GALLERY: Show Us Your Gear - Pedalboards III

After decades of playing guitars bearing the Washburn logo, Nuno Bettencourt has launched a line of instruments under his own name. But Nuno Guitars isn’t just about slapping a famous name on a headstock, and it’s not merely another signature line. The new venture is a hands-on operation that lets him oversee everything, from tonewood selection and hardware choices to the way each model is built and brought to market.

The brand is launching with three distinct ranges. At the top sits the Thoroughbred Series—Masterbuilt guitars hand-crafted by longtime N4 builder Chris Meade in his Cincinnati shop. This series consists of the Dark Horse and White Stallion models, featuring exotic wood combinations chosen by Bettencourt. “I wanted to switch it up,” Bettencourt says. “I didn’t want to just go, ‘Well, here’s a Washburn with the Nuno logo on the headstock.’” The Dark Horse boasts an alder body with a ziricote top, while the White Stallion has a three-piece avodire (white mahogany) body and a curly maple top. The ziricote caught his eye, he says, because it creates the illusion of a paint job while being entirely natural wood, with each guitar’s grain pattern being completely unique.