Guitar Rig
Since the start of the Drones live era, Matthew Bellamy has been using two rigs for his touring guitars, to ease transportation. Rig A is used for touring in Americas and Asia whereas Rig B is used for Europe and MENA. Each rig tends have the same guitars in it as the other one. Because of this, pretty much every Manson Guitar Matt intends to use is duplicated, with a few exceptions. Some guitars in the list may be placed in both rigs as it is not known if there exists an identical duplicate or if there is simply no duplicate for this model.
Some guitars changed rig during or between tours. Others had been replaced or duplicated mid-tour. Also it is noted that Matt has a habit of trying out different guitars during warm-up gigs/tours, regardless of their original rig.
The goal on this page is not to be exhaustive but to regroup informations, for more details see the pages of each guitar.
LP 10
2025
In the same fashion as in 2017, 2025 was a transition year without any big tour and, subsequently, only one rig was used throughout the year (with the exception of the Matt Black 3.0 #4 replacing the #2 for the asian shows).
| Guitar style + tuning | Guitars | Songs used for |
|---|---|---|
| Drop D Bender | Matt Black FR | Psycho |
| Drop D | Matt Black 3.0 #2 / Matt Black 3.0 #4 | Stockholm Syndrome, We Are Fucking Fucked |
| 1/2 step Bender (Eb tuning) | Chrome FR 2.0 | Songs played 1/2 step down (Hanging in Victory Square, Knights of Cydonia, Time is Running Out) |
| Strat | MB S-Prototype | Not used |
| Drop D,G (DGDGBE tuning) | Fire Red | Uprising |
| Drop D Kaoss | M1D1 Blue | New Born, Supermassive Black Hole |
| Std Kaoss | M1D1 Stealth #1 | Supermassive Black Hole |
| Standard Bender | Chrome FR #1 | Compliance, Hysteria, Interlude, Thought Contagion, Unintended, Will of the People |
| Plug in Std Mirror | Chrome Fuzz | Plug in Baby |
| Standard | TronCaster | Madness, Resistance |
| White Fan Fret (Drop B tuning) | Oryx #1 | Kill or Be Killed, Won't Stand Down |
| 7-String - "Citizen" | Night Sky Holosparkle 7 String | Citizen Erased |
| 8-String | Oryx 8-String | Unravelling |
| Drop C (CADGBE tuning) | Holoflake #2 | Map of the Problematique |
Will of the People Era
| Guitar style + tuning | Rig A (Americas & Asia) | Rig B (Europe & MENA} | Songs used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop D Bender | Matt Black FR | Matt Black FR | Psycho |
| Drop D | Matt Black 3.0 #2 | Matt Black 2.0 #7 / Matt Black Stealth 2.0 #2 | Assassin, Stockholm Syndrome, We Are Fucking Fucked |
| Strat | MB S-Prototype | MB S-Prototype | The Dark Side (ARV Instrumental), Verona |
| Drop D,G (DGDGBE tuning) | Red Alert | Fire Red | Uprising |
| Kaoss | M1D1 Stealth #3 | M1D1 Stealth #1 | New Born, Supermassive Black Hole |
| Standard Bender | Chrome FR #2 | Chrome FR #1 | Hysteria, Interlude, Knights of Cydonia, Pressure, Will of the People |
| Standard Bender #2 | Chrome FR 2.0 | Chrome FR 2.0 | You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween, backup of Chrome FR |
| Plug in Std Mirror | Mirror 2.0 | Mirror / Chrome Fuzz | Plug in Baby |
| Standard | MB-1 Blue #1 | TronCaster / MB-1 Blue #2 / Holoflake #3 | Madness, Resistance, Time is Running Out |
| Standard #2 | Mask | Mask | Hysteria, Interlude, We Are Fucking Fucked, Will of the People |
| White Fan Fret (Drop B tuning) | Oryx #3 | Oryx #1 | Kill or Be Killed, Won't Stand Down |
| 7-String | Black Glitter 7 String | Black Glitter 7 String 2.0 | Citizen Erased |
| Drop C (CADGBE tuning) | Holoflake #2 | Holoflake #2 | Map of the Problematique |
Simulation Theory Era
| Guitar style + tuning | Rig A (Americas & Asia) | Rig B (Europe & MENA} | Songs used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop D Bender | Matt Black FR | Matt Black FR | Psycho |
| Drop D | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 3.0 #1 (Latin America 2019) | Matt Black 2.0 #7 / Matt Black Stealth 2.0 #1 | Metal Medley |
| Acoustic | Acoustic | Acoustic | Propaganda, Something Human |
| Drop D,G (DGDGBE tuning) | Red Alert | Red Alert | Uprising |
| Kaoss | M1D1 Stealth #3 | M1D1 Stealth #1 | Supermassive Black Hole |
| Kaoss #2 | M1D1 Blue | M1D1 Blue | Break It to Me |
| Standard Bender | Chrome FR #2 | Chrome FR #1 | Bliss, Hysteria, Interlude, Knights of Cydonia, Thought Contagion |
| Plug in Std Mirror | Mirror 2.0 | Mirror | Plug in Baby |
| Standard (Summer 2018) | Matt Black Stealth | Matt Black 2.0 | Mercy, Madness, Resistance, Time is Running Out |
| Standard (2018-2019) | Matt Black Stealth LED / TronCaster | Matt Black Stealth LED / TronCaster | Algorithm (ARV), Madness, Pressure, Time is Running Out, Unsustainable |
| Standard Synth | Prophet Stealth 1.0 / Prophet Stealth 3.0 | Prophet Stealth 1.0 | The Dark Side |
| Standard Eb | Holoflake #1 | Holoflake #1 | Showbiz, Take a Bow (& other old songs played 1/2 step down) |
Drones Era
2017
2017 was a year of transition for the band. They were still touring with the Drones Festivals Tour setup and still playing a lot of Drones Era songs (such as The Globalist, The Handler, Drones or Munich Jam), while incorporating new elements like Dig Down, slowly going into the Simulation Theory era. Matt also introduced a few new guitars this year, marking a departure from the previous Mansons he used. He reorganized his guitars, thus all of the gigs in 2017 shared the same gear.
