Hysteria amp settings — Harley Benton HB-80B

The Muse guitar tone for “Hysteria”, dialed in for a Harley Benton HB-80B with a Jackson Js2 Spectra. Studio version, Absolution (2003)

Original rig

Pedulla Rapture RB5 bass, Marshall DBS 7400 amp (Valve setting), Black Russian Big Muff, Human Gear Animato, Roland JP-8080 synth layer, signal split into clean + Big Muff + Animato through three separate amps

Aggressive distorted growl with synth-like midrange presence layered over clean low-end foundation, nasal upper-mid bite cutting through dense mix

Amp settings — Harley Benton HB-80B

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	6
Mid	7
Treble	5
Master	5

Don’t have a Harley Benton HB-80B? See this song on other amps → Match your own rig →

Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Bass Big Muff or EHX Bass Clone (fuzz/distortion)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This tone is IMPOSSIBLE without a fuzz or distortion pedal. The original uses both a Big Muff AND an Animato stacked with a clean blend. A Bass Big Muff with blend knob is the single best affordable option to approximate this. Run the amp nearly clean and let the pedal provide all the grit.

Sustain 7 · Tone 6 · Volume 6

Why these settings

The HB-80B is a basic solid-state combo with no overdrive channel — it cannot produce the aggressive distortion this tone requires from the amp alone. Gain at 3 keeps the amp clean as a platform for the recommended fuzz pedal. Mid pushed to 7 compensates for the lack of the Animato's nasal mid-bite. The Jackson JS2 Spectra's active humbuckers are hotter and more modern than Wolstenholme's passive Pedulla, so treble stays conservative at 5 to avoid harshness.

PRO TIPWolstenholme's secret weapon is the clean low-end layer blended underneath the fuzz — if you get a Big Muff with a blend/dry knob, keep it around 30-40% dry to retain note definition and punch in the lows. Play with a pick near the bridge for that percussive attack heard on the record.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Harley Benton HB-80B. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.