Custom Boards Finland

Koti
Suomi
Helsinki
Custom Boards Finland

Kimmo Aroluoma
Consultant & rig builder for electric music gear | Roadie | Event freelance worker | Author

Give us a week and we’ll make you
the pedalboard of your dreams! –
Teemme sinulle unelmiesi pedaalilaudan viikossa!

24/11/2025

Ellinoora’s 4ever concert in Tampere last Saturday was an experience on many levels. First, there is the technical side:

The week before, I had serviced guitarist Samuli Sirviö’s pedalboard and added two new effects to it. We swapped the Mad Professor Simble for its new version, and replaced the old octaver with Mad Professor’s Snow White Auto Wah.

Samuli’s playing relies not only on excellent rhythm work but also heavily on long, echoed soundscapes that blend seamlessly with the synthesizers. The Simble is his main lead pedal, and with the Whammy we heard soaring octave-up solos. I also paid close attention to the acoustic segment of the show and the guitar’s natural tone — full credit to the technical crew for that. Samuli is one of the few younger-generation musicians who still play traditional tube amps. Some of his influences come from the ’90s, yet as a musician, producer and composer he’s remarkably in tune with the present.

The concert held its energy throughout the entire two hours. On my way home I realised, to my surprise, that all the songs that really struck me were from the new album ”Melankolisten laulujen klubi”. The show’s dramatic arc and visuals were meticulously crafted, while the on-stage banter was delightfully loose and improvised. Bonus points for the fact that the corridors were selling my favourite Hartwall vichy — served, in the spirit of the evening, in a pink cup. I enjoyed myself so much I didn’t get up from my seat once. Possibly the most impressive arena concert I’ve seen — if not ever, then at least in recent memory.

05/11/2025

What a night at Helsinki’s G Livelab!

Pekko Käppi played to a packed house, and the band sounded absolutely fantastic — with the ever-reliable Kimmo Antikainen behind the mixing console.

Pekko has been a long-time and trusted client of mine, and recently I also had the chance to collaborate with guitarist Tommi Laine when we shaped his sound. You can see his new pedalboard in pic 2.

It had been a while since I last saw Pekko live, and what an experience it was! Pekko is a magnetic frontman, the band is top-notch, and their compositions filled the room with a near-shamanistic energy.

After a few exhausting weeks, I’m so glad I went — feeling inspired, enlightened, and surprisingly rested ☺️

03/11/2025

On Wednesday, November 5th at 17:00, we’ll gather at Suomalainen Kirjakauppa on Aleksanterinkatu for a special Music Book Evening to talk about the creative process and the meaning of music books, as well the artistry and talent behind them.

Joining me are authors Timo Kalevi Forss and Timo Isoaho, with our editor – and author himself – Jarkko Jokelainen leading the discussion.

Like Kustannus’s autumn lineup of music books has certainly been on point.

Just six days after the release of my own HIM-focused book “Viimeinen kiertue” (The Last Tour), the band’s frontman Ville Valo received the Suomi Award for his contributions to Finnish culture. Meanwhile, Children of Bodom members will reunite for a couple of shows at Tavastia Club in February 2026, and Eppu Normaali have announced their farewell tour.

Who would’ve thought! So, there’ll be plenty to talk about. 😊

For me, this will be the final promo event for “Viimeinen kiertue”, so now’s the perfect time to come say hi, share your thoughts, and chat about pretty much everything.

📍 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Aleksanterinkatu, Helsinki�🕕 Wednesday, November 5th – starting at 17:00

01/11/2025

About a week ago, I sat down with Pekka Laine at Levykauppa Äxä to talk about my then brand-new book – exactly one week after its release. The atmosphere was electric, thanks to the themes the media had already brought to light, yet together we managed to create a coherent, even profound moment.

I recorded the conversation on a whim. Later, when I watched the footage – and after everyone involved gave their blessing – I realized this one-hour, unedited discussion deserves another round.

As a journalist, Pekka is among the very best in Finland: his questions and observations are perceptive and insightful, and I think I, too, managed to bring out new shades and themes in myself and the book that I hadn’t realized before.

So yes – I dare to recommend it. You’ll find to the whole video from ”Viimeinen kiertue” - landing page. Link in bio.

30/10/2025

Long time no see.

Prepping for today’s sessions, I’m cleaning, adjusting and changing strings on a few of Linde’s guitars and realized that this very same instrument was his main axe for the last seven years in HIM.

I’ve written quite a lot about this guitar — its issues and wear — but it’s still going strong! This instrument has seen loads of torture but also a lot of care, and has literally been all over the world.

Originally bought in San Francisco and prepped for us by Gary Brawer, it sings even better than I remembered.

This guitar is definitely on its way to becoming one of the classic instruments in Finnish rock music history.

