In Pictures: Versoul salmon-skin Raya Blue Light

Shoal Music

Finnish guitar maker Kari Nieminen’s hand-crafted Versoul guitars have been paraded onstage by a succession of stars, including Ronnie Wood, Kenny Burrell, Allan Holdsworth, Michael Landau and Billy F Gibbons.

Gibbons is a particular fan of the Raya Blue Light model, having purchased and played several, including custom versions with necks covered in gold leaf.

Versoul’s latest creation is a Raya Blue Light model, too, but what’s different is the finish: the top of the guitar’s body, fingerboard and headstock are covered with two-piece tanned and lacquered salmon skin.

Versoul salmon-skin Raya Blue Light

The guitar itself has a heavily chambered alder body finished in black on the back, with a 24.75-inch scale curly maple neck, finished in dark transparent brown and featuring narrow vintage frets made from a bronze alloy.

Versoul salmon-skin Raya Blue Light

Contributing to the guitar’s full, open tone is a new improved, hand-wound Versoul humbucker pickup, specially voiced with an Alnico 2 magnet and combined with enamel copper wire.

Finishing touches include distinctive Frost Silver plating for the metal hardware, maple bindings with wood purfling and perforated steel side.

And the volume knob is hand-crafted from moose horn – should it have been called the salmon moose?

See versoul.com for more info.