Damage Guitars

Damage Guitars is a comprehensive guitar and bass library built within Native Instruments' Kontakt framework, designed to deliver production-ready tones across heavy, cinematic, and textural applications. Rather than a traditional effects plugin, it functions as a sampled instrument collection featuring over 3,600 samples derived from Neil Goldberg's curated collection of Gibson, PRS, Fender, Jackson, and Ernie Ball guitars, processed through vintage tube amplifiers and professional pedal chains.

The instrument separates into two primary engines: tempo-synced guitar riffs numbering 468 with accompanying transitions, and 192 matched bass riffs that provide harmonic and rhythmic cohesion. This dual-guitar approach distinguishes Damage Guitars from typical guitar libraries, offering integrated low-end support that anchors heavy material without requiring separate bass programming. The 14 playable cinematic guitar textures add versatility beyond riff-based composition, enabling sustained pads and atmospheric elements.

Sonically, the library emphasizes density and aggression without sacrificing clarity. Guitars remain articulate even in dense mixes, a result of Heavyocity's signal chain processing that balances saturation with definition. The collection spans from face-melting distorted riffs to crystalline clean tones, providing range across heavy electronic music, trailer work, and cinematic scoring.

Best suited for composers working in metal-influenced media, video game scoring, and contemporary film, Damage Guitars addresses a genuine gap between conventional orchestral libraries and authentic electric guitar content. Its integration of matched bass lines and transitions streamlines workflow significantly compared to assembling guitars and bass separately. The intuitive browser and preset system lower the barrier for users unfamiliar with deep Kontakt editing, though experienced sound designers will find adequate architecture for customization.