27 badass electric guitars under £400

2727/27

Washburn N2 £349

Solid alder body; bolt-on maple natural finish neck; rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays; 25.5" scale; Washburn humbucker, L500 Bill Lawrence humbucker; volume (with coil-tap), 3-way pickup selector; chrome hardware; Paduak stain or natural matte finish

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Nuno Bettencourt couldn’t get himself arrested when Washburn launched his first signature model in the ‘80s. Then Extreme hit paydirt, his axes went supersonic, and the partnership kept on rolling.

The entry-level N2 pilfers the foundations from Nuno’s USA Custom Shop N4 and packs them into a play-anywhere workhorse. Corners have been cut, but Washburn reckons the vibe remains intact.

Nuno’s guitars have always looked the same - a doublecut design with a reverse headstock, a floating tremolo and a blade humbucker in the bridge. The N2 retains all these features, and though the timbers are cheaper (alder for the body and maple for the bolt neck) you can’t knock the L500 Bill Lawrence pickup, nor the responsive 600S Floyd Rose.

Verdict

There are only 22 frets on this axe, but the physical performance is fast, effortless and perfect for egotists. The neck humbucker delivers thick output and a rounded voice, but Bill’s blade offers the tonal bite that is so important for defined single-note runs, along with more character than you’ll get from most go-faster axes at this price point.

Our one criticism was that the N2 didn’t offer much scope for tweaking… until we pulled the master volume and realised it was also a coil tap!

5 Stars

Pros: Cool vibe, speedy, punchy tone.
Cons: Only 22 frets?

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