Weekly Wednesday Q&A with Juha Ruokangas
Let's talk about guitars. I'll do my best to help you understand your instrument better, and give all tips I can, so you could get the most out of your guitar and enjoy making your music even more! I make guitars for my living. These podcasts, however, are not about selling my guitars to you. I make my Q&A videos and podcasts to help you get more out of the guitar you already own, and understand your instrument better. The brand or monetary value of your guitar doesn't make a difference, either.
Episodes
61 episodes
#61 - Cremona Musica 2024 - a Luthier's Pilgrimage in Stradivari's Footsteps
Cremona is known for its history as the center of classical musical instrument making - the home of Amati, Rugeri, Stradivari, Guarneri, and many more. So, why are we exhibiting our electric guitars in such a place? Isn’t this an odd fit? Join ...
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Episode 61
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42:04
#60 - New Guitar Model - The Missing Link Between Acoustic And Electric?
We've had the tube-powered Valvebucker pickup for some years now. We've integrated it into our existing guitar and bass models, successfully inspiring players with its unique sound. But the exploration doesn't end there, does it? One path forwa...
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Episode 60
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46:44
#59 - Hasta La Vista, AI - The Arts & Crafts Strike Back!
Today, we’re going to explore an interesting parallel between two eras that have shaped, and are shaping, our world: the Industrial Revolution and the rise of AI. This isn’t just a history lesson - it’s about understanding what’s happening righ...
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Episode 59
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1:02:00
#58 - Questions & Answers - Why is Finland the happiest... and more!
A comeback stream after a year and a half hibernation? Well, that might be an overstatement, but I've been missing you people too much - I hope there's still some viewers and listeners left after all this time! This episode is simply about answ...
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Episode 58
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1:02:07
#57 - Can I shred with a nylon stringed electric..!?
First I turned down the idea of making a nylon-stringed electric guitar - but eventually I changed my mind. Why? You have to watch this stream to find out. :)I'd like to dedicate my last Weekly Wednesday Live broadcast for this year to ...
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Episode 57
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1:16:05
#56 - Songs From The Wood: Ebony
Why is ebony so highly valued in the world of musical instruments? Let's discuss about tradition and sustainability - and how those two concepts conflict in the case of ebony.Historically, ebony - this mythically exquisite wood from the...
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Episode 56
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1:03:22
#55 - Ruben Roeh & The Art of Teaching Guitar
What is ear training about? Active listening? Biomechanical method of teaching guitar..!!? Half a year ago I had no idea - but thanks to Ruben Roeh we'll all know a lot more after watching this interview!Ruben is a hard working musician...
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Episode 55
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1:07:08
#54 - The story of Jussi Reijonen, a man making music between cultures...
Both Jussi and I grew up in Rovaniemi, a little town smacked right on the Arctic circle, next to Santa's workshop. While I remained in Finland and learned over the years to make a lot of sawdust, Jussi's path took him to Amman, Dar es Salaam, M...
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Episode 54
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1:39:16
#53 - The most expensive guitar pickup ever made... Overpriced or what!?
This episode addresses many questions asked about our new Valvebucker Mk2 pickup in the aftermath of its launch 2 weeks ago. Many magazines and online medias, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Planetsixstring amongst others, chose to title their art...
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Episode 53
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1:01:24
#52 - Pause, Reflect & Reset
This episode of the Weekly Wednesday live is many things. It's a wrap-up of my experiences as a YouTuber since I started these live broadcasts a year and a half ago. We'll do a bit of reflecting upon the topics, the people I've interviewed and ...
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Episode 52
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53:23
#51 - Can Social Media Kill Your Creativity..?
One week ago, I removed all social media apps - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter - from my phone, and have kept notes of how it has felt and what thoughts have emerged. On this episode of the Weekly Wednesday Live I will report ...
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Episode 51
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51:22
#50 - Ethically Organic, Vegan Friendly & Sustainable Guitar?
