Photo credit: Bjornulf Vik / IORR-org.

Ronnie ordered his second Raya 6 Baritone from The Rolling Stones' Big Bang Tour in October 2005. In April 2006 Ronnie bought a Raya 12 Baritone and in the Spring of 2007, Ronnie got his hands on Raya Blue Lite, which he used on the Stones’ Bigger Bang Tour, summer 2007.

Versouls are now part of the machinery of the guitarist of the band that defined Rock´n´Roll as we know it.

Immediately after he ordered two more Raya Blue Light guitars with custom features: chambered bodies with extra bindings and purflings and necks completely covered with gold leaf.

Billy named his model the Versoul Raya Billy F Gibbons Blue Light Special. In summer 2009 Billy ordered a Baritone 6 string version of Raya Billy F. Gibbons Blue Light Special model with a vibrato bar. During ZZ Top's visit to Finland in July 2010, Billy bought his fifth Blue Light guitar, which he christened the Versoul Blue Raya Black Beauty.

To every guitar player in the world, Kenny Burrell´s accomplishments are humbling reading: Starting in 1951, he was featured on recordings in the company of a pantheon of immortal jazz legends: Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Gil Evans, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Smith, Milt Jackson, etc.
Since 1956, there have been more than seventy Kenny Burrell albums, and he’s still going strong. Check out the July 2003 CD release Blue Muse on Concord Jazz.

Legendary Fusion Jazz guitarist bought a Raya 6 Baritone guitar in September 2000.

''What I loved about this guitar when I was first given it is that it makes me want to play - it is got an incredible bell-like quality that makes me sound like a much better player than I actually am.
''And there is something about the quality of the sound that makes me discover more and more the chords and progressions and things I was previously unaware of. It just made me want to play a lot more than I used to. That is the sign of a good guitar.''
--Roger Daltrey

Words of Amancio Prada, famous Spanish guitarist, singer and composer. Prada has released over 20 solo discs during his long career. He is a proud owner of Versoul´s Touco Classical Guitar.
http://www.amancioprada.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2lDAjfKgFk

http://www.mikelandau.com

He improvises with real-time sound processing, creating emotional music and astonishing textures with the electric guitar, human voice or several odd instruments including theremin and glassharp. His unique approach and aesthetics are essential on his solo albums and have enriched the sound of many jazz combos, rock groups, chamber ensembles and big bands. He has performed in 30 countries and is featured on over 100 albums. ''For me music is about love, interaction, adventure, being curious and making choices. As abstract as it may seem music affects us and brings us joy, relief and sense of intuition, our primitive subconsciousness. It's my pleasure and responsibility as an artist is to dig in deeper and reach higher, no matter how difficult or dangerous it seems. I want to think of myself as poet, painter, laboratorian, explorer or medizine man. A craftsman with one foot jammed in soil and the other in outer space.'' (Jarmo Saari)

Esa and Versoul go way back. In fact, he and his band, Honey B & T-Bones, have used guitars and basses made by Kari Nieminen since the mid ´80’s! In January 1995, when the actual Versoul company was established, Esa joined Kari in his very first trade fair trip to NAMM Show in Anaheim, California as demonstration guitarist and assistant. ”Versoul inspires me. I have always loved the fact that Kari is capable of combining aesthetics and ergonomics in a masterful way.

The instrument is the first production acoustic baritone 12-string and has been custom made to Lauri.
Lauri and his band the Ankermen have made two acclaimed albums and play gigs around Finland. He also hosts a radio show about the history of the blues and has lectured about the blues.

"The sound of the 12-string baritone seems to come right out of my soul. Magical overtones and endless sustain. After I played the prototype I could not eat or sleep before I ordered one custom made for myself. A truly superb instrument. Thank you Kari!"