Blake Hawley

A day to rememberSaturday, June 30th 2018I got a phone call that morning from Sonny Landreth, who had just arrived to Finland to play at the Puistoblues Festival with John Hiatt & The Goners. The airline had lost their gear and Sonny asked if we could perhaps meet...

The Blues QueenIf all guitar heroes were women?Rewinding to year 2017. A cool challenge was brewing for the exhibiting luthiers of The Holy Grail Guitar Show 2018: What if the history of electric guitar would not be dominated by men? What if the superstar guitarists...

HI, I'M JAY JAY FRENCH FROM TWISTED SISTER...… and I want your guitar, man!Years ago, it must’ve been in 2005 or something, I got a call – a voice says on the phone: “Hi, I’m Jay Jay French from Twisted Sister, and I want your guitar, man”. He went on explaining how...

Die Toten Hosen - a National Treasure of GermanyIn Finland, we all know the name Die Toten Hosen - but I doubt many of us understand how uniquely extraordinary band Die Toten Hosen actually is! I, for one, admit that I had no idea. I had heard their music, and was...

Animator, director, musician... and what not!Juha becomes an actor...Mika and I have been friends for many years. In 2013 we stumbled upon an exceptional idea. I recall it started from Mika’s interest in my guitars – or maybe my interest in his unique playing – and...

I'm joining stratovarius and I need a guitar...I'd rather support a small company....My path with Matias crossed first time before his Stratovarius days. His friend Perttu Vänskä had ordered a guitar from us earlier on, and Matias had liked it quite a bit. I recall we...

WHEEL - PROG METAL DONE RIGHTOne thing leads to anotherI met James first time through Saku Mattila, who was at the time the solo guitarist in James’s band Wheel. Saku had invited me to their debut gig in Helsinki, and when they blasted off on stage… I became a fan....

Soothing sounds from the guitarUMK nomineeStella Christine found us when she was looking for a guitar that would share the journey with her in the UMK-competition. She fell in love with a white VSOP we happened to have in stock, and that has became her number one...

A NATIONAL TREASURE OF FINLANDWait – this is not right!We don’t often make other lefty guitars than the custom ordered ones – but one time there was this Mojo Grande – a showpiece made for Frankfurt Musikmesse 2003. I didn’t sell the guitar at the show. A friend of...

BenBen's OtherworldPersonalized InvitationBenBen is the folk rock solo project of Brooklyn-based animator and indie veteran Ben Wigler, whose unforgettable high-tenor voice sounds like the unlikely fusion of Michael Jackson and Thom Yorke. BenBen creates art that...

An artist who opened his heart and soulGimme SteamI have a great respect for Markus both as an artist and a dear friend. If you don’t know Markus – or even if you think you do – please listen to his album ‘Shades’. That is a great way to start getting to know Markus...

Exploring the unknown territories in soundWith a little help from a friend...Ruben bought a Mojo Classic from my friend Holger Hanenkamp / Musikhaus Jever some time ago, and to my delight it became fast his number one guitar to go to when touring and in studio. I...

A MATTER OF HEART AND SOULMeet Damian CaluziI have followed Damian’s career for some years by now. Markus Setzer introduced him to me years ago, and I was very impressed by Damian’s undisguised enthusiasm. There was something very “real” about him, that I don’t come...

Honey Pie... or Aurinko?The first encounterI had admired Peter’s music for a long time, and in 1998 I noticed he is gigging in my home town with Vesa-Matti Loiri. I gave him a call, and explained I’d like to show him one of my guitars. It was a Duke, that had been...

Composer, guitarist and Arabic 'ud playerBetween culturesBorn in Rovaniemi, a small town on the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, fretted/fretless guitarist and ‘ud player Jussi Reijonen is truly a product of the liminal spaces between cultures. Having grown up in...

THE V MODEL... THAT DOESN'T EXISTNot metal enough?There’s no way around it – Finland is the land of metal. Wait, something’s missing… Ah – yes – the word ‘metal’ has to be sang… so the second syllable ends up in a piercing falsetto scream with pulsating vibrato..! ?...

Rekindle The FireGenesisElding is a progressive metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland. Their ensemble draws inspiration from a vast spectrum of influences; along with other bands, these primarily include classical music, film soundtracks as well as video game scores....

FROM AMIGA 500 TO THE NATIONAL THEATREHmm, I might have something for you…It was sometime in the early 2000’s when Antti walked into my little workshop and started describing a guitar he would need. He talked about the sound and other aspects of it, and at some point...

From jazz to comedy pop and moreA touring professionalTim is a professional musician/bassist from NRW, Germany. He was trained at the Institute of Music in Osnabrück, Germany and at the University of Hamburg. As a touring musician, Tim has backed many artists, among...

Musical excellence in 5th generation!Just when you think you've seen it all...What can I say about this crazy dude… He is that one-of-a-kind artist, that will drop your jaw just on that moment when you already thought you’ve seen it all. I feel so privileged and...

A GUITAR FANTASY MADE TRUEA young man dressed in whiteThe NAMM Show 2017 in Anaheim, California. A tall young man with long hair, all dressed up in white, stops by at my booth and to my great surprise introduces himself to me in Finnish language. He asks if I remember...

