Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Myles Kennedy performs with his signature PRS during 2025's Tons of Rock Festival. He wears a brown denim jacket.
Artists Myles Kennedy on why karaoke “terrifies” him, the secret to a perfect take – and the hardest Guns N’ Roses song to sing
Brian May [left] leans back and feels a chord as he performs live with his Red Special. Steve Vai [right] wears a ballcap and looks pleased as punch as he shows off his custom 'Green' Red Special that May had built for him.
Artists Steve Vai once played Brian May’s guitar “like a baby giraffe on roller skates” – now the Queen icon has gifted him his own ‘Green’ Red Special
Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
Electric Guitars "It isn’t just a collection of cool features; it’s a tool designed to make your recorded guitar sound better, right out of the box": Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic review
Dave Mustaine, founder, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of US band Megadeth, performs at the Iconica Sevilla Fest, in Seville on July 3, 2025. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP) (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images)
Bands “It’s not ‘puppet show Megadeth’”: Dave Mustaine says he doesn't want guesting ex-members on Megadeth’s final tour
The new MKX lunchbox head is Victory Amps' flagship design, a compact 50-watt powerhouse with three channels
Guitars Victory Amps reimagines the $5k+ MK Overdrive as a 50W lunchbox head – and it's a fraction of the price
Elton John and Davey Johnstone perform at the piano during their 2012 tour, with Johnstone playing the Les Paul Custom 'Black Beauty' that John originally bought for himself, but gave it to Johnstone after the band had all their gear stolen.
Artists Davey Johnstone on guitar shopping with Elton John – and how he ended up with his iconic Les Paul Custom
Ibanez Alpha Series: 7 and 8-string guitars with an all-new shape, metallic finishes, and photographed here in profile against a dark gradient background.
Guitars Stylistically radical, Ibanez’s multi-scale Alpha series might just be the 21st-century prog-metal player’s favourite new guitar – but do you get the 7-string or the 8?
Neural DSP Quad Cortex
Guitar Pedals "Makes the case that you might never need anything else": Neural DSP Quad Cortex review
Close up of a Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar lying on a wooden floor
Acoustic Guitars Best acoustic guitars 2026: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
Brian May performs live with his Red Special, and on the right, his old pal, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, plays the custom-built Red Special replica that Iommi got him as a festive gift.
Artists Brian May just got Tony Iommi the best Christmas present ever
Mark Tremonti grimaces (or smiles?) as he plays a solo during a 2025 live show with his PRS signature guitar.
Artists "It’s just the most emotive piece of music": Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti on the greatest guitar solo of all time
Steve Morse poses in the studio with his Ernie Ball Music Man signature model – not the guitar synth at the bridge.
Artists “Nobody can play better than that guy, man!”: Steve Morse on the supernatural powers of Petrucci, Johnson and Blackmore
PRS SE Fiorre HH
Electric Guitars “These are classy sounds with no danger of single coil hum... a near-perfect function-gig guitar”: PRS Fiore HH Satin review
Alter Bridge record in 5150 Studios, the studio that the late Eddie Van Halen built, courtesy of an invite from his son and friend of the band Wolfgang Van Halen
Artists Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti on recording at the studio that Eddie Van Halen built
Olivia Rodrigo playing guitar
Artists Olivia Rodrigo explains why she loves playing her custom Ernie Ball Music Man St Vincent Goldie signature model
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  1. Guitars

Manson reveals 4 new Matt Bellamy guitars for 2017

News
By Michael Astley-Brown ( Total Guitar, Guitarist ) published 29 November 2017

Models based on Muse frontman’s onstage instruments

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Matt Bellamy has had some incredible Manson creations over the years, but for 2017, the Exeter luthier has revealed four new signature guitars.

The MB-1 Red Santa, Black Knight, Red Alert and DR-1 Final Edition are all based on the Muse frontman’s onstage instruments, and accordingly, demand Manson’s top-dollar price tags and require joining a wait list.

Nonetheless, the specs reflect the outlay, so head on through the gallery for a closer look at each model, and visit Manson Guitar Works for more info.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Manson Matthew Bellamy Signature MB-1 Santa 2.0

Manson Matthew Bellamy Signature MB-1 Santa 2.0

PRESS RELEASE: Limited Edition MB-1 Santa 2.0. Made in the UK, this guitar is based on "Santa 2" with light weight swamp ash body, Manson MIDI screen controller and non swathes Red Glitter specced as standard.

