Bass of the Week: Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe
This week we check out the Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe, a specialized version of the company’s flagship bass model. Hand-made in Finland, the bass is set apart by a 2-piece Spanish cedar body with a thermo treated arctic birch top. Its rock maple neck is also topped with a thermo treated Indian rosewood fingerboard.
“From the guitar maker’s point of view, the best and most apparent affect of Thermo Treatment is the increased stability of the wood,” Ruokangas explains. “Simply, this means less adjusting for necks and more relaxed pieces of wood to start building from. The increased stiffness improves the tonal behavior of the guitar as well, making the necks more evenly resonating, which eliminates dead spots.”
The bass is fitted with either J/J or P/J pickups by H. Häussel. While each bass is made to order, other standard features include nickel plated Gotoh hardware, a Moose shin bone nut, and a Volume/Volume/Tone control configuration.
Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe Bass Photos:
Ruokangas Steambass Deluxe Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | 2-piece Spanish Cedar |
| Top: | Thermo Treated Arctic Birch |
| Neck: | Rock Maple |
| Fretboard: | Thermo Treated Indian Rosewood |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12″ |
| Frets: | 20 |
| Position Markers: | Celluloid Dot |
| Nut: | Moose Shin Bone |
| Tuners: | Gotoh GB11 |
| Bridge: | Wilkinson by Gotoh WB2P |
| Straplocks: | Gotoh |
| Pickups: | Steambass Custom J pickup configuration (by H. Häussel, Germany) |
| Electronics: | Passive |
For more information, check out the Ruokangas website.
Other that the cedar body this Is pretty standard fare. Sorry. I am sure it’s a fine instrument, but not very original. I mean again, only 20 frets? J pickups? There are countless instruments of quality with this design, I mean even if you were to do neck through or something different with electronics, or for God’s sake have over 20 frets, then that would be something.
I do a lot of soloing and I hardly ever go above the 17-18th fret… And I’m always playing a 24 fret bass. I honestly can’t see the need for having more than 20 frets? A lot of dudes do quite well without, and a lot of people who have more never use them.
Besides; just because other people make j basses doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make one as a luthier, provided you feel you can make a “better” or “different” j bass.
If they don’t put a price down….IT’S TOO FREAKIN MUCH!!! Why don’t you makers go the other way…make a great bass that WE THE AVERAGE GUY CAN AFFORD!! What a concept!
It is beautiful. But it’s a copy of a Jazz Bass. A very very expensive copy of a 50 year old bass. ?
O come on. The price is not the most important thing. Just kidding… If it is sold for the same price as this one here (http://www.ruokangas.com/?product=steam-062), we are talking about 6’000 Euros. Not a cheap one.
Pushing 7 Grand USD for a Fender copy? No thanks. That’s crazy. A cedar/birch body does not justify the price!