Nuno Bettencourt’s new guitar company has gone live – and there’s a surprise new acoustic in the drop

Nuno Bettencourt has launched the website for his new guitar company, Nuno Guitars, confirming that he has two electro-acoustic guitar models in production, alongside the already announced electric models.

The Extreme virtuoso announced his surprise departure from Washburn, with whom he had been for decades, last year. The news confirmed widespread speculation that the mystery axe he played at Back to the Beginning was indeed part of a new solo venture – and Washburn had no idea the brand existed.

Now, in a reel posted to his personal Instagram page, Bettencourt has given fans a first look at his surprise acoustic build, dubbed the Lusitano, which is available in two configurations.

Said to “blend traditional acoustic tone with Nuno’s personal design vision,” there’s talk of “clear articulation, warm lows, and balanced projection.”

The standout aspect of the Lusitano, which is named after a noble Portuguese horse breed, is its dual soundhole design. The traditional soundhole beneath the strings flanked by two custom F-holes that trace the shape of the guitar’s Grand Auditorium body. It’s coupled with soundhole-mounted Volume and Tone controls.

Another notable feature is its Mother of Pearl Portuguese Cross fret markers, capped with a Portuguese national emblem inlay at the 12th fret. The white binding against its black body is pretty neat, too.

The two models – the AS and SL, which are priced at $1,199.99 and $599.99, respectively – are distinguished by those two price points. The AS serves up a solid mahogany body with a solid spruce top, a quarter-sawn okoume neck, and an ebony fingerboard with 20 Nickel Silver frets.

Elsewhere, its ebony bridge is the same for both models, and both are also equipped with chrome die-cast tuners, 43mm bone nuts, and under-saddle piezo pickups, as well as a soundhole-mounted preamp.

There isn't, then, a great deal of difference between the two models, although the AS comes stored in a hardcase, while the SL settles for a deluxe gig bag.

In his Instagram reel, Bettencourt says that, across the Nuno Guitars range, “there’s a price range for everybody.” A look at its new website confirms that it is largely the case.

All model names also derive from horse terminology, apart from the N4, which is a reissue of his Washburn signature guitar.

The premium Thoroughbred models are priced at $4,999.99 apiece, with the mid-tier Stable line ranging between $3,299.99 and $2,799.99. The Colt series starts from $1,199.99 and rises to $1,299.99.

All models are now available for pre-order, with the acoustics shipping in May, and various lead times on the electrics – Thoroughbreds are hand-built over a 6-12 month period.

See Nuno Guitars for more.