How to Get Nuno Bettencourt's Extreme Guitar Tone

Nuno Bettencourt's tone is tight, punchy and funky, perfect for the percussive riffing on Pornograffitti. Here's how to get it.

The key ingredients

• Guitar: his signature Washburn N4 with a single-coil/humbucker layout.
• Amp: a hot-rodded Marshall for tight, articulate gain.
• Feel: muted, funky picking — the tone lives in the right hand.
• Effects: a light touch of delay and wah for solos.

The fastest way

Grab ready hard rock guitar presets for Kemper, Helix, Quad Cortex, ToneX and more — Nuno's punchy grind dialed in.

FAQ

What makes Nuno's rhythm so tight? Muted, percussive picking plus an articulate hot-rodded Marshall.

Single-coil or humbucker? His N4 uses both — split sounds for funk, full humbucker for riffs.