WASHBURN USA CUSTOM SHOP
NUNO BETTENCOURT N7
BY JORDAN WAGNER
Few guitarists are associated with a single guitar maker like Nuno Bettencourt is
with Washburn Guitars. Since the introduction of the N4 in 1990, Bettencourt’s association has helped Washburn establish itself
as something more than a line of blues and
classic rock guitars. His models are some
of the best-selling guitars in their line, and
older, rare pieces can command a hefty sum
on the used market.
Wind Me Up
The N7 screams late ’80s/early ’90s stripped
to hear audio clips of the guitar at
premierguitar.com/apr2012
CLICKHere…
-own, hot-rodded shred machine, with a bare
wood finish, floating tremolo and careful
attention paid to serving up as much unrestricted access to the upper frets as possible.
The work between Bettencourt and
Washburn is ongoing though, and the latest
fruit of the collaboration is the N7 from the
company’s USA Custom Shop. The new guitar updates the classic N4 model with a couple significant changes, most notably with the
addition of a seventh string—a low B—to
widen the sonic spectrum for heavier work.
The body itself is comprised of aged alder,
and feels really great underneath the fingertips. The two-piece alder body is sanded and
sculpted to perfection—it’s light and beautifully balanced. The body also has a DIY look
that’s a nod to the guitar that Bettencourt
himself built out of spare parts over 20 years
ago and which inspired the original N4. One
of the more unique aspects of the N7 is its
strange neck joint, which is actually an old
design developed by luthier Stephen Davies
in the early ’80s. Instead of a joint with a
straight, square edge, the area is cut with a
half-circle shape, and the neck is attached via
five bolts that run along the upper edge. It
looks quite futuristic, and provides a rock-solid connection between the alder body
and the 25.5" scale maple neck and doesn’t
obstruct access the higher frets.
A gorgeous ebony fingerboard with 22
frets tops the bare-finished maple neck and
there’s a Buzz Feiten Tuning System treatment to ensure that tuning and intonation
are as accurate as possible. The strings are
anchored by a set of Grover 18:1 tuners and
an official Floyd Rose locking vibrato system in a seven-string configuration.
Nestled underneath the strings you’ll
find two Seymour Duncan humbuckers—a
Duncan ‘59 in the neck and a Distortion in
Duncan Distortion bridge pickup
Stephens cutaway
and neck joint
Duncan ’59
neck pickup
