Hysteria by Muse (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Hysteria by Muse guitar tone is built on a Vox AC30 blended with Diezel VH4, dialed in at gain 7.5/10, bass 5, mid 6.5, treble 6.5, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 7.5 sits well above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 6.5 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Amp: Vox AC30 blended with Diezel VH4 (+ Marshall DSL100); later Kemper / Axe-FX

1962 Gibson SG (for this track) plus Manson; fuzz-forward high gain.

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

bridge humbucker (Manson)

Effects / signal chain

fuzz, distortion, delay

Tone character

saturated fuzz, aggressive, singing sustain, effects-heavy

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

fuzz-driven high-gain, saturated distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Hysteria sound.

Difficulty

6/10 · Riff

The notes are achievable; the tone is all about a gnarly fuzz into a saturated AC30/Diezel blend.

Level: Expert-level — see more the hardest guitar songs →

Worth knowing

• Hysteria's relentless riff (bass-led, doubled on guitar) was cut on a 1962 Gibson SG — thick, saturated fuzz, mids up so it cuts.
• Matt Bellamy's Muse tone is a saturated, FUZZ-driven high-gain — a Vox AC30 blended with a Diezel VH4 (the Diezel for gain/sustain, the AC30 for chime), plus Marshall heads. The signature is a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory (built into his custom Manson guitars) — that erratic fuzz IS the Plug In Baby intro. Other fuzzes: Keeley Fuzz Head, ProCo Rat, Big Muff.
• Settings: gain 7-8, bass 4-5, mids 6-7, treble 6-8, presence to taste. But the tone lives in the FUZZ in front, not amp gain alone — a Fuzz Factory (or any gnarly fuzz) is the single most important piece. Manson guitars; a 1962 Gibson SG was used for the Hysteria / Time Is Running Out tremolo riffs.
• Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets — chase the fuzz character first.

🎸 All Hysteria guitar tones — every part & section →

Hysteria guitar tone — FAQ

Share this tone

Sources

• Muse / Matt Bellamy Amp Settings — Guitar Chalk
• Matt Bellamy Gear & Pedalboard — Equipboard
• Gear Rundown: Matt Bellamy — Mixdown

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

Songs by level: 🎯 Easy  ·  🎸 Intermediate  ·  🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 How to get Muse’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Alternative Rock guitar tones →  ·  🎚️ Vox AC30 settings →  ·  🎛️ best rock amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar riffs →  ·  🎚️ Fuzz tone guide →  ·  🎚️ Delay tone guide →  ·  🎚️ Distortion tone guide →  ·  🎯 more singing sustain tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones