For decades, Hugh Manson’s custom builds pushed what we expected from a hand-built guitar. Attention to detail and meticulous selection of woods, hardware, and components all added up to some of the finest UK-made instruments to pass through Guitarist HQ. But there was one association in particular that put the Manson name on the tip of guitar players’ tongues, and that was the long-standing relationship between Hugh, the brand, and one Matthew Bellamy.
As an upstart on the scene back in the mid-to-late 90s, Bellamy frequented Mansons Guitar Shop in Exeter, acquiring his first custom-made Manson guitar after receiving his initial advance when Muse were signed. Usually, we’d say the rest is history, but as we’ve seen since this was simply the origin of strumm-etry…
Now, in a time where our credit cards live in fear of being wiped by the magnets of a period-correct PAF clone and where accidentally scraping the finish on our guitars simply makes them more ‘vibe-y’, Manson and Bellamy turned their attentions to making the guitar do things it shouldn’t. “The guy that says, ‘I want you to build me a Strat’. What is the point?” Hugh said in 2015. “I can sell you a perfectly good reissue of a Strat. How am I going to improve on however many million have been made already? Our challenges lie elsewhere.”
Those challenges? How about fitting an X/Y MIDI controller into the body? Or perhaps you’d consider a ZVEX Fuzz Factory, a ribbon controller… maybe a Fernandes Sustainer, and a kill switch? While we’re at it, can we do lasers, too? Then we’ll talk finishes…
Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
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Denne historien er fra February 2021-utgaven av Guitarist.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BASIC INSTINCTS
The sophisticated range of Swedish-designed guitars made by .strandberg* has lured thousands of players over to the headless side. But the company's new stripped-back Boden Essential model is its strongest play yet for the hearts and minds of mainstream players
Second String
As PRS's more affordable USA-made S2 line moves into its second decade, the series gets a revamp with - at last - USA-made pickups and electronics. What took so long?
PABLO VAN DE POEL
When a band from The Netherlands describes themselves as 'raw, psychedelic Southern rock', it may take a little cognitive processing to work out what that might mean. One listen to DeWolff, however, and you will be duly transported to the 60s for some fuzzed-out rock 'n' roll
THE BERNIE MARSDEN COLLECTION
With a fabulous collection of the late Bernie Marsden's guitars, amps and other highly collectable music gear going under the auctioneer's hammer on 11 June, we were thrilled to have the chance of a sneak preview
LENNY KRAVITZ
Some 35 years since the release of his debut LP, for his 12th record, Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz is back again with equal doses of vigour and vibes, using vintage guitars and the purest valve amps
GEORGE VJESTICA
You may not know him at first glance, but the work of Stoke-on-Trent native George Vjestica has probably impacted some of your favourite albums and movies
DICKEY BETTS
Emerging from the shadow of Duane to write signature hit Ramblin' Man, the Allman Brothers guitarist was a hard-living pioneer of Southern rock
NICK GUPPY
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our highly valued amplifier guru, who died suddenly in April
Lucky Break
Alex Bishop blends old wood with new in an attempt to fix a severely damaged guitar headstock
Tones Behind The Tracks
Cedric Burnside learnt at the knee of his fabled grandfather, but his latest album is a hill country blues masterclass on his own terms