About this episode

Juha Ruokangas discusses his innovative guitar designs and the future of luthiery.

For episode 109 of Luthier on Luthier, we're joined by Juha Ruokangas, a Finnish guitar maker pushing the boundaries of instrument design. We dive into his innovative Valve Bucker pickup, the Captain Nemo guitar prototype, and his use of local Arctic Birch and wood torrification to create unique guitars. Juha shares his journey from student to professional luthier and his vision for the future of guitar making, blending tradition, technology, and artistry. Link: https://ruokangas.com/ Luthier on Luthier is hosted by Michael Bashkin of Bashkin Guitars and brought to you by the Fretboard Journal . This episode is sponsored by the Looth Group , Dream Guitars and StewMac .

People in this episode

Host: Michael Bashkin

Guest: Juha Ruokangas

Topics covered

• guitar making
• instrument design
• luthier craftsmanship
• innovation
• woodworking

Keywords

• guitar
• luthier
• Valve Bucker
• Captain Nemo
• Arctic Birch
• wood torrification
• instrument design

Sponsors

Looth Group, Dream Guitars, StewMac

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Fretboard Journal

More episodes of Luthier on Luthier with Michael Bashkin

• 115. Marco Bortolozzo · July 1, 2026 · 57 min
• 114. Thierry André · May 28, 2026 · 1h 15m
• 113. Sean McGowan · April 28, 2026 · 58 min
• 112. Otto D'Ambrosio · March 30, 2026 · 1h 1m
• 111. Raymond Kraut · February 27, 2026 · 1h 9m
• 110. Ben Wilborn · January 30, 2026 · 1h 9m

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