The year was 1989…
In an unassuming shopping mall in San Dimas, California, some extraordinary things were happening. Genghis Khan was discovering the merits of aluminum baseball bats, Joan of Arc took over a public fitness class after committing a minor assault, and Beethoven got himself kicked out of a music store by acting like it was Saturday morning at Guitar Center. Socrates, Sigmund Freud, Honest Abe and Billy the Kid were there too, if I’m not mistaken.
This incredible scene was the defining bonding montage of the comedy classic “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, where a disparate crew of mismatched historical figures from across time itself had to find a common thread and help a couple of young high school airheads pass a class and keep a potential rock power duo together.
The movie was light, fun and frothy, and the public responded massively.
While this might have been a career springboard for a young Keanu Reeves, another important career was blossoming at the same time. Underscoring this moment was rock band Extreme‘s blazing “Play With Me”, featuring a 23-year-old Nuno Bettencourt. The song, from Extreme’s self-titled debut album, is a rock replay on the kid’s alphabet nursery rhyme, full of young voices, plenty of exuberance and a right proper ripping guitar solo.
Actually, to clarify, it features a never-before-seen, don’t-try-this-at-home-kids guitar solo. When this scene played to theaters across the globe, legions of guitar nerds were left with tears streaming down mascara’d cheeks, while the remainder of the population shared in hearing the greatest thing since Eruption.
It took Bill and Ted and some of their friends to prove something I already knew: Nuno Bettencourt had arrived, and he was quite probably the best rock guitarist the world had ever seen.
Barely a year later, Extreme topped the Billboard 100 with their acoustic ballad “More Than Words”. This success kept Extreme on a fast track, releasing one strong album after another, including the epic Extreme II: Pornograffiti and it’s follow-up, III Sides to Every Story. These recordings came jam-packed with mountains of evidence that Nuno’s style was not only astonishingly technical, but also musical, funky, and full of feel.
His playing was also different. In a declining era of shred lords, Nuno Bettencourt was such an original breath of fresh air, that he became an instant guitar hero. Listeners might pick up influences in his playing, but he came out of the gates with a truly unique voice and tone.
BUILDING A NEW LEGEND.
Beyond that incredible playing, Nuno forged his own path in other ways, including in his guitar selection. The original guitar he used with Extreme was a hand-built affair, pieced together from a Warmoth neck and a maple Schecter body.
The Strat-syle body was shaved down to accommodate Nuno’s stature and playing style, and everything was raw and unfinished, right down to the reverse Strat headstock.
In 1990, Washburn Guitars released the first Nuno Bettencourt signature model guitar, dubbed the N4. It was built to Nuno’s exacting specifications, including a unique feature called the Stephen’s Extended Cutaway. The S.E.C. was an invention by luthier Stephen Davies, who built these original N4 models with Washburn, and the unique neck joint system allowed far greater fretting hand access to the upper frets than found with conventional neck assemblies.
These original N4 models are now commonly referred to as a “Davies N4”, to indicate the collaboration, and are quite collectible.
FROM THEN TO NOW.
Fast-forward nearly three decades.
The guitar landscape is different, yet similar. While there has been an explosion of affordable, ultra-playable superstrats, Gibson still rolls out Les Pauls, SGs and ES guitars, Fender still makes Stratocasters and Telecasters, and yes; Washburn still makes a variety of N4s.
Alongside the lineup of N4s and their variations exists a very special Nuno Bettencourt signature model guitar called the Nuno Bettencourt 4N USA.
This 4N isn’t just any signature guitar, however.
The Nuno Bettencourt 4N USA is based on Nuno’s own 4N, which is a particularly interesting guitar. It was a NAMM Show floor model N4, purchased directly by a small shop, then owned by a couple of folks, before being bought by Nuno. The original owner, Joe King, detailed his time with the guitar from 1991 until 2005, and much of the differences to the body and neck can be attributed to his time and experience with the guitar. He sanded the body and neck extensively, and considered the instrument a working guitar for the duration of his time with it.
Once Nuno had the guitar and had been using it regularly on stage as a companion to his N4, Chris Meade and the team at the Washburn Custom Shop went to extraordinary lengths to create an accurate replica of Nuno’s 4N. Not only did Meade study Nuno’s beloved 4N hands-on, but he designed and built a set of custom tools to accurately measure the neck so it could be recreated exactly in the new 4N. King admits to sanding the neck heavily during his ownership, and it stands to reason that this wear appealed to Nuno from a playability standpoint. The result of Meade’s efforts are obvious; from top to bottom this guitar is a true custom shop effort. From the workmanship, to the ultra fast neck, right down to the hand-relic wear on the body, this instrument feels as though somebody pulled Nuno’s favorite guitar off the stage and put it in our hands.
