Muse

Matt Bellamy co-designed the Manson guitars he plays, which feature built-in effects including a Fernandes Sustainer pickup, a Kaoss Pad controller, and sometimes a MIDI controller, all integrated directly into the guitar body, allowing him to trigger synth-like sounds and effects without touching a pedalboard.

The bass riff in "Hysteria" is one of the most famous bass lines in rock, but Bellamy's guitar part on the same track features an equally challenging arpeggiated riff that's often overlooked, it's a great lesson in how guitar and bass can interlock in a power trio.

Bellamy recorded the solo for "Reapers" in one take and considered it one of his favorite solos ever recorded. It's a masterclass in combining Whammy pedal harmonics, fast legato runs, and controlled feedback.

The riff for "Plug In Baby" was inspired by Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Bellamy has stated he was experimenting with classical sequences when he stumbled onto the pattern, proving that studying classical music can directly improve your rock riff writing.

Muse tunes most of their heavy tracks to drop-D, but Bellamy occasionally uses custom tunings and even baritone guitars to achieve the ultra-low register heard on tracks from later albums.

Bellamy's Zvex Fuzz Factory settings are famously unstable, he deliberately uses the pedal's oscillation and gated sputtering qualities as a feature, not a bug. The squealing, chaotic fuzz tones on songs like "Plug In Baby" and "Stockholm Syndrome" come from riding the edge of the pedal's feedback loop.

Despite being known for massive walls of sound, Bellamy is a classically trained pianist, and he frequently composes guitar parts by thinking in terms of piano voicings and counterpoint, which is why Muse riffs often have an unusual harmonic complexity compared to typical rock guitar.