Cebu Guitars: A real Cebu Pride

CEBU, Philippines - Aside from white sand beaches, great tasting lechon and being an old city, Cebu is known for its world-class guitars. Cebu guitars have been used at top performance venues the world over. At times, especially in the case of the modern-shaped versions, it is hard to believe that these guitars were crafted by ordinary folks that come from a whole generational line of guitar makers.

It was the Spaniards that introduced the guitar to the Cebuanos. This particular musical instrument was probably the thing that initially encouraged the musical penchant of the local people. There was a time when two in five Filipino households owned a guitar.

Perhaps the popular appeal of the guitar came about from the people’s discovery that the sound of the instrument lifted up their spirits and playing it was good diversion. The demand for guitars probably grew, hence the start of the guitar-making activities in the communities. The guitar-makers in certain districts of Opon (or Mactan) rose to prominence in their craft.

Up until recently, playing the guitar was as popular a pastime among local youths as playing basketball today. Even when there was hardly any organized training offered for playing the guitar, people learned the skill. A good guitarist was always the star in gatherings, big or small.

The word “guitar” comes from the Greek “kithara.” It is a preferred musical instrument because it is easy to carry around and yet can give such stirring sound, depending on the skill of the guitarist. The guitar is also convenient accompaniment to singing, as in the case of the “harana,” the Filipino tradition of cooing a beloved by way of songs.

Guitar-making in Mactan  was formally started by the Malingin family, around 1955.  Sisters Lilang, Susing, and Celia thought of making guitars eyeing on the personnel at the then Mactan Airforce base as the main target costumers. In time, Lilang’s Guitar became famous among other customers, both local and foreign. It was even said that, at some point, they were supplying guitars to famous musical instrument brands in Japan and the US.

Cebu guitars have become a favorite even in western countries, whose own native guitars are made of maple or cherry wood. Cebu guitar-makers use narra and kamagong, both hardwoods. Narra and kamagong woods can withstand temperature changes and do not easily crack, in climates colder than the Philippines’.  Some people claim that these woods “give” a better sound.

Even as guitar-making has since grown into an industry in Mactan, the process has remained tediously meticulous and mainly manual. The light machineries being used are only in support to the creative imagination and expert hands of the guitar-makers. It can be said that, effectively, each Cebu guitar is custom-built.

For example, the sounding board or the guitar body is cut from a pattern drawn on the plywood. Afterwards, the two curved sidings are held together by yet a third curved piece. The whole piece is glued, held together with the use of nylon strings to keep everything in place until the glue hardens. The piece is then varnished, to give the wood some shine and protection.

Considering the kind of keen attention, hard work and skill that go into each piece, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Cebu Guitar bespeaks the devotion and passion of the Cebu craftsmen. And it is not an overstatement, either, to call these musical instruments as a real Cebu pride.