“I'm really dumb for doing this, but here goes nothing!” Nuno Bettencourt swapped his Washburn N4 for a Les Paul copy to shred onstage with Stone Temple Pilots – and still sounded exactly like Nuno Bettencourt

Nuno Bettencourt is rarely spotted without his trusty Washburn N4 signature guitar, but the Extreme virtuoso opted for a Les Paul-style electric guitar over the weekend as he joined Stone Temple Pilots on stage to perform Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart.

A blue Nelson LP copy with twin humbuckers was Bettencourt's weapon of choice as he performed with one of his favorite bands during their Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival slot in Winchester, CA. In a surprise to no-one, Bettencourt made the song’s adrenalized solo his own: it's a performance full of passion and power. 

Bettencourt's cameo stole the show, with Dean DeLeo telling the audience how the esteemed shredder “picked the hardest song to play” after their brief but fiery jam.

Taking to the mic, Bettencourt championed Stone Temple Pilots as “one of the greatest rock bands of all time”, before adding he’s “never played this [song] before. But it's one of my favorites. I'm really dumb for doing this, but here goes nothing.” 

Despite such caveats, Bettencourt makes the song’s spinning riffs and fire-propelled solo seem effortless. He looks like he's having the time of his life sharing the stage with the band, as he rips through the song's finger-blurring solo.

Away from his rare outing with an LP-style build, Bettencourt recently had a custom ‘Bumblebee’ Washburn N4 made as a tribute to Eddie Van Halen.

Stone Temple Pilots will tour the US later this year, with 26 live dates booked between June and October.