Every guitar shop has its own story, but Old Style Guitar Shop in Los Angeles, helmed by Reuben Cox, stands out with a narrative as unique as the instruments it houses. Cox isn’t just a shop owner; he’s a luthier, a repair technician, and an innovator who stumbled into the guitar world through an unexpected path. From crafting guitars for renowned artists like Jackson Browne to pioneering the rubber bridge modification heard on Taylor Swift’s hits, Cox and Old Style Guitar Shop are on a constant quest for exceptional sound, inviting musicians and enthusiasts to join their sonic exploration.
Cox’s journey is far from typical. His background spans from the landscapes of North Carolina to a specialized science and math school, culminating in an art degree in New York City and a college-level teaching career. The idea of owning a guitar shop was a distant notion until he took a leap of faith, launching Old Style Guitar Shop amidst a significant economic downturn. Adding to the unconventional start, his initial guitar designs were born from enlarging a picture at a copy shop.
Inside Old Style Guitar Shop. Photo: Reuben Cox
Yet, for those who know Reuben Cox, this trajectory makes perfect sense. A self-proclaimed music devotee and guitar aficionado, Cox recognized early on that his path wasn’t on stage as a musician. Instead, he channeled his passion into crafting instruments, leveraging art department resources and woodworking skills honed from constructing field cameras.
Driven by an insatiable curiosity about sound, an openness to unconventional materials, and a dedication to making quality guitars accessible, Cox has become a celebrated figure among musicians and producers. Featured in the 2022 documentary “Really Good Rejects,” he’s gained recognition for his distinctive semi-hollow electric guitars and, notably, for his rubber bridge modifications favored by artists like Bob Dylan and Phoebe Bridgers. From his Los Angeles workshop, Cox shared his story, revealing the fascinating evolution of Old Style Guitar Shop and his distinctive approach to the music world.
From Art School to Luthier: An Accidental Journey
“It happened entirely by accident,” Cox reflects on his entry into the world of luthiery. Living in New York City, his life revolved around art, teaching at institutions like Cooper Union and Sarah Lawrence College, alongside his work as a photographer. Music and guitars were a deep personal interest, but not yet a profession.
His access to sculpture workshops at Cooper Union and Sarah Lawrence became the catalyst. “Just as a hobby,” he explains, “I was able to learn how to make one specific kind of hollowbody electric guitar. I would make one or two a year.” This artistic exploration gradually laid the groundwork for his future career, though still unforeseen at the time.
While music was a passion, Cox humbly acknowledges his limitations as a performer. “I’ve never been in a band,” he states. “As a teenager I got a guitar, and Mother Nature quickly let me know that I was in possession of no notable musical talent. I had the good sense to move on from that. But I’m a big music obsessive and have always loved guitars.” This deep appreciation for guitars, untainted by aspirations of stardom, perhaps allowed him to approach instrument making and modification with a unique purity of focus – solely on the sound and the instrument itself.
West Coast Bound: The Birth of Old Style Guitar Shop in Los Angeles
The move to Los Angeles was prompted by his partner’s career, presenting Cox with a pivotal choice. Leaving behind a stable life in New York, with teaching positions and access to artistic resources, was a significant shift. “As the tagalong spouse, I had to give up a pretty good setup in New York… But I was also kind of burned out on art schools and lazy students, institutional politics, etc.” In this moment of transition, the idea of opening a guitar shop sparked. It was a bold, almost impulsive decision. “I thought, If I crash and burn, I’ll just knock on the door of an art school in Los Angeles and try to pick up where I left off.”
This “crash and burn” scenario never materialized. Instead, Old Style Guitar Shop emerged, defying the challenging economic climate of the late 2000s. Cox’s lack of retail experience became an advantage, allowing him to build the shop from the ground up, guided by intuition and passion rather than conventional business wisdom. “I went into it with no knowledge of retail—at one of worst times in American history to start a new business, in 2009, 2010, after the crash. I blindly and naively jumped into it.” He started small, setting up a woodshop in his basement and, after building inventory, secured a retail space in Silver Lake. The ethos was simple: “Keep the overhead low, and just jump into it.”