Presidential versatilityCountless projectsSaku continues to amaze me with his super versatile skills and wonderful, humble attitude towards life and making music. Saku is a professional freelance musician and guitar teacher from Helsinki. He has studied in Sibelius...

Eppu Normaali  - a bestseller, decade after decadeImmediately recognizablePantse is one of those players whose sound and style you can immediately recognise. He has never been too much of a guitar geek in terms of having to own vintage Fenders or such. He played in...

MULTI-TALENTED PERFORMING ARTISTLiving on stageI’ve known Aleksi for… well… a long time. The first time I saw him on stage I had no idea he plays bass – cause he was singing… and acting… in a live theatre play. Later on I learned he is indeed a professional musician –...

THESE GUITARS MAKE ME PLAY BETTERThe summer of 2011We had just about moved our workshop to the current location, Harviala Manor. A teenager, perhaps 16 or 17 years old, walked in to our shop and introduced himself politely as Roope Riihijärvi, and continued to express...

IKONIK - NYC at its coreIn John Ricco's own words: A dreamerFor as long as I can remember I’ve been called a Dreamer. Until recently being labeled a dreamer was not a compliment. In actuality it was quite the opposite of what was expected growing up in the 80’s where...

FROM WESTWOOD MUSIC THROUGH MIYAGI'S TO RAINBOW BAR & GRILLJust a beer or two… or three…Aaron bought one of my first guitars ever exported to the North America – a VSOP Classic that I had sold to Westwood Music in Los Angeles. A few years later I exhibited at NAMM...

Eppu Normaali - the crown jewel of 'Suomirock'I will not send it backI sent one of our basses to Sami years ago for testing. He called me back and told he will not send it back. This was a vintage white Steam Classic with PJ hybrid pickup configuration. It became his...

Diablo - the bulldozer of finnish metalSolid as rockBulldozer. That’s the word to describe Diablo’s music. Judged by the attitude, Diablo definitely ranks high on my listing. These guys are tough. And their music is solid as rock. I’m a fan. It’s an honour to work...

FINLAND'S NATIONAL GUITAR HERO NUMBER ONEOne day I’ll make you a guitarThe year was 1992. I went to see Jukka Tolonen Trio play at a local club. The gig was fantastic, and afterwards I had a chance to shake hands with Jukka. I gave him my card and told him: “One day...

Very 'Eavy Very 'UmbleFrom trash bin to my turntableI was 12 or so, when my father came in with a bunch of vinyl albums he had found at the dump when taking trash there. I spotted two Uriah Heep albums – Very ‘Eavy Very ‘Umble and Sweet Freedom. I had read about the...

MY MUSICAL HOMEIn Juha Mattila’s own words: From pop to growlI have a relatively long history in a number of Finnish bands as well as some cover projects, with musical styles from hard-hitting speed/thrash metal during the mid-80’s, moshing through the legendary...

Good things come to those who waitNot yet!This page has been in the making for a long time – perhaps longer than any other featured player page of ours. I wanted to do it years ago, but Saalas kept saying with an adamant tone of voice: “Not yet”. He was as strict...

The biggest blues artist in SpainLet the instrument speakI received an email from Javier in March, 2019. He told me he had discovered my guitars at a music store in San Sebastián, Spain. Javier had fallen in love with a Mojo Deluxe and now he used it all the time. Our...

THAT MAGICAL "THING"...I’ll keep it short for my part and let Kingsley tell about how our paths have crossed. Please do check out his music from one of the links above. Thank you Kingsley for your kind words! ToneQuest Report“My interest in Ruokangas guitars started...

A HARD WORKING MANI gotta have it!Jani Wickholm is a hard working musician, gigging a lot around Finland. Years ago he called me up: “Hey, I’m standing at your shop door but I guess you’re not open today? I wanna try guitars!” – I knew Jani was a really talented...

OVER 12,000 RECORDED GUITAR TRACKSA living LegendThere are a few legendary guitarists in the Finnish rhythm music scene that have been around since the early 1970’s. Juha Björninen is definitely one of those players – and I feel humbled for the fact that he has chosen...

FROM SOUL TINGO TO CHURCH OF SINFUL BLUESThe man of many line-upsEdmund Piskaty has played the guitar with many line-ups such as ‘Soul Tingo’, ‘Nicks’ Noise’ ‘Deep In The Blues’, ‘Pluhd Zuckr’, ‘Nouveau B’ and ‘Reverend Ed & The Church Of The Sinful Blues’. Today...

A chameleon on guitarOur guitars in Peter's toolboxIt’s really an honour for me to be able to work with guys like Peter. He’s a top class professional who knows guitar inside out. The fact that he has acquired four different instruments from me over the years, and...

Contemporary Dead Finnish Music EnsembleMusic for romanticsI’m a huge fan of prog rock, and I always enjoy working with musicians that share the love for this complex style of music that I feel is the perfect musical story telling vehicle. It’s music for romantics!...

'Certified Guitar Player'A surprising turn of eventsTommy’s career is all about the magic he does with steel-stringed acoustic guitar. Therefore it came as a surprise to me when I was asked to come over to Helsinki to show my work to Tommy. I thought I’d take with me...