DISCOVER YOUR
MUSICAL SPIRIT

Ruokangas Unicorn - reinventing the roots

The Unicorn sums up my career in so many ways. The special wood materials I’ve learned to love so much, my trademark constructional features, the tonal fine-tuning, the aesthetic and ergonomic balance – it’s all there – entwined with tradition, reinventing the roots. A guitar that at first glance may appear conventional, yet when experienced, turns out to be quite exceptional.

Juha Ruokangas signature

Juha Ruokangas – Master Guitar Maker

Unicorn Shapes

UNICORN CLASSIC

Unicorn Classic

I’ve been nuts about guitars since a kid. It took 15 years as a professional luthier until I dared to challenge myself and create the solid body single-cut electric I had always wanted. I’m so very proud how it turned out.

UNICORN ARTISAN

Unicorn Artisan

One of my greatest passions in designing a guitar is to make it sound transparent so there is no barrier between the player and the instrument. The Artisan is right there – a true communication tool for your soul.

UNICORN SUPERSONIC

Unicorn Supersonic

Some say rock music is from the devil. I don’t know about that, but there sure is something devilishly seductive in mean, stripped down rock’n’roll – and that’s exactly what provoked me to create the Unicorn Supersonic.

MAKING THE UNICORN

After fifteen years as a professional luthier, I went back to my first love of electric guitars, challenged myself and started from the beginning to create the single-cut electric I had always wanted.

Watch the massive 17-episode Unicorn Video Diary in YouTube, filmed in 2008-2009, documenting the entire design process of the Unicorn guitar. More related vids on our Unicorn Playlist.

THE RUOKANGAS
TONEWOOD RECIPE
GUARANTEES DYNAMICS
SECOND TO NONE

EXTRA MILE

The Unicorn tops are all made from arctic birch because of its unparalleled tone, and appearance that is unlike any other guitars. Figured arctic birch is not readily available, so I need to hunt it down the hard way – I trek in the forests, hand-pick the trees I want, and the logs are cut exclusively for me. It’s a lot of work – but I’m stubborn enough to walk the extra mile.

ONGOING EVOLUTION

We all belong to a continuum. We draw from the past – but luckily we can renew ourselves, too. Establishing the use of Spanish cedar in electric guitars is one example of my personal renewal processes. By doing so, I wish I have not only generated a new tradition, but also succeeded in contributing a little to the ongoing evolution of electric guitar.

TRANSFORMATION

Quality of tonewood means everything to me, because it essentially dictates whether or not a guitar has the potential to become a great musical instrument. Thermal ageing is not a magic trick – it doesn’t change bad wood into good. But it is the best method to make sure my hand selected tonewood is all game to begin the transformation into a great guitar.

{

Playable Art
I love my Ruokangas Unicorn. Simply put, Ruokangas Guitars are Playable Art!

Jay Jay French / Twisted Sister (USA)
{

Musical empathy
You will find not only amazing craftsmanship, but particularly musical empathy to an impressive expression.

Gitarre & Bass (Germany)
{

Master of his craft
Juha Ruokangas is a master of his craft and the model Unicorn Classic has once again clearly demonstrated it.

Gitarre & Bass (Germany)
{

Strength and body
In addition to the warmth and clarity, the Unicorn has excellent mids, adding strength and body to the sound.

Riffi Magazine (Finland)
{

Unicorn Artisan
Expensive? Yes, but worth every single euro!

Gitarre & Bass (Germany)
Juha Torvinen - Eppu Normaali
{

Life’s too short
Life is just too short to play bad guitars.

Juha Torvinen / Eppu Normaali (Finland)
{

It just rings
I love this guitar. You are amazing. Unplugged, it just rings..!

Jim Pallotta (USA)
{

Something in it
The Unicorn sounds and plays amazingly! There’s something in it that other guitars haven’t had since the 60’s!

Nicolas Kerjosse (France)
{

Unicorn Classic
Every detail has been expertly accounted for and the result is a guitar that simply can not be made better.

Tonequest Report (USA)
{

Not my last Ruokangas
I am very satisfied with my goldtop Unicorn. It might very well be, that this is not my last Ruokangas guitar.

Dietmar Ley (Germany)

EVERY SINGLE GUITAR
HANDMADE WITH LOVE

LIMITLESS

I strive to make my guitars as limitless as possible regarding the sound. An electric guitar is an acoustic instrument – and an exceptionally good electric guitar must have superb acoustic properties in order to deliver the richest, liveliest and most characteristic possible sound when amplified.

CARVED TOP

The purpose of a carved top is not only to please the eye, but also to contribute to the sound. Every structural detail matters – the angled neck together with the bridge and tailpiece create a solid foundation for the energy of the strings to transfer to the carved top and the whole body of the guitar in the most vibrant way.

STRONG NECK

During my years as a repairman I got so tired to fix broken headstocks, that I decided to do mine better than that. I want my guitars to last from father to son. The Unicorn has the steep vintage style headstock angle, but I revamped the construction completely, making the neck super strong.

JOY TO PLAY

Playing comfort consists of a number of variables. The body shape of a guitar plays one of the key roles in defining the playability. I improved the Unicorn balance dramatically by shifting the body waistline slightly lower, making the guitar a joy to play regardless if you stand up or sit down.

BUILT FOR LIFE

Our purpose is to create the ideal tools for your art of making music. To achieve this goal, each of our guitars is individually handmade to the highest standard by one of us, the Ruokangas team, using the finest materials in the world. No serial production methods or automated processes are involved in the making.

Ruokangas 20 Year Warranty

WHEN IT ALL FALLS INTO PLACE
THE WHOLE BECOMES GREATER
THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

FULL POTENTIAL

We use a lot of time to do the fretwork – more than most would consider sensible. It takes forever just to do the dome shaped fret ends like we do them. But then again, that’s what our job is about. The best playability can only be achieved when every detail is thought out and executed to its full potential.

going nuts

It takes years for a luthier to master the art of making a flawless nut to a guitar. It starts from selecting the right material, and in Finland, the number one choice is moose shin bone. It keeps the tuning best, breaks strings the least, outlasts synthetic materials or metals, and gives unique clarity to the open notes.

thin finish

A great guitar finish feels right, looks right and protects the wood right. A great guitar finish must be thin and hard to not dampen the sound of the guitar. Instead of blindly repeating what was done before me, I’ve trusted my own intuition and experience, done my own research and found the best finishes for my own guitars.

Playable art

We make heavy duty tools for serious players. It doesn’t make a difference if it’s the most stripped down model or top of the line eye-candy – every Ruokangas guitar is top notch, right out of the box.

RUOKANGAS SETS THE BAR

In the world of boutique guitars, Ruokangas sets the bar as a standard by which all 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 Homepage

GOOD LIFE

Juha Ruokangas - our ambition is simply to live our lives making guitars, cherishing the tradition of handcraft

I have consciously decided not to take part in the ongoing industrial race for cheaper labour and bigger profits. Our ambition is simply to live our lives making guitars, cherishing the tradition of handcraft. Why? Because we love it. It’s a good life.

– Juha Ruokangas