Terms such as 'sustainable', 'organic', 'ethically correct' are the trend of the modern age. We're looking for ways to calm down our conscience with the consuming choices we make & save our planet on the side. But... a vegan compatible guit...
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Episode 50
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1:00:36
#49 - Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French exclusive LIVE interview
... I proclaimed to my mom that I didn't need a high school education and I wasn't going to return to school. My mother wasn't thrilled. "You only have two more months until graduation," she said, incredulous. "Thing is, Mom," I confessed, "I h...
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Episode 49
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52:58
#48 - Petteri Sariola - How Did I Become Me?
Petteri Sariola is an internationally touring fingerstyle virtuoso singer-songwriter guitarist from Finland. What makes Petteri tick? What can we learn from Petteri's experience? Let's find out!Last week I interviewed Mika Tyyskä and as...
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Episode 48
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1:31:15
#47 - Mika Tyyskä - How to Make a Living in Music?
Many of us have faced this situation. You love music and you've found your instrument to express yourself with - and all you'd want to do is play! But.. how to make a living in music? Is it even a viable option in the modern world we live in? O...
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Episode 47
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1:37:59
#46 - Juha reacting to the '5-Step-Setup' video by Paul Davids
I've been asked repeatedly to comment the very popular '5-step setup' video by the famous YouTuber Paul Davids, and... Well, after watching his video a couple of times... ok! I'd like to mention a thing or two about it. Let's see where this lea...
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Episode 46
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1:04:38
#45 - Douglas Castro - The man behind Quad Cortex
"I often talk about the future of guitar - future of music - future of design. Hmmm maybe not a coincidence I'm a also a big fan of science fiction literature and movies, ha! Needless to say that I'm very excited of this possibility to intervie...
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Episode 45
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44:41
#44 - Can one guitar be enough..?
"There are many legendary guitarists who have become known of playing just one guitar - Brian May, Danny Gatton, John Schofield, Mike Stern and Larry Carlton, to name of few. It is an intriguing thought, isn't it? Just one guitar! But... is it ...
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Episode 44
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53:44
#43 - The '59 Burst Magic... Can a new guitar have it?
Last week Erik M. asked me in the Weekly Wednesday stream chat: "Do you have a theory on what the 59 burst magic is about?". Stephan S. emailed me a day later, continuing the question: "Do you think a new guitar can not cope with a burst?". Tha...
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Episode 43
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57:50
#42 - Can you learn a new skill by reading books?
"Never before in the history has there been so much information easily available to us. For those of you who want to learn to make guitars - play guitar - or basically learn any new skill - there's an endless supply of content to learn from - b...
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Episode 42
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1:02:22
#41 - Where is guitar design going next?
"We've seen the Telecasters, Stratocasters and Les Pauls in an endless variety of reincarnations. We've seen the radical deviations from tradition by Steve Klein, Ned Steinberger, Ulrich Teuffel and their modern day incarnations such as Strandb...
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Episode 41
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42:52
#40 - Winter Is Coming! What does it do to my guitar?
"Can something bad happen to my guitar because of winter? How should I prepare my guitar for the seasons changing?"A lot of players keep asking me about seasonal changes - what does the shift from summer to winter do to their guitars? T...
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Episode 40
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52:27
#39 - Interrogation Continues...
"Why does a guitar need a truss rod? How come fret files are so expensive? Can rosewood be replaced by thermally aged other species? How can I make my guitar strings last longer?"These questions and much more have been waiting in my que...
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Episode 39
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1:05:27
#38 - Under Your Interrogation...
"How high should the pickups be adjusted? Which guitar companies are your idols? Can a heavy weight guitar sound good? What's the weirdest tool you own?"These questions - and tons more - have poured in in the live chat, comments and pri...
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Episode 38
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1:22:05
#37 - Does Fret Size and Material Make a Difference?
"Medium or Jumbo frets? Narrow or wide? Nickel silver or stainless steel? EVO gold - what the heck is that anyways..!?"Don't fret - you're not alone if you're confused about guitar frets, considering how many choices there are available...
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Episode 37
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1:41:06