout.

Dubbed “the ultimate self-contained on-stage performance system”, the guitars feature Manson P-90-style pickups, but keep the integrated Z-Vex Fuzz Factory and Sustainiac Sustainer systems of the original. There’s also a MIDI strip controller and a Killswitch.

Here, swamp ash is used for the body – instead of mahogany – and the rosewood fingerboard comes sans LEDs. Only 25 models will be made, and each will be either £11,999 for the non-relic and £12,999 for the relic.

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Manson Guitar Works New Era Black Edition — (Image credit: Manson Guitar Works)

Each Black Edition OR guitar has been checked over and played by Bellany himself, and arrives in a hard case along with a certificate of authenticity, a guitar strap, and limited-edition plectrums. The New Era models also come with a hard case and certificate of authenticity.

“Black Edition represents a distinctly British approach to instrument building: experimental, uncompromising and artist-led,” Manson says. “This guitar was developed not as a mere product, but a response to a specific creative vision.