REQ: Orange Tree Samples Evolution Rubber Bridge

Since the late 2010s, rubber bridge guitars have been multiplying throughout indie rock music, even making notable appearances in pop music. Although people have been using various approaches throughout history to give guitars a more muted sound, the concept of using a rubber bridge is thanks to Reuben Cox, luthier and owner of Old Style Guitar Shop in Los Angeles, California. His unique addition of a rubber bridge tastefully dampens the guitar’s sustain, giving notes a prominent/plucky attack with a swift, yet pure, decay.

Due to the naturally quiet volume of these guitars, which are commonly smaller sized parlor guitars, a high output pickup is typically installed for amplification. Part of the rubber bridge guitar’s magical sound comes from the duality between the pristine, crisp acoustic sound of the instrument and the rich, beefy pickup signal.

Evolution Rubber Bridge was recorded using a nearly century-old parlor guitar, converted into a rubber bridge guitar and fitted with a classic Tokyo-style gold foil pickup. The pickup and stereo mic signals were recorded separately so that you can blend between the warm, punchy sound of the pickup and the crisp, pure mic signal. Evolution Rubber Bridge was recorded with the guitar tuned down a whole step from standard tuning, giving it a deeper tone and naturally lower playable range.

We developed the library in collaboration with Rosewood Recording Company, one of Utah's most venerable recording studios. Guy Randle, the owner and recording engineer at Rosewood Recording Company, incorporated analog audio equipment to skillfully sculpt and emphasize the rich tonal qualities of the guitar. Evolution Rubber Bridge includes both the as-recorded signal as well as an enhanced signal.

Evolution Rubber Bridge is based on our Evolution engine, which provides you with a wealth of appointments: an innovative strumming pattern editor, automatic chord detection, and a comprehensive collection of built-in effects for adding the final polish to the guitar tone. If you've used any of our guitar or bass libraries that use the Evolution engine, its interface and workflow will be very familiar to you.

The library includes many ready-to-use factory presets for a variety of guitar tones. Some presets focus on the acoustic side of the guitar, with pristine, clean tones, while other presets take advantage of the electric component of the guitar, running its pickup signal out a guitar cabinet, sometimes with spring reverb or even distortion added.