Okay, I have arrived
“When Miro began studying music at Kymi Conservatory in 2017, he faced a challenge: he couldn’t find a short-scale bass that felt right. After some research, he called me up asking if we could make him one. I remembered Miro from years earlier—as a young kid visiting with his father, who proudly declared his son would go far with the bass. Miro was just smiling quietly, and I probably was too.”
– Juha Ruokangas
In Miro’s own words:
“When I got that first Ruokangas bass and played it for the first time in our living room, I recall telling my mom, ‘Wow, this bass really resonates—the whole couch is vibrating!’ It’s still my favorite go-to bass today.
At the time, the band I was playing in had two incredibly talented guitarists. When I showed up to rehearsal with my new bass, I already knew it was a quality instrument, but as a bassist, I hadn’t realized how legendary Ruokangas was among guitarists. Both guitarists were literally drooling at the sight, endlessly praising its sound and sustain. It was hilarious!
By the time I got my Ruokangas bass, I had already gigged actively for years. I started unusually young, and a lot of it was learning by doing. Initially, I thought bass sound was mostly about the amp and gear, but after my first gig with the Ruokangas bass, I realized the instrument itself makes a world of difference. From that gig onward, I felt like, ‘Okay, I’ve arrived. This is The Sound!’ The positive feedback from band members, tech crew, and even the audience has been amazing.
Since 2017, that bass has toured extensively with me, first around Finland, a bit in Sweden, and then in 2020, New Zealand and Australia. Later, I got my second Ruokangas—a 5-stringer with an awesome zebra paint job. After the Covid pandemic, I started touring in the USA, where airlines lost both my Ruokangas basses! Thankfully, they eventually found their way back home to Finland. Unfortunately, my favorite basses missed my first American tour, but I had them with me for the next adventure in 2022, playing gigs across South America, North Africa, and around the Mediterranean.
After a short break back in Finland with local gigs, I jumped onto another huge tour, starting from Chile, traveling down the west coast of South America, continuing to Antarctica (!), then up the east coast to Brazil, over the Atlantic to North Africa, and then back down the west coast through various countries to South Africa. From there, we traveled up the east coast again—Madagascar, Seychelles, and more—before finally flying home from Dubai in spring 2023. Throughout all these travels, my Ruokangas basses were essential companions on stage. One mixing engineer even said: ‘The sound is perfect as it is! No compression, nothing needed!’
Years earlier, I’d dreamed of studying music in America. On my first USA tour, I met a guitarist who had graduated from Berklee, and I thought, ‘Yeah, someday that’s going to be me!’ The years passed, and the dream faded a bit, but meanwhile, my musical family in America kept growing. Each visit made me feel more at home, especially in Nashville—a city with intimate musical circles reminiscent of Finland, yet saturated with music in every possible way.
Eventually, that dream came true – I got the chance to study music at Belmont University in Nashville.
Currently, I’m working freelance, pursuing further opportunities in the United States, and touring all over the world.”
If there’s a will…
“My best friend, who happens to be a drummer, once came to pick me up on our way to a gig. During the drive, I told him — full of enthusiasm — about a five-string bass Juha Ruokangas was building for me.
I showed him a photo of the black-and-white striped instrument and excitedly explained all the details I had requested — the pickups, the tone I was after — an instrument perfect for modern gospel and soul music.
He looked at me as if I were Santa himself and asked: “Where do you think you’ll get the chance to play that kind of music? Who plays gospel in Finland?”
I had to admit it was more of a dream than something likely to happen. I didn’t know anybody that played that style — except on the internet — but I loved the sound and wanted a bass that could deliver it.
Fast-forward a few years:
I’m in Nashville, sitting in with the band at a local church. I open my bass case and lift out my black-and-white striped Ruokangas 5-string. I can’t help but smile, remembering that conversation with my friend back in Finland years earlier. Who would have thought? Yet here I am — and in this very moment, the bass is finally being played for the exact music it was designed for. Proof that if there’s a will, there truly is a way.”
– Miro
On stage: Yrjö Herttua – The Music of George Duke
A few timeline highlights
2017-2020: Kymi Conservatory
2020-2024: Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and Belmont U (Music Performance Major)
Finnish Military Service: The Guards Band, The Conscript Band Finland
2022: Playing gigs across South America, North Africa and around the Mediterranean
2023: Gigging in South America, Antarctica, eastern and western Africa, South Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Oman…
2024: First tour with maryjo
Some of the artists Miro has worked with
Sebas Fucci (La Descarga), Argentina
Shane Hampsheir, UK