Options available. Build time approx 12 months. Guitar will be open for reservation from November 15th 2017. Existing wait list will be contacted first.

Full specs

2-Piece Swamp Ash Body
Red Glitter "Non Swathes" Gloss Finish
Bolt On Neck Construction
Birds-Eye Maple Neck
Premium Grade Pau Ferro Rosewood Fingerboard
Body Colour Matching Headstock
Side Dot Markers
Manson MBK-2 Humbucking Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Sustainer Neck Pickup
Original Hand Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Gotoh HAP Machine Heads
Manson MIDI Controller Screen
Manson Deluxe MB-1 Logo Hard Case
Manson MB-1T Matthew Bellamy Signature Black Knight

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Manson MB-1T Matthew Bellamy Signature Black Knight

Manson MB-1T Matthew Bellamy Signature Black Knight

PRESS RELEASE: Manson MB-1T Black Knight based directly on Matthew Bellamy's current touring instrument.

Limited Edition Made in the UK. Build time approx 12 months. Guitar will be open for reservation from November 15th 2017. Existing wait list will be contacted first.

Full specs

2-Piece Swamp Ash Body
Matt Black Finish
Bolt-On Neck Construction
Birds-Eye Maple Neck
Premium Grade Pau Ferro Rosewood Fingerboard
Body Colour Matching Headstock
Side Dot Markers
Psychopaf PF-1 Humbucking Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Sustainer Neck Pickup
Floyd Rose Pro Tremolo System
Original Hand Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Gotoh HAP Machine Heads
Manson Deluxe MB-1 Logo Hard Case

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Manson Matthew Bellamy Signature MB-1 Red Alert

Manson Matthew Bellamy Signature MB-1 Red Alert

PRESS RELEASE: Manson MB-1 'Red Alert' based directly on Matthew Bellamy's current touring instrument.

Limited Edition Made in the UK. Build time approx 12 months. Guitar will be open for reservation from November 15th 2017. Existing wait list will be contacted first.

Full specs

2-Piece Swamp Ash Body
Red Alert Gloss Finish
Bolt-On Neck Construction
Birds-Eye Maple Neck
Premium Grade Pau Ferro Rosewood Fingerboard
Body Colour Matching Headstock
Side Dot Markers
Psychopaf PF-1 Humbucking Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Sustainer Neck Pickup
Gotoh Bridge and Tailpiece
Original Hand Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Gotoh HAP Machine Heads
Manson Deluxe MB-1 Logo Hard Case

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
Mansons 25th Guitar Show 2017 Release DR-1 Final Edition

Mansons 25th Guitar Show 2017 Release DR-1 Final Edition

PRESS RELEASE: A fitting celebration for the very last available and early numbered Manson Matthew Bellamy DR-1 Drone Guitars - numbers 4-13 - these Final Edition DR-1s feature upgraded specifications, some tasty custom options and closely reflect what has become one of the artists favourite touring guitars.

The Final Edition DR-1 is limited to just 10 pieces - numbers 4 to 13 inclusive - and have upgraded specification including Gotoh 510 Bridge and Tailpiece, Gotoh 510 Machineheads, Pyschopaf Pickups, Hand Signed Certificate and Boutique Heistercamp DR strap with individual embossed number.

The already high spec DR highlights remain, including lightweight swamp ash body, ebony fingerboard, and special profile neck shape.

Limiting to just 10 pieces allows us to offer several custom options including all the existing DR options plus full custom necks with figuring or roasted maple finishes.

Deliveries on the DR Final Edition are expected to start from January 2018. Each individual numbered F.E. Drone is available to reserve now with a £300 deposit.

Full specs

Final Edition Of Numbers 4-13
2-piece Swamp Ash Body
Military Olive Green Finish
Bolt-On Neck Construction
Maple Neck
Ebony Fingerboard
Body Colour Matching Headstock
Psychopaf PF-1 Bridge Pickup
Psychopaf Dismissal Neck Pickup
Hand Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Gotoh HAP 510 Machine Heads
Gotoh 510 Bridge and Tailpiece
Black Hardware
Manson Deluxe Hard Case

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown
Social Links Navigation

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Fender and Jackson's Iron Maiden 50th Anniversary Collection: FMIC has unveiled a signature guitar and bass collection to celebrate 50 years of the British metal institution.
Fender and Jackson celebrate 50 years of Iron Maiden with limited run signature collection
 
