Testimonials

"Guitar well received and as usual, perfect! Very light, good acoustics, the neck is very easy to play. Simply awesome. Thank you very much for this new piece of art!"
- Vincent Beinis, France
"Thanks for building me this fantastic Guitar, my Unicorn is simply one of the best instruments I've played so far. I love it!"
- Anders Hörling, Sweden
"Juha, like so many other players before me, I am in awe of your quality work and craftsmanship. Thank you very much again and I promise to tell everybody I know about your guitars!"
- Uwe Steinweg, Germany
"What can I say, I love this new guitar. It's easy to play, light weight and great to handle. Everything I do, good or bad, it shows extremely well and honestly - unbelievable!"
- Uwe Steinweg, Germany
"Love this guitar (Unicorn)! You are amazing….it just rings unplugged! Thank You for such a spectacular instrument!"
- Jim Pallotta, USA
"I'm really enjoying the Unicorn! I did not custom order it but the back of neck feels like wood. No sticky finish. I've always heard that a good Les Paul is like a Tele on Steroids and this is closest I've gotten to that idea. The low end is nice and tight and it really sustains. Its very articulate . I feel I can be precise and the guitar responds accordingly."
- Russ Reiser, USA
"It is very special for me to own one of the first Mojos ever built. I have Gibson guitars, Fender guitars and one american built PRS Singlecut, but the Mojo Grande is the diamond among my guitars. I wish you good luck with your guitar building and your company, and for spreading joy and happiness among mankind!"
- Arnulf Moastuen, Norway
"You built me two VSOP:s a few years ago. These superb guitars sound better and looking more beautiful than ever. My humble thanks guys. May the excellence and mightyness be with you for the next 15 years!"
- Jarska Sipilä, Finland
"The Duke has lived up to my expectations. The playability is well balanced and comfortable. The natural, matured wood sings beautifully through. As recording, I've especially noticed the tremendous versatility of tones I can play with the Duke. The guitar truly is alive reacting precisely to players touch."
- Tommi Ahonen, Finland
"My two-finger style (caused by an accident with a circular saw years ago) sets a demand for top-of-the-line playability. Ruokangas guitars answer that demand. I used to think the best guitars come from USA, but I was wrong - they are made right here in Finland!"
- Timo Halonen / Big Bore
"Praise the Mighty Juha Ruokangas - God of Fretted Instruments!"
- Edmund Piskaty, Austria
"When we plugged in the Mojo to record our latest demos everyone's jaws dropped. It was thick, precise and had the tone of three layers of guitars, in just one pass. Just what we needed. Juha, thanks to you and your team for the best guitar I've ever held and played."
- Joel Auge / Hewit
"For me the Duke is the most astounding guitar-evolution I’ve ever come across. So it seems I’ve finally found what I was looking for after so many years. Never thought it would be in Finland though…!"
- Hans “Lucan” Elmers, The Netherlands
"I’ve been very satisfied from the beginning to the playability, sound and looks of my both Ruokangas guitars, Duke Artisan and VSOP Supreme. The Duke is at it’s best playing softer, jazzy music with it’s mellower and full, woody tone. The VSOP is my all-around workhorse with it’s clear, sustaining and BIG tone tone provided by the SingleSonic pickups. It’s always a joy to play these guitars, and they seem to just get better with age!"
- Antti Paranko, Finland
"The Ruokangas Mojo sounds absolutely great and the playability is in it’s own class! This guitar survives rough life on the road. Player’s choice!"
- Jani Wickholm, Finland
"My Duke 'Lilith' has ended my search for a perfect dual-humbucker style guitar. It plays wonderfully, sounds clear and sweet, is built extremely well and is resonant and versatile. It responds to my touch like no other solidbody I’ve played. It’s perfectly balanced and light. And the sustain! Unless I need something with a vibrato arm, I always use Lilith and get the result I want – be it in studio or on stage."
- Antti Pesonen / CDFmE
"Interacting with Juha during the building process was as smooth and professional as it could be. I thank Juha and everybody at Ruokangas Guitars for their impeccable work and I respect their fine attitude towards life!"
- Antti Pesonen / CDFmE
"Can’t help it – the VSOP beats my strats with its smooth playability and meaty tone!"
