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.
