Orangewood has leaned into the biggest modding trend of 2023 for the Juniper, a small-bodied acoustic guitar that comes straight from the factory floor with a rubber bridge and a set of Ernie Ball flatwounds, plus a number of features that makes this parlour one of the coolest new six-strings we have seen this year.
Juniper is a guitar channelling the summer of 2023, a time when TikTok was awash with tips for installing rubber bridges on our guitars, all to nail the naturally muted tone popularised by the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Blake Mills and Madison Cunningham – not to mention through the efforts of Los Angeles-based luthier Reuben Cox, who is responsible for making these unorthodox designs a reality.
Hitherto these were custom orders, or a mod you would perform yourself. But Orangewood has put them into production on a guitar that’s got the vibe and look of a pawn shop Jim Dandy about it, and some clever appointments that get the best out of the rubber bridge.
As you might guess, a bridge fashioned from rubber – the stuff of Paul Reed Smith’s worst nightmare – deadens the strings. It’s not an everyday sound but for the indie folk guitarist, for the adventurous, the sound has a texture that’s hard to beat.
Orangewood’s Juniper is an acoustic, a compact couch buddy, a vibey little guitar you could stick a mic in front of and record, but it has a rail-style magnetic humbucker mounted in the soundhole, and is designed to be played through a guitar amp.
It should pair nicely with your pedalboard, too. A single cupcake-style volume knob adjusts the volume. The trapeze style tailpiece should add a little something to its resonance, too.
Elsewhere, the Juniper has a relatively conventional build, with a solid spruce top, layered sapele on the back and sides, a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard and bridge.
“We’re excited to finally introduce our first rubber bridge model that captures an old-school sound, plays easily and in-tune, and is affordable,” said Eddie Park, Orangewood’s co-founder. “Personally, I’ve been such a fan of the rubber bridge sound that’s been popping up across my favorite artists’ records, and I think there’s a reason why it resonates with so many guitarists today.
“It captures this dreamy, otherworldly tone that is really unique. It allows guitarists to write and hear songs in a whole new way.”
The Juniper is offered in Black and Sunburst finishes. Both models have the contrasting black and ivory three-ply pickguard, Grover open-gear tuners and there’s a gig bag included in the $385 price tag. For more details, head over to Orangewood.
