“A rubber bridge acoustic with softly muted tones that are nothing short of inspiring”: Orangewood Guitars Juniper Sunburst Live review

This affordable acoustic is compact, perfectly set up, and bang on trend with a rubber bridge that offers a compelling alternative to traditional acoustic sounds

Orangewood Juniper
(Image: © Orangewood)

Guitar World Verdict

Prepare to be easily charmed by a rubber-bridged acoustic with softly muted tones that are nothing short of inspiring.

Pros

  • +

    Rubber bridge adds a musical palm-muted sound.

  • +

    Flatwound strings emphasize its dampened tone.

  • +

    Parlor-sized body style offers an inviting playing position. Comfortable playability.

  • +

    Rail humbucker cleanly articulates its muted tones.

  • +

    Classy vintage looks.

Cons

  • -

    Not all will enjoy the “deadened” and muted rubber-bridge tone.

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Some might find it curious, but one of the more interesting – and hottest – guitar trends is rubber bridge guitars. The idea behind it boils down to fashioning a bridge or a strip made of rubber to dampen the tone of a guitar in order to project a softly muted sound that’s instantly alluring. 

The idea isn’t exactly new; a few aftermarket hardware companies have offered rubber bridges and dampeners for that muted texture for basses and electric guitars. However, prior to the pandemic, an Angeleno luthier named Reuben Cox had been outfitting numerous acoustic guitars with rubber-bridge builds that landed in the hands of some of the most recognized alt-rock darlings, including Phoebe Bridgers and Jeff Tweedy. 

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