Hysteria (Muse) bass tone and bass amp settings
Hysteria bass tone on a Fender Rumble 40 V3: heavy drive (Drive 7.5), high gain (Gain 7), forward high-mids (High Mid 4), bridge J pickup.
Settings for your amp
The song has distinct sounds: Fuzz intro. Each rig below lists what to change for them.
Hysteria settings on a Fender Rumble 40 V3
Fender Rumble 40 V3 settings for every songAmpFender Rumble 40 V3
BassPassive P/J bass
The same settings in text
Amp
- Gain
- 7
- Bright
- On
- Contour
- Off
- Vintage
- Off
- Overdrive
- On
- Drive
- 7.5
- Level
- 6
- Bass
- +2
- Low Mid
- +1
- High Mid
- +4
- Treble
- +1
- Master
- Set to your room
Passive P/J bass
- Neck Volume (P)
- 7
- Bridge Volume (J)
- 10
- Tone
- 8
A bass fuzz/octave pedal would add the missing fuzz and octave layers.
Hysteria settings on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108
Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108 settings for every songThese settings play the fuzz intro.
AmpAmpeg Rocket Bass RB-108
BassPassive P/J bass
The same settings in text
Amp
- SGT
- On
- Volume
- Set to your room
- Bass
- +1
- Midrange
- +2
- Treble
- +1
Passive P/J bass
- Neck Volume (P)
- 5
- Bridge Volume (J)
- 10
- Tone
- 8
Add a Big Muff-style fuzz for the original's stronger fuzz character.
Hysteria settings on any bass amp with Bass, Mid, Treble, Drive
Amp
BassPassive P/J bass
The same settings in text
Amp
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 7
- Treble
- 7
- Drive
- 7.5
Passive P/J bass
- Neck Volume (P)
- 8
- Bridge Volume (J)
- 8
- Tone
- 8
Add a bass Big Muff for more convincing fuzz and sustain.
Song parts
Fender Rumble 40 V3
Fuzz intro:
Gain 8.5, Drive 9
.Push the amp harder for a more saturated opening.
Song parts
Any bass amp with Bass, Mid, Treble, Drive
Fuzz intro:
Drive 9.5
.Push the amp drive harder for a harsher opening.
Why it sounds like that
Hysteria's bass riff is built from sixteenth notes that Chris Wolstenholme added to make it sound like a machine gun. The bass does not sit on root notes; it plays its own melody against the guitar's. The all-sixteenths line is overdriven, and the isolated bass track brutally distorted. Rich Costey describes Wolstenholme's rig on the album Absolution as three amps with different degrees of distortion: one cleaner, one largely through a Big Muff, and the most distorted one through a distortion pedal of its own. In the studio, a synth was added to give the sound some weight.
- Keep the 16th-note riff even and tight, since those notes were added to make it sound like a machine gun.
- Play the bass as its own melody against the guitar rather than sitting on the root notes.
What amp did Chris Wolstenholme use on Hysteria?
- Wolstenholme said he added 16th notes to make the riff sound like a machine gun. (on this song)[1]
- Wolstenholme said Matt first played the bass riff on guitar. (on this song)[1]
- Wolstenholme said there is no point in Hysteria where the bass sits on a root note, because the bass and the guitar play separate melodies. (on this song)[2]
- Costey said Wolstenholme's amp rig consisted of three Marshall bass heads and three different Marshall cabinets. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said Wolstenholme has three amps with different degrees of distortion. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said one of the three amps produces a cleaner bass tone. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said the second amp largely goes through a Big Muff distortion pedal. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said the third amp, the most distorted, uses an obscure Japanese distortion pedal. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said the third amp's nasally tone makes no sense on its own but is critical in the mix. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Costey said Wolstenholme has several bass guitars and a well-worn Pedulla he is particularly fond of. (on the album Absolution)[3]
- Mixdown reports that Wolstenholme particularly favoured Pedulla basses with soapbar single-coil pickups for Absolution's sessions. (on the album Absolution)[4]
- Mixdown's gear list names 3x Marshall DBS 7400 heads. (on the album Absolution)[4]
- Wolstenholme said that in the studio the band focused on the sound and added a synth to give it a bit of weight. (on this song)[1]
- Guitar World describes the all-16ths Hysteria line as hyperpowered and overdriven. (on this song)[2]
- Fuzz intro: Bonedo's workshop says the song opens with a brutally distorted fuzz sound. (on this song)[5]
- Bonedo's workshop says an octaver is added to the fuzz later in the song. (on this song)[5]
- Bonedo calls the isolated bass track of Hysteria a brutally distorted bass sound. (on this song)[6]
Questions
What amp did Chris Wolstenholme use on Hysteria?
The sources on this page document Chris Wolstenholme's gear on Hysteria by Muse: bass, Pedulla bass (model unspecified) [3]; pickup, single-coil soapbar [4]; amp, Marshall DBS 7400 bass heads (x3) [3]; effects, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff [3]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.
What are the Hysteria settings on a Fender Rumble 40 V3?
For the Hysteria bass tone on a Fender Rumble 40 V3, set Gain 7, Bright On, Overdrive On, Drive 7.5, Level 6, Bass +2, Low Mid +1, High Mid +4, Treble +1; on the passive P/J bass, Neck Volume (P) 7, Bridge Volume (J) 10, Tone 8. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Hysteria settings on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108?
For the Hysteria bass tone on an Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-108, set SGT On, Bass +1, Midrange +2, Treble +1; on the passive P/J bass, Neck Volume (P) 5, Bridge Volume (J) 10, Tone 8. Set Volume to your room. These settings play the fuzz intro. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
Can I get the Hysteria tone on my own amp?
Yes. The settings above cover 2 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, bass and pedals for Hysteria, using only the controls your gear has.
Get it for your exact rig
KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, bass and pedals for this song.
Download KnobMaster on the App Store