| Guitar style + tuning | Guitars | Songs used for |
|---|---|---|
| Drop D Bender | Matt Black FR | Psycho |
| Drop D | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | The Handler, Stockholm Syndrome |
| Acoustic | Acoustic | Undisclosed Desires |
| Drop D,G (DGDGBE tuning) | Red Alert | Uprising |
| Kaoss | M1D1 Stealth #3 | Supermassive Black Hole |
| Standard Bender | Chrome FR #2 | Bliss, Hysteria, Interlude, Knights of Cydonia |
| Plug in Std Mirror | Mirror 2.0 | Plug in Baby |
| Strat | Fender Aluminum Stratocaster[1] | The Globalist |
| Standard | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | Butterflies and Hurricanes, Mercy, Resistance, Take a Bow, Time is Running Out |
| Standard LED | Matt Black Stealth LED | Dig Down, Madness |
| Drop C (CADGBE tuning) | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | Dead Inside, Map of the Problematique |
| Standard Eb | Holoflake #1 | Back in Black, Showbiz |
2015-2016
During the Festivals and Arenas tours of the Drones Era there were lots of movements between the rigs, and many new guitars were added throughout the tour, making it complex to track each guitar individually.
| Guitar style + tuning | Rig A (Americas & Asia) | Rig B (Europe & MENA} | Songs Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (Standard Tuning) | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | Mercy, Resistance, Take a Bow, Time is Running Out, |
| Standard Eb | Matt Black Stealth / Silver Glitter Holes | Matt Black Stealth / Silver Glitter Holes | Animals, Fury, Futurism, Revolt |
| Standard Eb (Starlight, 2015 Festivals) | Silver Glitter Holes / Silver Glitter Holes 2.0 | Silver Glitter Holes / Silver Glitter Holes 2.0 | Starlight |
| Drop D | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 | Matt Black Stealth / Matt Black 2.0 / DR-1 | Assassin, Defector, The Handler, Micro Cuts, Psycho, Reapers, Stockholm Syndrome |
| Drop D,G (DGDGBE tuning) | Matt Black 2.0 | Matt Black 2.0 | Uprising |
| Kaoss | M1D1 Stealth #1 | MB-1 Red Glitter (2015 Festivals) / Red Carbon (2015 Festivals) / M1D1 Stealth #3 (2016) | Supermassive Black Hole |
| Kaoss #2 | M1D1 Gloss Black | M1D1 Gloss Black 2.0 | New Born, Supermassive Black Hole (occasionally) |
| Plug in Std Mirror | Mirror / Mirror 2.0 | Mirror 2.0 | Plug in Baby |
| Strat | Fender Aluminum Stratocaster[2] | Fender Aluminum Stratocaster[3] | Agitated, The Globalist, The Groove |
| Tremolo | Chrome Bomber / Copper Bomber 2.0 / Metal Bomber | Copper Bomber / Copper Bomber 2.0 / Metal Bomber / Xenokroma Bomber / Stealth Bomber | Bliss, The Groove, Hysteria, Interlude, Knights of Cydonia, Uno |
| Drop C (CADGBE tuning) | Holoflake | Matt Black (2015 Festivals) / Holoflake / Matt Black Stealth | Dead Inside, Map of the Problematique |
| 7-String #1 | - | Black 7 String / Black 7 String 2.0 | Supremacy |
| 7-String #2 | CE-7 | 7 String E Guitar / CE-7 | Citizen Erased |