COOL GEAR ALERT: Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N7VINTAGE
I’m so glad this axe exists. The Washburn Nuno Bettencourt signature model deserves a seven-string variant. This guitar just makes so much sense: killer Stephens Extended Cutaway neck joint for those high notes, big reverse headstock for extra resonance and sustain on the low notes, Original Floyd Rose bridge, aged alder body, Buzz Feiten tuning system, and of course that finish (or lack thereof) which really allows the wood to breathe and the high end to sing out. It kills me that I can’t afford this axe right now, because I can already tell that it would make my life infinitely better in every conceivable way.
By the way, dig the fretwork on the pics below.
PRESS RELEASE
Nuno Bettencourt’s Signature with a Seventh String Twist
Upon one look at the Nuno Bettencourt Signature Series N7VINTAGE guitar, it is clear that the ingenuity and attention to detail that is synonymous with the Washburn name is still top notch. Offering the same sleek style that lovers of the guitar legend have become accustomed to, and increasing the versatility with the seventh string, this instrument enables players to harness Nuno’s unique tone.
Offering a slim, aged alder body with a Stephens® extended cutaway neck joint, this beauty plays like a breeze. In addition to its supreme comfort, the sound of this axe is a perfect replication of Bettencourt’s signature sound thanks to the Seymour Duncan® Distortion pickup in the bridge position and the Seymour Duncan® ’59 neck pickup. The extremely fast neck offers a 22 fret ebony fingerboard with a maple neck and the standard stunning reverse headstock. With the Buzz Feiten tuning system paired up with Original Floyd Rose® tremolo, this guitar can take the most vigorous of playing and remain perfectly in tune.
As with the N4VINTAGE in the same series, all hardware and parts on this guitar are aged to give the look of a guitar that has been owned for years. The N7VINTAGE can give players the freedom they need to explore, along with the added ability to sound tight and feel right while playing.
REVIEW: Randall NB King 100 Nuno Bettencourt signature amp
Nuno Bettencourt has always had an ear for punchy, listenable distortion tones. Check out his sound on the Dramagods album Love, or Extreme’s latest, Saudades De Rock, for great examples. Nuno’s standard combination of bare-wood guitars and high output pickups means his amps need to be able to handle the kind of ultra-fine tonal detail that such features demand. and after years of collaboration, Nuno and Randall have introduced the NB King 100.
The NB King 100′s styling is unmistakable: it simply looks unlike any other amp in the world. For starters, all of the controls are over on the right hand side (the left features a badge of the logo for Nuno’s post-Extreme band Mourning Widows – and dude, you really have to check out their two albums), and the control panel is dominated by a seriously oversized volume knob and a VU meter. The design scheme is mirrored on the matching speaker cabinet. The matching NB412 speaker cabinet includes four 12″ Celestion Greenback 30s and is made from 3/4″ void-free birch plywood. It’s also freaking heavy.
COOL GEAR ALERT: Randall NB King 100 Nuno Bettencourt amp
So this just arrived to review for a mag: the Randall NBKING100 Nuno Bettencourt signature head. More info here. As I write this it’s 8:37pm – can’t exactly crank it up right now to see what it can do – but I’m gonna have some fun tomorrow.
Wanna hear it in action courtesy of Mr Bettencourt himself?
NEWS: Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N7
Just saw this one on Guitar Noize. It appears the Washburn N7 7-string that Nuno Bettencourt was rocking on Australian Idol with Rihanna is now available from the Washburn Custom Shop!
According to the Funky Munky Music forum, The stock N7 will have a Seymour Duncan Distortion humbucker in the bridge, instead of the Bill Lawrence L500 of the 6-string version. It will have an alder body, maple neck and ebony fretboard. Price will be $US2799.
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I write for Gibson.com, Australian Guitar, Australian Musician, Mixdown Magazine (including my instructional column, 'Unleash Your Inner Rock God,' which has been running since 2007), guitarworld.com, Tone Deaf, Beat and The Brag. I started I Heart Guitar in 2008. I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old, and I've been writing for magazines since I was 18 (I'm 33 now). I've also worked as a guitar teacher (up to 50 students a week) and a setup tech. I live in Melbourne, Australia. You can check out my guitar playing at Reverbnation or on YouTube.
You can email me at iheartguitarblog@gmail.com