Andy Manson built his first acoustic guitar at 17 back in the 1960s, and he and his brother Hugh spent the 70s and 80s building and repairing instruments for clients including Jeff Beck and John Paul Jones. The business only became what it is today once Adrian Ashton joined in the early 90s to help open a shop in Devon, and by the end of that decade Hugh and Adrian had formally split the retail store from the guitar-building operation as Manson Guitar Works. Muse's Matt Bellamy has played Manson guitars since 2001 and bought a majority stake in the company in 2019, with Hugh Manson staying on as a consultant. New M-series and Meta-series releases, most carrying Bellamy's design fingerprints, are what we cover most. Here's what we've written.
Manson Guitars and Z.Vex celebrate 30 years of Fuzz Factory with two ultra-limited Origin of Symmetry editions: Hand Paint (20 units) and Print (80 units).
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Matt Bellamy of Muse holds a majority share, which he bought in 2019. Bellamy had been playing Manson guitars since 2001, so the purchase formalised a two-decade relationship rather than starting one.
It is a British guitar manufacturer based in Devon, England. It began with one-off, heavily customised instruments and has since extended into bass guitars and accessories, and — through a relationship with Cort — into more affordable production ranges.
Through the Cort collaboration. The partnership produced lower-cost models such as the MBC-1 Matthew Bellamy signature, which put the Manson design language within reach of players who could not commission an instrument from Devon.
Built-in effects and switching. The Bellamy models in particular have carried onboard Kaoss pads, sustainers, fuzz circuits and MIDI control — features aimed at a player who triggers sounds from the guitar rather than from a pedalboard. That is unusual enough to be the brand's signature.