RELEVANCE.
So here was the million dollar question when faced with reviewing the new Washburn 4N: in today’s market, now flooded with high efficiency, low-cost superstrats, is there still a place for a $2600, 29-year-old signature guitar model?
In short, yes.
The Washburn 4N is as relevant now as it was when the first N4 was made. Nuno’s needs in a guitar are so universal and practical – a Floyd Rose tremolo system, 22 frets, simple electronics, a fast neck, top-of-the-line materials – that they just don’t become outdated. It also replicates one of the most coveted and collectible guitars in history – not just an original Davies N4, but possibly THE original Davies N4, which was unique and excellent enough that the artist himself bought it used and plays it to this day.
THE MAN. NO MYTHS. A LEGEND.
I should mention that I was lucky enough to witness Nuno’s fanbase in person at the 2020 NAMM show. He was doing a signing at the Washburn Guitars booth as promotion for the new Washburn Nele model (keep it locked on ProductionWorld.net for a review coming soon!), and for as long as could be allowed there was a lineup of the most diverse cross-section of humans ever assembled, completely circling the giant booth. Truly, as every handful of people left, two handfuls arrived.
He was so incredibly loved that young, old, tall and short were all smiles as they waited to meet Nuno. More impressive than the turnout and diversity of fans he brought out, was Nuno himself. He spent an impressive amount of time with each fan, making sure to chat them up, share stories or a joke, and send them away with a lasting memory of the event. A true class act.
To touch back on relevance, Nuno’s instrument and signature model has stayed contemporary, and even modern, just as his loyal fanbase has stuck with him through the years. As far as his current pursuits go, he’s stayed relevant there too; just ask my younger wife – when I was assembling photos for this article she walked by my desk and said “Oh wow! It’s that cute guy from Rihanna’s band!“.
Sigh.
I had to correct her: he doesn’t just play guitar with Rihanna – he’s her Musical Director. And besides, he’s not that cute. Like, whatever.
With that, let’s take a close look at the guitar itself.
THE WASHBURN CUSTOM SHOP 4N USA.
To start, it’s tough reviewing a guitar that has been offered, in one iteration or another, for so many years. In many ways it’s like reviewing a Strat or a Les Paul. There have been plenty of versions, but the core instrument remains true to an original. Add to that, this one has a cult following. There are legions of N4 enthusiasts, Davies enthusiasts, and Washburn enthusiasts who could literally add another 10,000 words to this article’s brief history of the model without breaking a sweat.
At it’s core, the 4N is based on the original flagship N4, and as such it is a small reverse headstock superstrat. The body is alder, which is known for having a full-bodied tone with great lows and mids. As many N4 owners have noted over the years – particularly Davies N4 owners – the 4N is extremely resonant, even unplugged. There’s a clarity and balance that’s difficult to describe, but strum a chord in first position and it’s unmistakable.
The 4N has a beautiful birdseye maple neck and a thin ebony fretboard, both of which contribute to the 4N’s dry, warm-yet-bright tone. One improvement over Nuno’s original 4N that’s evident on this guitar is that they’ve improved access to the truss rod to save players from having to remove the guitar’s neck to make adjustments. The access point is at the base of the neck, immediately adjacent to the neck pickup ring.
Exactly like the N4, it’s Humbucker/Humbucker (H/H) configuration features a Seymour Duncan ’59™ Neck pickup and a Bill Lawrence USA L-500 pickup in the bridge position. These are controlled by a 3-way-switch and a single volume knob.
The 4N also features a flush-mounted Floyd Rose Original bridge. This double-locking, floating tremolo unit is paired with a Kahler nut. This combo matches what can be found on the original Davies N4 models.
As previously mentioned, the 4N also employs the Stephen’s Extended Cutaway neck joint. This joint allows truly incredible access to the upper registers of the fingerboard.
Having played a wide range of superstrats, and having owned a couple of N4s over the years, I was anxious to try the 4N and compare it to today’s hot rods.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time with the 4N, hoping to play through that initial excitement period so I could really begin to notice shortcomings. Well, the folks at Washburn came up with a solution to that new-guitar honeymoon phase: they built a guitar that doesn’t get old. Everything about how its built makes it fun, easy and rewarding to play.
To start, the sound is incredible. As with all N-model Washburns, the 4N defies it’s small size and is incredibly resonant. It is warm and rich sounding, with plenty of low end. The Lawrence pickup loves to be driven to extremes (see what I did there?), yet stays crisp and keeps notes clear and legible. To my ears it’s a little bit brighter than something like a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck bridge humbucker.
