Weekly Wednesday Q&A with Juha Ruokangas

Ok… Are you ready for it? The time has finally come to reveal the big news I’ve been holding back for far too long! With 2025 marking the 30th anniversary of Ruokangas Guitars, we’ve poured our passion into something new throughout 2024 - something we believe will spark your creativity and inspire you to shape your tone to new heights! Join the YouTube live stream tomorrow, on February 5th, to be...

Wrapping up the year 2024 and wishing you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2025. On this video I'll share with you some of my thoughts on the past year, reflecting on changes in our shop and what the future might bring. I hope you enjoy the podcast. This is not a live stream like the Weekly Wednesday broadcasts typically are. This broadcast is targeted to all of you who enjoy guitars an...

Cremona is known for its history as the center of classical musical instrument making - the home of Amati, Rugeri, Stradivari, Guarneri, and many more. So, why are we exhibiting our electric guitars in such a place? Isn’t this an odd fit? Join the Weekly Wednesday Live, Episode 61, to find out the answer to this question and more! This broadcast is targeted to all of you who enjoy guitars and bass...

We've had the tube-powered Valvebucker pickup for some years now. We've integrated it into our existing guitar and bass models, successfully inspiring players with its unique sound. But the exploration doesn't end there, does it? One path forward is to design an instrument specifically with the Valvebucker in mind. In this episode, I will reveal to you the result of one such path we...

Today, we’re going to explore an interesting parallel between two eras that have shaped, and are shaping, our world: the Industrial Revolution and the rise of AI. This isn’t just a history lesson - it’s about understanding what’s happening right now and where we might be headed. This broadcast is targeted to all of you who enjoy guitars and basses, be it players, enthusiasts or collectors alike! T...

A comeback stream after a year and a half hibernation? Well, that might be an overstatement, but I've been missing you people too much - I hope there's still some viewers and listeners left after all this time! This episode is simply about answering questions I've gotten from you over time. Have to admit I'm a bit nervous not having done this in a long time - wish me luck! The...

First I turned down the idea of making a nylon-stringed electric guitar - but eventually I changed my mind. Why? You have to watch this stream to find out. :) I'd like to dedicate my last Weekly Wednesday Live broadcast for this year to all You out there, who work hard in the field of making music - composing, recording & gigging - in order to bring joy, consolation and a feel of unity to...

Why is ebony so highly valued in the world of musical instruments? Let's discuss about tradition and sustainability - and how those two concepts conflict in the case of ebony. Historically, ebony - this mythically exquisite wood from the dry and intermediate zones in Western Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Southern India and Indonesia - was available only to master craftsmen because of the natur...

What is ear training about? Active listening? Biomechanical method of teaching guitar..!!? Half a year ago I had no idea - but thanks to Ruben Roeh we'll all know a lot more after watching this interview! Ruben is a hard working musician and guitar teacher based in Hamburg, Germany. Most of you who follow us most likely have come across demos or other content involving Ruben's input. Yes...

Both Jussi and I grew up in Rovaniemi, a little town smacked right on the Arctic circle, next to Santa's workshop. While I remained in Finland and learned over the years to make a lot of sawdust, Jussi's path took him to Amman, Dar es Salaam, Muscat, Beirut, Helsinki, and eventually to Boston and New York where he continued building his career as a musician, recently relocating to Amster...

This episode addresses many questions asked about our new Valvebucker Mk2 pickup in the aftermath of its launch 2 weeks ago. Many magazines and online medias, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Planetsixstring amongst others, chose to title their articles rather provocatively, focusing to the price of the pickup, and... this calls for addressing..! P.S. Wanna watch more my Weekly Wednesday streams on Yo...

This episode of the Weekly Wednesday live is many things. It's a wrap-up of my experiences as a YouTuber since I started these live broadcasts a year and a half ago. We'll do a bit of reflecting upon the topics, the people I've interviewed and how we - you and I - have become a little tribe. We'll also talk about what's coming next - both for this YouTube channel and my co...

