1990s Washburn N1 Nuno Bettencourt Electric Guitar Vintage White, Japan

Up for sale, a 1990's Washburn N1 Nuno Bettencourt Model electric guitar in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Crafted in Japan, this N1 features all of the essential Nuno model traits including a maple neck, reverse headstock, slab rosewood fretboard, and pair of stock Washburn S-style pickups mounted to the solid body. The control layout is simple as can be, with a single Volume knob and three-way pickup selector toggle. This guitar is featherweight at 6lbs 13oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, fast action, and spot-on intonation.  

The maple neck has a modestly slender C-shaped profile carve with good shoulder and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .835” deep at the 1st fret and .900” at the 12th. The thick slab rosewood fretboard features dot inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have good height and meat, with uniform wear on the crowns of frets 1-7, extending exclusively beneath the plain strings just beyond the octave. The guitar plays well in all registers up the straight neck with a responsive, ideally adjusted truss rod. The scale length is 25 1/2“, and the nut measures 1 11/16“ in width. The reverse headstock features the Washburn logo and chrome Grover mini Rotomatic tuners that turn smoothly with uniform patina across the buttons.

The electronics function as intended, with the pair Washburn humbuckers wired to a three-way pickup selector toggle and a single Master Volume knob. The tremolo tailpiece features clean chrome plating, actuating easily for deep, expressive dives and more subtle atmospheric gestures, with the stock arm included. The gloss Vintage White finish shows light, uniform yellowing of the clear coat, and cosmetic wear is limited to scuffing in the pick path, with light marks and scuffs mostly relegated to the back and body parameter. The neck sports a satin finish with faint marks that are not distracting to the palm.