 
Gibson Custom Kirk Hammett Raven: the Metallica lead guitarist's new signature acoustic is a Halloween-friendly take on the Hummingbird that's limited to 100 units worldwide.
Enter, the Raven: Kirk Hammett’s Custom Shop Gibson acoustic dresses up the Hummingbird for Halloween
 
 
Johnny Marr demoes his new signature Jaguar Special with its trio of custom-wound lipstick pickups.
Fender and Johnny Marr reimagine the Jaguar with signature stunner featuring three custom-wound lipstick single-coils
 
 
Kirk Hammett plays CEO 4 at Black Sabbath's farewell show, Back to the Beginning. CEO 4 is an SG built by Gibson CEO and president Cesar Gueikian, and it is being auction for Gibson Gives.
The unique SG built by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian and played by Kirk Hammett at Back to the Beginning heads to auction
 
 
Craig 'Goonzi' Gowans and Steven Jones from Scottish metalcore heavyweights Bleed From Within pose with their weapons of choice: Goonzi [left] has an ESP LTD M1000, while Jones has a Caparison TAT Special
Bleed From Within’s Craig ‘Goonzi’ Gowans and Steven Jones on the high-performance shred machines behind their heavyweight metalcore sound 
 
 
Jackson Pro Series Cory Beaulieu King V: refreshed with quilt maple top, signature Seymour Duncany pickups and offered in six and seven-string versions – both with a Floyd Rose vibrato.
Jackson and Corey Beaulieu ante up with the Trivium guitarist's new Seymour Duncan-loaded next-gen King V
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Buddy Guy [left] smiles as he takes a solo on his Fender Stratocaster. He wears a red jacket and black hat. Billy Gibbons [right] wears shades, a wide-brimmed hat and a red blazer as he plays his custom SG-style electric with the V-style headstock.
Billy Gibbons on the tip Buddy Guy gave him after they jammed a T-Bone Walker classic
 
 
Ibanez Alpha Series: 7 and 8-string guitars with an all-new shape, metallic finishes, and photographed here in profile against a dark gradient background.
Stylistically radical, Ibanez’s multi-scale Alpha series might just be the 21st-century prog-metal player’s favourite new guitar – but do you get the 7-string or the 8?
 
 
EarthQuaker Devices ZEQD-Pre Tube Pre Amp
EarthQuaker Devices and Dr Z team up for a tube-driven preamp that might just be the cure for whatever ails your tone
 
 
Brian May [left] leans back and feels a chord as he performs live with his Red Special. Steve Vai [right] wears a ballcap and looks pleased as punch as he shows off his custom 'Green' Red Special that May had built for him.
Steve Vai once played Brian May’s guitar “like a baby giraffe on roller skates” – now the Queen icon has gifted him his own ‘Green’ Red Special
 
 
Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz: inspired by Supergrass, this two-knob fuzz has a white enclosure, blue dials, and a comic graphic of someone being apprehended in a police car.
"Its simplicity is a selling point": Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz review
 
 
Fender CEO Edward "Bud" Cole wears a dark blue suit jacket and white open-collar shirt as he poses with a Telecaster
“To lead Fender is the honour of a lifetime”: Fender announces Edward “Bud” Cole as its new CEO
 
 
Latest in News
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 4: American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, and filmmaker Prince (1958-2016) and American guitarist, singer-songwriter and member of the Revolution Wendy Melvoin perform onstage during the 1984 Purple Rain Tour on November 4, 1984, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)
How Prince and The Revolution turned the bare bones of Purple Rain into a lighters-in-the-air epic
 
 
 Iconic female rap group Salt-N-Pepa members Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper)
"Did not establish they ever owned the copyrights to their sound recordings": Salt N Pepa lose legal battle with Universal
 
 
DAVID BYRNE AND OLIVIA RODRIGO
“I actually cried when I heard his version of this song”: Olivia Rodrigo on David Byrne's cover of Drivers License
 
 
Pat Smear performs onstage during the FIREAID Benefit Concert for California Fire Relief at The Kia Forum on January 30, 2025 in Inglewood, California
“In the classic tradition…”: Pat Smear is out of upcoming Foo Fighters dates after “bizarre gardening accident”
 
 
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 23: Raye performs onstage during All Points East at Victoria Park on August 23, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Producer Mike Sabath reveals the surprisingly limited instrumentation in Raye's Where Is My Husband!
 
 
Brandon Flowers of The Killers attends the GBK Brand Bar & Meals On Me Backstage Lounge At The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
“In 2027 you will get the best Killers record”: Brandon Flowers is concentrating on solo activity this year
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...