Here for sale we have an absolutely stunning Ruokangas VSOP Deluxe electric guitar in 3-Tone Sunburst finish. Ruokangas is a privately owned boutique guitar builder, owned solely by its founder Juha Ruokangas. He founded the company in 1995 as a sole trader, building and repairing guitars from a small workshop in Hyvinkää, Finland. Gradually, the size & reputation of the company grew, and by 2001 Ruokangas guitars were gaining acclaim in guitar magazines and becoming available to buy in dealerships. More luthiers were welcomed into the company throughout the noughties, with new models being added to the line up. Today 7 different guitar models are available alongside one bass model which comes in several variations. Ruokangas are renowned for their fantastic playability, beautiful exotic materials and incredible build quality - made entirely by luthiers without the use of CNC machines or other mass-production methods.
 
Made in Finland in 2011, this guitar features a bolt-on construction comprising a Spanish Cedar body with an 'Exceptionally Figured Arctic Birch' top and matching pickguard. The neck is Maple, and is topped with a 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard, inlaid with MOP dots and 'R' 12th fret marker. Gold hardware is fitted including a Wilkinson VSVG by Gotoh tremolo bridge and Ruokangas standard sealed tuning machines. The string nut is made from Moose shin bone - a feature introduced in 1996 and found across Ruokangas' range. A trio of Ruokangas passive pickups are installed in an HSH configuration, with 'Dukebucker' humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions and a 'King M' single-coil in the middle. These are wired to a 5-way blade switch, master volume, neck/middle tone and bridge tone controls. 
 
The Maple neck plays fantastically well, with the 'Boatneck' profile feeling rather substantial in the hand but retaining an astonishing level of smooth playability and articulation. Certainly on the thicker side, the neck adds a sense of character to the guitar which is very inspiring in the hands. The Rosewood of the fretboard is pleasant under the fingers, with the 12" radius delivering a highly practical playing surface across the register. Jumbo Stainless Steel frets enhance the feel of string bending and vibrato techniques and provide a durable and hardwearing surface that will stand up to years of playing without needing expensive fretwork. The offset body design with generous double-cutaways and body contours is supremely comfortable and ergonomic, facilitating long fatigue-free playing sessions. 
 
Amplified, the tone of the VSOP Deluxe is rich and woody - certainly a distinctive sound that is unique enough to stand out from the crown without being too outlandish. The warmth from the neck pickup is beautiful - delivering plenty of power for buttery smooth lead and solo tones. The bridge humbucker is bright and nicely hot, easily pushing your amp into a saturated distortion with high gain settings. The single-coil in the middle position delivers funky tones in spades, and offers sweet out of phase 'honk' in positions 2 & 4 for softer sections of the set. An incredibly well-made guitar with luxurious appointments and sublime playability. 
 
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.