- Kaitsu Seppälä / Jani & The Jetsetters
"The Ruokangas VSOP is one of the finest and most versatile guitars that I’ve played. The quality of craftmanship is unparalleled and the ultra-clean electronics are perfect for sessions where avoiding noise is an important factor. The immense amount of tonal variation make it the only guitar I need for sessions and gigs. I will be playing my VSOP for many years to come!"
- Aaron Kaplan, USA
"My Duke Sonic is a dream! That’s all I can say – perfect!"
- Sascha Wiegand / Bitune
"The Ruokangas VSOP is the most ergonomically designed guitar I have ever played. It is very easy and comfortable to play both sitting down and strapped on – which is very important as playing through number of sets during one night. The VSOP feels stable, stays in tune very well and looks attractive too. Excellent work!"
- Juha Björninen, Finland
"This guitar is perfectly balanced, plays like a fantasy, and is extremely robust – and for single coil pickups, the SingleSonics are firebreathers and manage to be very quiet in terms of hum. Juha crafts guitars that are as good as anything out there, but it goes beyond just being a guitar- owning a Ruokangas, to me, is like owning 3 albums worth of material you haven’t written yet!"
- Ben Wigler / Arizona
"Words cannot describe how happy I am with the VSOP. Not only is it probably the most gorgeous vaguely ‘S’-style guitar in the universe (crowned by an almost unbearably beautiful tremcover inlay) but its sound IS the sound of my dreams."
- Ben Wigler / Arizona
"This is superb. The Duke is the best electric guitar I’ve ever had!"
- Jukka Tolonen, Finland
"In the world of boutique guitars, Ruokangas sets the bar as a standard by which all of the boutique guitar companies should be measured against for making an outstanding product. I am a very proud owner of these instruments!"
- Jay Jay French / Twisted Sister
"Ruokangas guitars are well-made and they sound really sweet. They’re built in what I’d call the right tradition."
- Mick Box / Uriah Heep
"I have many guitars, some are good, some even great. Then I have the ones I use. They are all Ruokangas guitars."
- Juha Torvinen / Eppu Normaali
"We brought loads of excellent guitars guitars to the studio for the recording sessions of our second album… Still we ended up playing practically all the guitar tracks with my Ruokangas Custom. There was just no rival to it’s consistant and balanced tone."
- Petri Lassila / Tera
"The Hellcat is so effortless – it practically plays itself. With this guitar I can play and plan to play exactly what I want – the guitar properties don’t set any limitations! One day I might need another guitar – and it will certainly be a Ruokangas!"
- Sami Saarinen / Status Minor
"My Duke is an indispensible tool in my toolbox. It is an exceptionally made guitar that sounds and plays like a top quality instrument should. The feel and finish is as good as it gets. It barks and growls like a p90 loaded 50’s era guitar. It will always be a part of my arsenal. I use it all the time."
- Josh Smith, USA
"Ruokangas guitars are for men who walk their own paths."
- Rainer Nygård / Diablo
"Getting my first Ruokangas (Duke Deluxe) changed everything! I didn't even know what a brilliant Instrument can do to me. At first I was a bit shocked - you have to concentrate a lot because the guitar shows everything! Even the little mistakes! But you can work on your personal tone. My playing has changed totally. Now I play less notes, but the ones I do sound like I ever wanted. I think these guitars seperate guitar boys from guitar men!"
- Thorsten, Germany
"Many thanks for my amazing guitar. What can I say... it's a perfect materpiece! It's so lightweight. The rock sound on my Bulldog amp is the top!"
- Lars Böhner, Germany
"Last night I played the Duke for a couple of hours through my Mad Professor CS-40. Most guitars, I have to mess with the knobs a lot to find a setting that works. The Duke sounded great on every setting! Excellent instrument! A real ass kicker!!"
- Ben Kibbey, USA
"This Mojo is the very best guitar I've ever played! It looks, feels and sounds incredible. I can't believe it's possible to build a new guitar that feels and sounds like a twenty, thirty years old good friend! The guitar reacts amazingly to my picking attack. Thanks for building such a great guitar!"
- Kalle Thiel, Germany
"I am totally in shock Juha! This is a killer guitar - I have 20 guitars, but this one is the best!!!"
- Michael Pagaard, Denmark
"I want to thank you for my beautiful Hellcat guitar. This is an amazing guitar and the sundance colour fits perfectly! I am very happy that I finally own one of your guitars!"
- Stefan Schmalz, Germany