Nuno Bettencourt has always been faithful to his Washburn N4 signature guitar, but for Extreme’s current tour, he’s decided to bring along a rather special electric guitar that will share the spotlight – and no doubt steal the headlines.
The instrument in question is a custom-made Washburn inspired by Eddie Van Halen’s iconic ‘Bumblebee’ model, which famously featured on the cover of Van Halen II and went on the road with Van Halen throughout their 1979 world tour.
Earlier this month, guitar fans were made aware of the ‘Bumblebee’ Washburn’s existence through an interview Bettencourt conducted with AL.com. Not long after, Premier Guitar gave a glimpse of the guitar on its Instagram channel.
Now Bettencourt has fully showcased the six-string, which looks to pay homage to the late guitar pioneer by replicating the looks of his classic black-and-yellow-striped model.
Bettencourt revealed the instrument in a recent episode of Premier Guitar’s Rig Rundown, and explained how the Bumblebee – which had been built and modded in the late '70s – had always been his favorite EVH guitar.
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“I used to stare at the Van Halen II album for days on end, and that was my favorite Eddie guitar that he had through his whole career,” Bettencourt noted. “It was always the most magical one.
“I don't know what it was about it,” he continued. “Maybe it's the photos on the cover, maybe it's the tone of that album – but I’ve always wanted one of his, and I never got one. So I thought maybe I could get my own N4 version of it, and had it done.”
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In a live setting, the Extreme guitarist will play his Bumblebee for both Get The Funk Out and, rather appropriately, Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee. It is also reportedly set to feature in Extreme’s upcoming music video for Beautiful Girls – a track from Extreme’s latest album, which shares a title with the Van Halen classic.
He will also use his striped Washburn to “do a couple little things that pay a little tribute to King Edward”.
However, Bettencourt had to sacrifice comfort to achieve the EVH vibe, with the virtuoso going on to explain how its alien spec sheet – particularly its fretboard – posed some unique playing problems.
“It’s not easy playing this thing for the mere fact it’s a maple neck,” noted Bettencourt, who favors ebony ‘boards. “It’s not only just the feel of it, but looking at it: when you see the negative of what you're used to seeing, it’s really wild to play.”
Bettencourt isn’t the only player to have cited the Bumblebee as their favorite EVH guitar. One of Van Halen's most popular and instantly recognizable guitars, it was also the all-time favorite guitar of Dimebag Darrell, who was buried alongside the original model after he was tragically killed in 2004.
The names Nuno Bettencourt and Eddie Van Halen have been closely linked in recent times. Back in March last year, Bettencourt vowed to keep Van Halen's guitar fire burning with Rise – the internet-breaking song that featured the best guitar solo of 2023.