One week ago, I removed all social media apps - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter - from my phone, and have kept notes of how it has felt and what thoughts have emerged. On this episode of the Weekly Wednesday Live I will report to you the results of this cruel human experiment - how is life like without social media in my pocket?  This broadcast is targeted to all of you who enjoy...

Terms such as 'sustainable', 'organic', 'ethically correct' are the trend of the modern age. We're looking for ways to calm down our conscience with the consuming choices we make & save our planet on the side. But... a vegan compatible guitar? Why!? Today we're celebrating the 50th episode of my Weekly Wednesday Live broadcasts by closing a circle.  With...

... I proclaimed to my mom that I didn't need a high school education and I wasn't going to return to school. My mother wasn't thrilled. "You only have two more months until graduation," she said, incredulous. "Thing is, Mom," I confessed, "I haven't been in school this entire year; I haven't been to class once." ... "So, what are you goi...

Petteri Sariola is an internationally touring fingerstyle virtuoso singer-songwriter guitarist from Finland. What makes Petteri tick? What can we learn from Petteri's experience? Let's find out! Last week I interviewed Mika Tyyskä and asked how does he make a living in music, in the modern age. Well, this week we'll get to hear the story of yet another man who has literally forged h...

Many of us have faced this situation. You love music and you've found your instrument to express yourself with - and all you'd want to do is play! But.. how to make a living in music? Is it even a viable option in the modern world we live in? Or would it be better to work elsewhere and have music as a hobby? There aren't obviously any single correct answer to these questions. Mika T...

I've been asked repeatedly to comment the very popular '5-step setup' video by the famous YouTuber Paul Davids, and... Well, after watching his video a couple of times... ok! I'd like to mention a thing or two about it. Let's see where this leads! I admire Paul's YouTube channel greatly! He is a super talented guitarist and his videos are always very entertaining. Pau...

"I often talk about the future of guitar - future of music - future of design. Hmmm maybe not a coincidence I'm a also a big fan of science fiction literature and movies, ha! Needless to say that I'm very excited of this possibility to interview a man who seems to own a better crystal ball than most of us do."  Let's have a chat with Douglas Castro,  the founder of Darkgla...

"There are many legendary guitarists who have become known of playing just one guitar - Brian May, Danny Gatton, John Schofield, Mike Stern and Larry Carlton, to name of few. It is an intriguing thought, isn't it? Just one guitar! But... is it possible? Can one guitar be the answer to all my needs as a player..!?" Let's talk about the "Ultimate One Guitar Collection"...

Last week Erik M. asked me in the Weekly Wednesday stream chat: "Do you have a theory on what the 59 burst magic is about?". Stephan S. emailed me a day later, continuing the question: "Do you think a new guitar can not cope with a burst?". Thank you guys - you're the inspiration for this week's topic! ;) At the time of its production, the 1958–1960 sunburst Les Paul...

"Never before in the history has there been so much information easily available to us. For those of you who want to learn to make guitars - play guitar - or basically learn any new skill - there's an endless supply of content to learn from - books, videos, online courses and what not. But how to choose the good stuff..?" Last week we talked about future guitar design, and I was ask...

"We've seen the Telecasters, Stratocasters and Les Pauls in an endless variety of reincarnations. We've seen the radical deviations from tradition by Steve Klein, Ned Steinberger, Ulrich Teuffel and their modern day incarnations such as Strandberg and the like. We've seen the beautiful designs by Ritter, Pagelli, Spalt, Ergon and so many more contemporary master guitar makers....

"Can something bad happen to my guitar because of winter? How should I prepare my guitar for the seasons changing?" A lot of players keep asking me about seasonal changes - what does the shift from summer to winter do to their guitars? There are many perspectives to look at! The winter doesn't mean the same thing for all of us. A new guitar reacts to seasonal change often differentl...

"Why does a guitar need a truss rod? How come fret files are so expensive? Can rosewood be replaced by thermally aged other species? How can I make my guitar strings last longer?" These questions and much more have been waiting in my questions-to-be-answered pile. Let's continue the "interrogation" we started a few weeks ago! On this episode I'll answer as many of you...