Cebuanos are known for their impeccable love for music which is something that is rooted deep in the island's history. They're also known around the world for their high-end guitars. The guitar making industry has been thriving on the island for decades and plays an important role in Cebu's economy.
Guitars, or gitaras as their known locally, were first introduced to the island during the Spanish Era, with their name derived from the Spanish word kitara. Spanish friars brought their kitaras with them to the Philippines. As time passed by, their stringed instruments wore out. Sending them to Mexico, their country of origin, for repairs seemed to be impractical. So, they thought of another option; they asked locals from Lapu-Lapu to repair and replicate their instruments. Savvy locals then saw this as a good opportunity to start a business and thus, started one of the oldest industries in Cebu and Lapu-Lapu City.
Today, the guitar making industry still mostly uses traditional techniques. Guitars and other stringed instruments, such as ukuleles and banjos, are not just popular locally but globally, exporting as many as 300, 000 pieces per quarter to countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and other parts of Asia. Currently, the demand for guitars and other stringed instruments in the country and abroad continues to increase, withstanding the current worldwide financial crisis.
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But what makes these stringed instruments so unique and special? Guitar enthusiasts would say its the melodious tones they produce that leads them to seek out Cebu-made guitars. But it's not only the sound quality that attracts them, it's also the intricate designs incorporated into each piece, the meticulous way the skilled luthiers make them, and the materials that are used. Mahogany, acacia, and mango wood is used for pieces that will be sold and used locally, while spruce, cedar, rosewood, and koa wood is used for pieces that are meant to be exported. Imported wood is used to ensure the guitars are able to withstand the hot and cold temperatures abroard to maintain their physical appearance.
In this feature article, we have visited popular guitar manufacturers in Lapu-Lapu City to see how these lovely musical instruments are made. Let us take you on a musical journey through the Abuno area in the Pajac district of Lapu-Lapu!
Guitar making process at The New Susing’s Guitar See the guitar making process for the first time. Feel the work of skilled craftsmen.
Anj Series Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar (solid Wood
Susing’s Guitar is a famed brand here and abroad. In addition to classic acoustic guitars and ukuleles, they also customize guitars and ukuleles according to their customers wants. A standard guitar will take a few days to create. However, the customized guitars or ukuleles will take 3-4 weeks to complete.
Guitars, ukuleles, cellos, mandolins, and other stringed instruments are all in a row inside their shop. You can buy a Susing’s guitar at the store next to the factory.
This is where the cutting of the wood takes place. They cut and shape the wood to form the necessary parts of the instrument, then they set them aside for a few days to fully dry. Once the pieces are fully dry, the assembling takes place, putting the pieces together used wood glue and applied pressure.
Meet Cebu's Most Popular Guitar Maker
When all the necessary parts are glued together, then glossing follows. This process makes the surface flawless by sanding the edges, taking away tiny unnecessary pieces, and bringing life to each piece with nitrocellulose lacquer for a natural wood finish or painting each piece with vibrantly colored painting and incorporating patterns and designs.
Alegre Guitars is one of the most prominent guitar makers for both local and foreign visitors. You'll be greeted by clean, lush, green surroundings as you enter their factory. A salesman will welcome you and provide you with insights on how guitars are made. Inside, you'll see the area where the luthiers are at work making guitars and other instruments. Just beside this area is a small souvenir shop selling hand-made products. The last part of the tour will bring you to their showroom. Guests can freely marvel at the wonderfully crafted guitars, ukuleles, cellos, banjos, and the Philippine version of the mandolin, the bandurria. Adjacent to the showroom is another room where all the high-end guitars are displayed. Guests who wish to purchase any of their products may buy them here at the factory on Pajac-Maribago Road in Lapu-Lapu City or in their shop along M.L. Quezon National Highway, also in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.The finished product, Alegre’s top of the line offering at PHP 75, 000, reveals little of its exceptional sound with its sedate styling. Photograph by Ian Castañares
In a sea of affordable, mass-produced guitars, Cebu’s handmade instruments are still sought after for their exceptional clarity of sound and playability.
Philippines Cebu Mactan Island Mactan City Guitars For Sale, Stock Photo, Picture And Rights Managed Image. Pic. Iph Ajd413654
In spite of the wideavailability of Chinese and Japanese mass-produced guitars in nearby malls and music stores, most Filipinos’ favorite pasalubong from Cebu is still an authentic handmade guitar. The Queen City of the South is well known for its prowess in producing this instrument. It rewards with a rich experience in sound, playability, and feel that doesn’t take a professional to discern.
The town of Abuno in Mactan Island welcomes visitors with a giant guitar at the mouth of the street. It is here where much of the industry has set up shop. Among them is the Alegre Guitar Factory, one of the oldest in the guitar-making town. Fernando M. Alegre, its proprietor and third-generation luthier, continues to produce and sell guitars the old-fashioned way—all handmade and sold strictly through personal transaction. “The guitar was brought into the Philippines through galleon trade, ” he notes.
“The first galleon trade was between Mexico and the Philippines. They brought the guitars because of Spain’s Christianization of the country. The priests needed accompaniment when singing gospel songs. There were no other instruments here at the time, so they brought Mexicans from Acapulco with guitars.”
Hand Painted
Being one of the most active ports in the country at the time, Tatag Maribago (just two kilometers away from Abuno) was one of the main ports of commerce. Enterprising locals soon learned the trade and set up shop nearby. It wasn’t until the recent surge in tourism that beach resorts began taking over the coastline, eventually moving the industry inland to Abuno.
Nevertheless, little has changed in the way guitars are made. Much of the wood is sourced locally while material for the soundboard and inlays are imported. The necks and headstocks are assembled from blocks of wood and sanded into shape. Bodies are made by bending strips of wood into the hourglass form or hollowed out from a single piece. Chambers and patterns are laid into the soundboard before they eventually meet with the rest of the body. They are pressed together for hours using nothing more than glue and crude vices. Holes are drilled into the neck for strings and machine heads. Grooves are cut out for the fretboard. Once all inlays are set, the two pieces are joined together. The guitar is then strung up and tested. If anything sounds amiss, it will be disassembled and repaired. Once it passes inspection, it will be coated, polished, and given the final touches. It is tested one final time and if it passes, only then does the guitar receive its tuners and label.
From left: The walls of the body are held by crude vices to keep their shape as the glue dries; The back and walls of the guitar body are secured by string and left to dry for four hours.
A Craftsman Making Guitars In Cebu, Phil...
From left: Once glued, the soundboard is secured to the body with steel rods in a special shelf; Completed bodies are hung, waiting to be coated, polished, and strung up.
In spite of the abundance of materials and workers, the stringent process only yields a dozen guitars a day. Amid proposals to sell by mail order or online, Alegre prefers customers to come to Cebu and pick one out for themselves.
“You have to play and touch it. It’s one reason we don’t sell online. There are some who really come here to have a Cebu-made guitar, especially professional guitarists, ” Alegre explains.
Ferangeli Guitar , Online Shop
“Ours have exceptional sound, action, and playability. You’ll feel everything from the finish of the body, the clearness of the sound, its playability and flow. These are the features guitarists look for.”
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