In the neck position, the ’59 Neck is everything you’d expect from this classic humbucker. There’s a reason this unit is the gold standard in neck pickups. It creates beautiful, round tones, with tons of warmth while still remaining crisp and clear.
The low slung Floyd Rose is comfortable and accurate as ever. The tester I had was set up with .009 gauge strings, and they sat low across the thin ebony fretboard.
In short, playing the 4N is a pleasure.
N4 OR 4N? THAT IS THE QUESTION.
First revealed at at NAMM 2019, the 4N debuted hanging next to a brilliant N4 Authentic. While most of us knew the new model was coming, it took close inspection to notice and appreciate all of the small differences between the two guitars.
Once the differences are noted, it becomes a matter of taste, whether the N4 or 4N is the right model to choose. While the N4 models are a culmination of Washburn’s many years of refining a brilliant model, the 4N is a custom replica of what many consider to be the definitive Davies N4, right down to the wear on Nuno’s own 4N.
Fortunately, in this case there are no wrong choices.
CONCLUSION
The Washburn Custom Shop Nuno Bettencourt 4N obviously impressed us, but is it worth your hard earned dollars? Is it the penultimate superstrat, or are there better options available? Shouldn’t we consider how the market has changed in the last 30 years?
It would be remiss to not mention that the superstrat market has seen some changes over the years. Young web stars like Cameron Cooper are driving a trend toward extremely playable, completely affordable superstrats from brands such as Charvel and EVH. While the bulk of these instruments aren’t hand-built by a custom shop in the US it would be hard to argue their excellent appearance and playability.
Many of these new players also aren’t familiar with Extreme or Nuno’s body of work, so a new guitar that is considerably more expensive than these contemporary models could be a tough sell.
Sufficed to say, players looking to get into high performance guitar playing may choose less expensive, more available superstrats. They can safely walk into Guitar Center, point to a pastel color on the wall and get rocking, and for the most part, they won’t be disappointed.
But for those players looking for a true custom guitar experience, where they can feel quality materials, workmanship and love with every note they play, the 4N is an exceptional choice.
It’s comfortable, easy to play, and truly top quality. The arguments for buying and keeping this guitar indefinitely are easy to make. Any collection would be improved with the addition of a 4N, and if a player could only have one guitar (gasp!), this could easily be the only one they would ever need.
So the pros are easy – perfect workmanship, materials, execution – but over the course of this review period I managed to come up with one con.
As with any signature guitar model named for a legend, Nuno’s guitars carry an interesting burden. My discovery was that, much like Steve Lukather’s Music Man “Luke” model, or any of the various EVH guitars, if you’re going to play one of these guitars on stage or in a studio, other guitarists will notice. It carries a degree of expectation with it, because it’s so associated to its namesake. And to be fair, it’s earned this con – the truth is, most of us don’t play like Nuno, Steve or Eddie.
While it might be a bummer to some, I’ve enjoyed how the guitar itself has pushed me to improve. It started with struggling to barely butcher Nuno’s classic solo from “Decadence Dance” to finally grooving with his playing through the ultra-funky “Politicalamity”. The 4N worked perfectly in a variety of genres, but somehow, as long as that raw neck was in my hands it was as if Nuno himself was there.
Not to get too deep, but this guitar feels like such an extension of the signature artist that you’re motivated to try to live up to it’s lineage.
THE VERDICT.
To wrap up, I’m sold. This is an instrument I can’t imagine not owning, and while it’s not cheap, it’s priced very well and totally worth the couple of lesser guitars I’ll skip buying to make way for this one. Players shopping in the superstrat market – whether familiar with Nuno or not – should give the 4N a try before deciding on their new speed demon. While there are a plethora of incredible options in this market, deciding on a forever guitar that keeps up with models three decades newer, and holds its value better than the bulk of the category, might just make the most sense.
And I’ll tell you this: there is no guitar I’d rather play next time I find myself in San Dimas.
RATING: 9.75/10
Price/Availability: $2,599 USD – Available now
Specs:
Body: Alder Double Cut Solid Body
Finish: Matte Natural
Strings: D’Addario
Hardware: Chrome
Tuners: Grover 18:1
Bridge: Floyd Rose Original
Neck: Birds Eye Maple
Fretboard: Ebony w/dot inlays
Frets: 22
Nut: Kahler
Scale: 25.5”
Controls: Single Volume Knob
Pickups:
Neck: Seymour Duncan ‘59N, Bridge: Bill Lawrence L-500
Pickup Configuration: HH
Pickup Selector: 3-way
I’d like to wish a special thank you to James Collins and John D’Orsay for their help with this article. They made it into something that far exceeded my abilities.
Write to Russ at russ@productionworld.net, on Twitter as @russfairley or via Instagram @russ_drums
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