From Johnny Cash to Marilyn Manson, musicians of every stripe have shown that black goes with everything. And probably no color better represents the rebellious soul of the solidbody electric guitar. Though the three guitars reviewed this month have very different features, each matte-black beauty comes out of the box with two things in common: a slick neck and a heavy dose of attitude.

WASHBURN NX6INB Like Fernandes, Washburn offers an unusual and useful feature that sets its guitars apart from the pack: the Buzz Feiten Tuning System. The Feiten system uses a compensated nut and saddle to correct the intonation problems that have plagued guitarists since the beginning of time. You can really hear the difference on open A and open D chords, which often sound out of tune on standard guitars. The changes to the guitar are subtle, so they don't affect the feel of the instrument in any noticeable way. I wish this feature were more widely available.

The American-built NX6INB has more going for it than solid intonation. Like the other guitars in this review, the Washburn has a slightly unusual body shape that offers outstanding access to the uppermost frets. It also has a fast neck with jumbo frets. The neck has a very neutral feel-not too fat, not too skinny. As a result, the Washburn handles speed runs and deep bends with equal ease. In fact, the guitar is one of the most bend-friendly I've tested in a while-we're talking Buddy Guy rip-the-strings-off-that-sucker territory.

Electronics include a pair of Seymour Duncan pickups: a warm and balanced '59 in the neck and a Dimebucker in the bridge. The master volume and master tone knobs each have push-pull pots that split the coils of the neck and bridge pickups respectively. Thanks to this, the NX6INB is an extremely versatile sound machine, capable of handling funky clean sounds, country picking, traditional rock and blues, and metal.

Washburn's NX6INB is a rad update of the traditional double cutaway. But appearance is only a small part of this guitar's appeal. With an outstanding neck, versatile electronics and the enhanced intonation delivered by the Feiten system, it's a truly distinctive professional instrument that you can use for a wide variety of gigs without breaking a sweat.