58 Alma Vale Rd, Bristol BS8 2HS 0117 3307607
Another fine example of Ruokangas' exemplary workmanship - a hand carved Arctic Birch top with a Spanish Cedar body. This guitar sings through the two Dukebucker pickups with depth and clarity. The neck feels immediately comfortable and string bending and fluid runs are easy on the ebony fingerboard. This instrument features stainless steel frets and the Buzz Feiten tuning system for better intonation. Gold hardware and ebony tuning pegs and pickup covers finish this guitar to perfection. This guitar can produce all the sounds you expect from a set neck, humbucker equipped guitar from full on rock to subtle jazz. The push-pull pots give coil-tapping on each pickup and phase switching options to increase the versatility and give brighter more brittle tones.
Details to come
Details to come
Details to come
An alder body with a bolt on maple neck and rosewood fingerboard - a familiar combination but brought together here with great craftsmanship. The neck has the faster C profile with stainless steel frets and the vibrato is a Wilkinson VSVG. The pickups here are a pair of Ruokangas SingleSonic which sound superb with great clarity and warmth even with plenty of distortion. You get the top end of a single coil but with the depth and balanced response of a humbucker - apparently Juha's personal favourite. Electrics are a three ways selector, one volume and two tones. The VSVG vibrato works well for subtle use and in conjunction with the Sperzel locking tuners stays in tune well. This is a great handmade guitar with a character that lifts if above the herd - this guitar should be high on your list if you want a Strat style guitar with personality.
One of Juha's finest guitars, without a doubt, and something a little different from the norm. A beautifully finished Spanish Cedar semi-hollow body with a trademark Arctic Birch top. Perfect ivoroid binding surrounds the body and the ebony fretboard which sports only the Ruokangas R at the 12th fret. Gold plated hardware including Sperzel locking machine heads with ebony keys complete the picture. This guitar has a pair of Singlesonic pickups finished in ebony and gold which give a great bright sound with superb clarity and depth - enhanced in this case by the semi-hollow body. The volume control is a push-pull allowing for phaseswitching fo the pickups. For a bit of added luxury this model features a few optional extras - stainless steel frets and the Buzz Feiten tuning system to give sweeter intonation. As with all Ruokangas guitars this is an easy playing guitar that anyone will feel straight at home with.
You only have to look at this guitar to know it is special - the Caribean Blue finish on the Spanish Cedar body and Arctic Birch top is certainly an eyecatcher and to be honest photos don't really do it justice. An incredibly lightweight guitar with a real bright clear acoustic tone unplugged. Plugged in this sounds like you would expect with good clean cutting sounds from the Mojo Blues bridge pickup and a warm full sound from the Singlesonic front pickup however the resonance of the semi acoustic body gives this an 'openness' and depth that you won't get from a solidbody guitar . Despite the 'boutique' looks this still fulfills the basic design criteria of being a workhorse guitar: great sound, good action and built to last.
Definitely a slight 50's vibe to this from the Seafoam green colour on this one. A ThermoTreated alder body and a maple neck give the kind of tone and feel you would expect from a 'Strat' style instrument. Three VS classic pickups and a five way selector give the classic sounds with incredible clarity and brightness. The stainless steel frets give the guitar a smooth easy feel and the Sperzel locking tuners combined with the Wilkinson 6 pivot trem keep the guitar in tune nicely. A subtle update on a classic design with a finish that only a handmade instrument has.
