the bridge, which has a noticeably different
tonality than the Bill Lawrence L500 in the
bridge position of the N4. A single volume
control and a three-way switch control the
overall output of the pickups, but I wasn’t
too impressed with how the volume control
felt as I moved it up and down. There just
wasn’t much in the way of resistance.
Moving up to the higher fret ranges was
the real treat, though. While the Stephens
cutaway took some getting used to, it felt
like a well-worn pair of Chuck Taylors after a
while. I’ve been so used to having to reposition my thumb slightly when I approach the
upper registers of the neck, but the Stephens
neck joint makes it so the neck feels as familiar as the zones lower than the 12th fret. As I
reached for some classic Satriani and Vai licks,
Get The Funk Out
If your proclivities lean toward shred, the
N7 is really hard to beat. The supreme
comfort and great neck feeling that made
the N4 such a knockout shred machine are
all present in the N7, but this guitar has a
slightly warmer, more organic tone.
I just kept feeling like there had to be some
kind of catch for this level of playing comfort.
If you’re a shred fiend, this guitar can be a real
asset and has the potential to improve your
accuracy, vibrato, speed, and touch.
The Verdict
The N7 is one of the most comfortable
electric guitars that I’ve played in recent
memory. The feel of the neck alone—with its
smooth, unfinished feel and pinpoint accurate
fretwork—made it difficult for me to put it
down. After saddling up with a 2011 Mesa/
Boogie Dual Rectifier Multiwatt into an
Emperor 4x12 cabinet, I dug deep into the
heavy rock—belting out quick, palm muted
triplets, peppered with slinky legato runs. The
N7 is designed for this type of work.
It feels fast, but tone is also tight and
focused. Even with an emphasis on the
low B string, it retains top end bite. Seven
string guitars often suffer from loss of high
end, which is why a lot of builders choose
bridge pickups with a high amount of treble response. In this case, the very present-sounding highs of the renowned Duncan
Kicking in the bridge pickup, I was
treated to a full and funky clean tone. Both
of the pickups engaged together yielded a
large, all-encompassing clean that was bold
and brash but warm as I picked through
some Randy Rhoads-influenced classical
arpeggios. I really would have liked to have
had a tone control of some sort, as one of
the best applications of a seven string guitar
is for jazz rhythm—it can sound really great
by applying moving basslines on the low B
string. Alas, while the ’59 is a great pickup,
the only way to tame its treble was to drop
the control on the amp and it would have
been so much more effective to do it from
the guitar itself.
Bettencourt is known for being one of
the best shredders that rock has ever seen,
but what’s really made him a hero among
many guitarists is his incredibly distinctive,
funky style. He’s as comfortable with cleaner and low gain tones as he is with ones
soaked in molten distortion, kicking out
funky rhythm work with a very interesting, almost percussive style. When I delved
into some Curtis Mayfield-inspired backing
grooves, the N7 pulled it off with a brilliant
full range that had all of the bite and power
that Bettencourt’s tone is known for.
In the ever-expanding universe of shred-friendly guitars, the N7 is a bright star.
Washburn’s USA Custom Shop really
outdid themselves with this one, although
they already pretty much had the formula
down pat with the N4. The natural texture
doesn’t feel cheap and unfinished. Instead
it enhances the sense that you’re playing
and exceptionally well-made guitar. This
level of craftsmanship comes at a premium
price. But if you’ve got the scratch and
want a shredder’s delight that can cover the
lowest of tones, it should be near the top of
your list.
RATINGS
Distortion fit amazingly well with the N7’s
low, guttural range. And the pickups’ tightness in the bass response meant that the
lows didn’t get at all flabby, even at very
high gain settings.
Tones
Playability
Build
Value
Washburn Guitars, Nuno Bettencourt N7, Street: $2,699, washburn.com
Pros: Exceptional feel and quality. Full, robust tones with
great balance.
Cons: Expensive. No tone control.
Buzz Feiten
Tuning System