Learning by Doing: Guitar Repair and Modification Expertise
Cox’s expertise in guitar repair and modification was forged in the crucible of practical experience. While he possessed woodworking skills from his art background and guitar-making hobby, the intricacies of repair were a new frontier. “I learned as I went,” he admits. “I knew how to use woodworking tools, but as far as repairs and setups, I just learned on the job.”
The initial years were a period of intense learning and, at times, nerve-wracking on-the-job training. “The first three or four years in the shop were me nervously watching YouTube videos and hoping I didn’t destroy someone’s personal property by doing a poor refret or neck reset.” This hands-on, learn-as-you-go approach, combined with a natural aptitude and dedication, quickly transformed him into a highly skilled repair technician.
Inside Old Style Guitar Shop. Photo: Reuben Cox
The key, Cox emphasizes, is repetition and continuous refinement. “You get good at it by doing it over and over again. It’s not like learning how to do quadratic equations where you learn it once and you’ve got it. With lot of guitar repairs, you pull it off acceptably, but after you’ve done it for years, you’re like, Okay, now I’m really good at this particular skill.” His dedication has translated into a remarkable volume of work. “If you count basic setups and repairs, I’ve probably done anywhere from 12–14,000 guitars.” This sheer volume of experience is a testament to his skill and the trust musicians place in Old Style Guitar Shop.
Design Inspiration and the Birth of Signature Guitars
Cox’s guitar designs are rooted in a blend of inspiration and resourcefulness. A pivotal moment was discovering Ralph Denyer’s “The Guitar Handbook.” “Long ago, someone gave me The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer,” he recalls. This book, a comprehensive survey of guitars featuring various models, sparked his imagination, particularly an image of a 1940s Bigsby with a Florentine cutaway. “And I just love the shape of it with that Florentine cutaway. The first guitars I made—and a lot of them that I still make—were inspired by that.”
His initial approach to design was wonderfully pragmatic and DIY. “I took this book to Kinko’s, threw it down on the Xerox, enlarged the picture to the size I wanted, and used that as the first template.” This unconventional method of creating templates from enlarged book images perfectly encapsulates Cox’s resourceful and artistic approach to luthiery.
The confidence to pursue guitar making as a livelihood received a significant boost early in his Los Angeles journey. Through his ex-partner, he connected with Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National. “I was like, ‘Hey, I just finished building a few guitars. And you’re welcome to borrow them.’” The Dessners, known for their meticulous approach to recording and sound, used a couple of Cox’s early guitars on a record. “They ended up using a couple of them on the record. That gave me the ego boost to start this job, which I just kind of pulled out of thin air.” This validation from respected musicians was a turning point, transforming a hobby into a viable and fulfilling career.
While his designs share a common aesthetic, Cox resists creating identical, mass-produced instruments. “I think they’re all one-offs. I just want to keep it interesting.” He embraces variation, experimenting with different pickups, vintage components, and available woods. He favors older wood, lamenting the quality of lumberyard wood from young trees. “Generally, lumberyard wood is kind of disappointing because it’s cut from young trees. It’s just fussy when you put it through a saw. If you can, find old wood, which is around, or recycle old furniture or something like that.” His guitars are typically hollow-bodied, with book-matched tops and backs, bandsaw-cut outsides, and a center block, yet each instrument possesses its own unique character.
The Los Angeles Soundscape: Influence and Collaboration
The vibrant music scene of Los Angeles profoundly shapes Cox’s design aesthetic. “I think one thing that affects the guitars the most is that L.A. is a real repository for great musicians. I’ve had the good fortune to work with a lot of really interesting people with highly developed ears. You get so much terrific feedback.” Working with discerning musicians, like Jackson Browne, pushes him to refine his craft to the highest level. “Building guitars for someone like Jackson Browne—he wants to run it down until it’s perfect. When you’re dealing with someone like that, it’s not a bother. They’re not being fussy. They’re just trying to find the best possible endpoint—how well can I do this?”
This collaborative environment, fueled by constant feedback and the pursuit of sonic innovation, is central to Old Style Guitar Shop’s ethos. Cox views guitar building as a continuous process of improvement, akin to cooking or painting, striving for the best possible outcome. He values the input of the musicians he works with, readily seeking their opinions on new ideas. “If I have some cockamamie idea for, like, a pickup or whatever, I can ask any number of people to try it out and see if it sinks or floats. There are so many people in L.A. who are hungry for new sounds and new ideas or something that’s going to get them out of their heads.” For Cox, the ultimate reward is seeing his creations inspire new music. “Exploring certain guitars, you hear a different sound, and it makes you write a song. That’s the kind of stuff that gets me most excited.”
