While I have an extensive collection of acoustic guitars, I’ve never owned one with a rubber bridge—at least not until last week, when I picked up a Juniper Live rubber bridge guitar from Orangewood.
It’s one of those models that I’ve been looking to add to my arsenal for a while now. To determine if this model is right for you, check out the rest of my Orangewood Juniper review.
What Exactly Is a Rubber Bridge Guitar?
The thing that makes Orangewood Juniper rubber bridge guitars so distinctive is their unique bridge. Instead of coming into contact with bone, plastic or metal, your strings will connect with a piece of rubber at the bridge.
This leads to a distinct sound that’s similar to palm muting. This instrument sounds like no other acoustic guitar in my collection.
Who Is This Orangewood Acoustic Guitar For?
Orangewood’s Juniper Live model has a parlor body style. I absolutely love smaller guitars like this for playing the blues. You could use this guitar for blues, jazz, or even classical music, but it excels at producing an indie rock sound.
The inclusion of a pickup makes this guitar ideal for small gigs too. The diminutive size makes the Juniper Live comfortable to play for people with smaller hands.
It also works well as a travel guitar. While the tone is specific and unusual, it’s an otherwise versatile instrument. Rubber bridge guitars have been used by a diverse group of artists from Bob Dylan to Taylor Swift.
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Materials and Build Quality
This guitar offers great value for the money. The build materials, fit and finish were all excellent on my model. Orangewood is offering this model in black or a classy-looking sunburst finish.
I snatched the black one in my local shop, as it reminded me of an old classic Silvertone model. The top is solid spruce, while the body and sides are made of laminated sapele mahogany.
I didn’t come across these in my local shop, but Orangewood’s official website lists three limited-edition versions. They feature eye-catching finishes like Surf Green Satin and Guava Red Satin with a spruce top, along with a Natural Satin option that sports a mahogany top.
Orangewood uses reinforced, non-scalloped, X-bracing for this guitar. The fingerboard is made of rosewood with acrylic inlays. The mahogany neck has a comfortable C shape and the guitar comes in a 24.75 inch scale length.
My model has a three-ply, ivory-colored pickguard and included a tool for adjusting the truss rod.
Orangewood throws in a decent gig bag with this instrument. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s a nice touch for a guitar in this price range. The nut is made of real bone and has a width of 44 mm.
These instruments come from the factory with a set of 11-50 Ernie Ball Light Stainless Steel Flatwound strings. I was surprised to see real Grover tuners on this guitar, and it stays in tune very well after hours of play.
The trapeze tailpiece and cupcake-style volume knob add some style to the guitar. It also comes equipped with an Alnico 5, high-output rail pickup.
Tone Quality and Playability
The Orangewood Juniper Live projects an impressive amount of sound for such a small guitar. The muted tone can best be described as mellow with a lot of bass.
You can get some interesting percussive sounds out of this little beauty. The sound, while similar to palm muting, is more articulate. At least, it was for me, but this may be due to my own palm-muting technique.
The hot rail pickup works well for clean tones, but this instrument really shines with the right pedal. I tried it out with various fuzz, overdrive and reverb pedals and was pleased with the results.
The action was good from the start on my model, but I’m not sure if it had a setup from the factory or the shop. The intonation was also spot on.
Curious to hear how the Orangewood Juniper Live sounds in action? Watch professional guitarist Tomo Fujita unbox and demo this rubber bridge beauty in the video below!
Potential Issues
This guitar isn’t for everybody. If you’re looking for a first and only guitar, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you want one instrument to play a variety of styles on, this isn’t it.
If you’re an intermediate or experienced player looking to add to your sonic arsenal, then go ahead and pick one up. You can definitely get some unique and interesting tones from the Juniper Live.
I picked my model up from a shop, but I have heard of some customers receiving damaged instruments when ordering from the factory. This will happen with every company, but it could be an issue if it’s a frequent occurrence.
As far as I can tell, Orangewood makes it right when this happens, but it may take several weeks to get a replacement.
How It Compares to the Competition
Orangewood’s Juniper Live doesn’t have a lot of competition in its price range. For years, musicians have been converting regular acoustics into rubber bridge models.
Orangewood has made this innovation accessible to everyone with their Juniper Live models. Whenever I thought I’d found a competing model, it was a custom job. If you’re looking for an easy way to get this trendy tone, your best option is Orangewood.
If you’re specifically looking for that rubber bridge guitar sound, this model from Orangewood is an excellent choice. It’s affordable, and the build quality and sound are shockingly good for its price.
You can’t beat having a high-quality rail pickup for recording or playing for an audience. Orangewood even generously throws in a gig bag with your purchase. I wholeheartedly recommend the Juniper Live guitar.
Thomas M., the founder of Guitar Top Review, boasts 15+ years of guitar experience and was a church band member in L.A. Transitioning from piano to acoustic guitar, his first love remains his Taylor GS Mini. Alongside like-minded hobbyist friends, he launched the site, driven by a deep love for music that transcends professional boundaries.