Reuben Cox of Old Style Guitar Shop has spoken out for the first time about the controversy surrounding his rubber bridge guitars and Orangewood’s Jupiter, which critics called a “blatant lazy rip off” of Cox’s designs.
In an interview with the LA Times, Cox says he was “saddened” by the affair and he wasn’t interested in any payout or settlement. It just left a bad taste in his mouth, and he wanted to be left alone.
“I think I was just kind of saddened by it,” said Cox. “It’s beyond my control, and it just happens to be relevant to my life, because it’s something I’m selling too. It’s a bummer. There’s nothing very sportsmanlike about it.”
Orangewood took a lot of heat following the 2024 launch of the Juniper acoustic electric guitar. The Juniper of course had the rubber bridge, but it also had a trapeze-style tailpiece and rail pickup. There were similarities to Old Style builds, and artists such as Mason Stoops and Hand Habits, aka Meg Duffy, vented online. Duffy requested to be taken off the Orangewood artist roster.
The LA Times reports that Orangewood reached out to Cox following the backlash, but he was advised that any legal settlement that they might have arrived at would have involved his sponsoring the Juniper designs. Cox is not into that. He is not chasing a payout either.
It is no exaggeration to say that Cox revolutionized the sound of indie with the rubber bridge instruments he pioneered out of old “junk” guitars. The Los Angeles-based luthier has made guitars for Phoebe Bridgers, The National, Jackson Browne, and more.
They’ve been featured on Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan records. Changing the character of the instrument, the rubber bridge dampen’s the guitar’s resonance, giving it a plinkier, percussive quality that works so well for indie guitar. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco is a huge fan, owning a number of them.
Cox turns trash into treasure. He will rehabilitate an old cheapo Japanese acoustic guitar, retooling it anew. He calls it a “proletarian miracle” that so many players will order something from Old Style. Knowing that Blake Mills picked up one of his instruments and used it on Bob Dylan’s 2020 album Rough And Rowdy Ways is its own reward.
“I’m just not that aggro about money,” Cox continued of the rubber bridge saga. “I’m a hidden footnote on a Bob Dylan record. How could I not be psyched about it?”
Orangewood’s co-founder, Eddie Park, defended the Juniper to the LA Times in a statement, arguing that other builders were making rubber bridge guitars before the Juniper, and that Cox’s designs were more focused on remodeling vintage instruments.
“The intention was to add an affordable option out there – and we hope players can see the value in both a vintage mod and modern built versions,” said Park. “It’s still our hope to find a path forward to serve the broader guitar community.”
Cox was the subject of a 2022 documentary by Alice Gu. Both spoke to Guitar World about the film and Old Style guitars. Cox said his work is all about putting something vintage and cool but ultimately affordable into a young player’s hands – or any player, just so long as they’re using it to create.
“For me it's much more thrilling to have some teenager spend $300 on what is their first guitar, or to make a guitar and go see someone perform live with it,” he said.
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