Building credibility in this demanding environment was a matter of dedication and consistent quality. “Just working 65-hour weeks for a decade—and getting better and better at basic setups.” Word-of-mouth referrals and the natural curiosity of the LA music community played a crucial role. “In L.A., if there’s a new guitar shop, musicians are going to show up because they’re curious. People are searching.” He emphasizes that his shop is welcoming to all musicians, not just celebrities. “And it’s not just famous people that I’m trying to court. It’s very much a working man and working woman’s shop. I do a lot of setups on Fender Squiers—stuff that a lot of shops turn away.” This inclusive approach has fostered a loyal clientele and a reputation for quality service across all levels of musicianship.
While Old Style Guitar Shop occasionally deals with high-end instruments, its focus remains on working musicians and fostering creativity. “High-end guitar shops have collectible, expensive instruments. I have a very small handful of expensive guitars, which I sell on rare occasions. It’s just less my world. Interesting musicians who are touring and recording, who are young, often have less money.” For Cox, the true satisfaction lies in seeing his guitars used to create music. He recounts an anecdote about musician Mike Viola: “The artist and producer Mike Viola, whom I’ve known for years, walked in my shop and picked up this baritone rubber-bridged guitar that I had just finished and he immediately started playing this riff. Flash forward to his next record and it’s the first song.”
The Visual Aspect: Guitars as Objects of Beauty
Cox’s background as a visual artist deeply informs his approach to luthiery. He recognizes the importance of aesthetics in attracting musicians to an instrument. “I always tell people—they’re like, ‘Oh, there’s this guitar, but I wish it was black. Is that shallow of me?’ And I’m like, ‘Hell, no, this is show business! Looks matter, you know?’” He sees the visual appeal of a guitar as integral to its functionality and inspiration. “It’s all intertwined. And maybe if something looks a certain way, it makes you want to pick it up and play it.”
Currently, Cox is focused on “restoring a lot of these old guitars into this rubber-bridge thing that I invented.” This innovation, the rubber bridge modification, has become a signature element of Old Style Guitar Shop and a source of considerable acclaim.
The Rubber Bridge Revolution: A Unique Sonic Signature
The rubber bridge, now synonymous with Old Style Guitar Shop, emerged from a blend of observation and experimentation. Cox credits its inspiration to a muting system he saw on a 1950s Harmony banjo owned by Blake Mills. “I was taking photographs of Andrew Bird and Blake Mills at a recording session. Blake had this ’50s Harmony banjo that had a kind of muting system. I guess the idea was to figure out how you can get the sound of a banjo in an era when pickups for acoustic banjos didn’t exist. A banjo is all attack and no sustain. It had this wood and rubber kind of thing.”
Intrigued by the sound, Cox investigated further. “I listened to playback, and it was one of the most exciting things I’d heard in a long time. That evening, Blake sent me some pictures and a couple of videos of the instrument. I just kind of knocked out a prototype—it took me like two hours to crank out this guitar. The next day I dropped it off at Blake’s house. He plugged it in and started playing. It was incredible…” This quick prototype led to a sound that resonated deeply, and the rubber bridge modification was born.
The rubber bridge has garnered significant attention, even reaching mainstream success through Taylor Swift’s use of it on her album “Folklore.” Remarkably, this innovation spread organically, without any formal marketing. “It’s nothing I ever advertised, still to this day. It’s just been word of mouth. And they’ve ended up on a lot of great records.” The impact on musicians has been profound, often sparking immediate creativity. “People buy them and say, ‘Oh, my God, I went home. And the same evening, I wrote four songs!’ You know, it’s really been inspirational to a lot of people. That’s about as gratifying as it gets for a vocation.”
Old Style Guitar Shop, therefore, is more than just a retail space; it’s a hub of innovation, creativity, and a testament to the unconventional journey of its founder, Reuben Cox. It embodies a philosophy that values sound, accessibility, and the inspiring power of a well-crafted instrument, regardless of its price tag. For anyone seeking a guitar shop with a unique story and a passion for sonic exploration, Old Style Guitar Shop in Los Angeles is a destination worth discovering.