29/10/2025

In Radio Helsinki’s ”Kuusikielinen taivas” (Six-String Heaven), Mare Nordenstreng’s guests are Mikko “Linde” Lindström and his longtime guitar tech Kimmo Aroluoma, whose book ”Viimeinen kiertue” (The Last Tour) offers an insightful deep dive into Linde’s and the entire HIM band’s journey — from the stairwells of the Munkkiniemi youth center demo studio to the top of the U.S. charts — not forgetting the six-string master’s favorite fuzz pedals.

On air Thursday, October 30th at 20:00. Link in bio.

28/10/2025

Back on HIM’s 2010 tour we filmed a Rig Rundown–style video together with Dunlop, one of the band’s main partners at the time. The video was shot on April 20th in San Francisco, on stage at the Regency Center Grand Ballroom, right after soundcheck.

The film crew was running late, so there really wasn’t much time left to shoot. We got it done, though, and Dunlop released the video on their YouTube channel.

At some point later, Dunlop revamped their site, and since YouTube changed it’s policies and the video included HIM’s then-new song “Heartkiller”, it couldn’t be monetized anymore. The video was hidden, and I didn’t see it for years.

While writing my book ”Viimeinen kiertue”, I dug it up from the depths of the internet, knowing it would bring back memories that would help with the writing process.

So here it is — the video at last. I’ve edited out “Heartkiller” from the beginning, hoping it can stay up for a while this time.

For a young and enthusiastic guitar tech, getting to make a video like that was, of course, a huge honor. It’s both funny and touching to see my younger, nervous self, excitedly talking about gear at what was then the peak of my career. Mige and Linde, on the other hand, are relaxed and natural — by that point, they already had a decade of media experience behind them.

In its own small way, this too is a piece of Finnish music export history. Hope you enjoy it.

More on the same topic — twice over — coming this Thursday.

27/10/2025

Back at the office and doing what I love the most. This morning I have been preparing a pedalboard for our Thursday’s masterclass with at

It’s gonna be epic, for sure 🤗

26/10/2025

The Helsinki Book Fair continues today. I was there on Thursday and again yesterday, on Saturday. The event will no doubt keep its place as the largest literary fair in the Nordic countries – there was a lot of people! So much so, in fact, that the “quiet room” reserved for speakers turned out to be worth its weight in gold 🙂

I discussed my book with Lari Mäkelä on the Esplanadi stage. The organizers didn’t record the program on that stage, so I went a bit guerrilla-style and filmed our session myself. I’ve edited a short clip, where we go through the main themes of the book. Damping down the background noise was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to bring out our voices well enough that you can hopefully make sense of it.

Helsingin Kirjamessut Like Army

18/10/2025

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who attended the book release party last Tuesday at , and especially to my fellow speakers – and

I felt the atmosphere was open and kind. Dozens of familiar, smiling faces I would have loved to talk with longer – but hopefully, there will still be a chance to continue the discussions at another time and in another place.

Given the difficult themes of the book, I honestly didn’t even want to hold a launch event, but Jenni encouraged me – and indeed, meeting people and interacting with them remains a truly wonderful experience. The event took place a day before the release, which in hindsight was an excellent choice, as under the shadow of the next day’s clickbait headlines, the spirit of the evening would undoubtedly have been very different.

A special thank-you to for his closing words and for the reassurance that I wasn’t alone with my thoughts on HIM’s enormous influence on 1990s Helsinki.

The debate continues, come to tell your thoughts at the following events:

22.10 Levykauppa Äx, Freda, klo 17.00 — with Pekka Laine

23.10 Kirjamessut, Esplanadi-lava, klo 18.30 — with Lari Mäkelä

5.11 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Aleksanterinkatu, klo 17.00 — with Jarkko Jokelainen, Timo Kalevi Forss and Timo Isoaho

Photos by Miika Storm. Check the links in bio

17/10/2025

“Oh, THE Pekka Laine!” exclaimed the woman author sitting next to me at the presentation training session for the Helsinki Book Fair, when she asked about the narrator of my audiobook.

Yes — I’m just as impressed myself by Pekka’s journalistic touch, his voice, and his extensive knowledge of music.

Pekka and I have met a few times and exchanged messages, but we’ve never before been granted the right moment to sit down for a proper conversation. Now, that opportunity has finally arrived.

Next Wednesday, October 22nd, Pekka and I will discuss my new book at the Freda branch of Levykauppa Äx. The debate kicks off at 17.00. Space is limited, so come early to linger among the record shelves. The book, I believe, will also be available there.

13/10/2025

Viimeinen kiertue – Electronic Press Kit Pt. 2/2

Book is released on 15th of October.

Come to say hi at the following events:

14.10 Bar Loose, Annankatu, klo 17.00 — book release party with Tellervo Kraft and Jussi Ahlroth

22.10 Levykauppa Äx, Freda, klo 17.00 — with Pekka Laine

23.10 Kirjamessut, Esplanadi-lava, klo 18.30 — with Lari Mäkelä

5.11 Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, Aleksanterinkatu, klo 17.00 — with Jarkko Jokelainen, Timo Kalevi Forss and Timo Isoaho

Check the links in bio

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