Custom Building My Own Acoustic, The Jeffrey Yong Experience!

Shun · #1 04-29-2010, 12:07 PM

Hi everyone! Im recently attended a guitar making course under Master Luthier Jeffrey Yong, I'm sure many of you have heard of him. I'd like to share with my fellow musicians and acoustic lovers my exhilarating experience!

Building the Guitar
In about 5 days I had completed my entire guitar body (gluing, bracing, binding etc.) and very soon it was ready for spraying! I was so surprised at the speed and quality at which my instrument was coming to life in. Jeff was extremely helpful and accommodating. He was not at all selfish is sharing everything he knew with me and answered all my questions, no trade secrets. Although I'm more of a player searching for his perfect instrument, He was so sincere in teaching luthiery.

Monkeypod
At first I was really skeptical about this wood, what does it sound like? can it be used as a soundboard wood? But after Jeff took me up to his showroom and let me try his Monkeypod guitar, all my questions were immediately answered. It was the most harmonically rich sounding guitar I've ever heard in my life. Granted, it wasn't loud, nor bright. But WOW. what a rich sound! it sounded like the guitar had been dipped into a rainbow of sweet overtones. And I choose richness over volume any day. Not to mention it is one of the most beautiful looking woods ever. If you look closely at the grain, it looks as if there is gold dust embedded in it. Amazing! Funny thing is, Jeff demonstrated to me on a piece of monkeypod soundboard that it had no 'tap-tone' but after he slowly braced it and tuned the top, its resonance began to emerge. It was amazing. Jeffrey is a master craftsman that has a true understanding of acoustical sciences and on top of that, he's an artist. Every guitar he makes is like a piece of art, from cosmetics to tone and playability.

I strongly recommend to anyone and everyone who has the money to go for this experience! You wont regret it! Just email him! He's a great guy! And his course is so reasonably priced! And honestly, you can't put a price on the things that you will learn from him and on the instrument that you will be getting out from it. Hope you've found this post useful! If you have any enquires just PM me!

Here are two pictures from the experience!

Shun

tkuane · #2 04-29-2010, 12:54 PM

Congratulations on completing your own guitar!

I've visited Jeffrey Yong at his shop (and played his monkeypod guitar too) so I can imagine what you've experienced! I'm planning to one day take the same course too. Wow, and you're from Singapore as well. I respect your dedication, man!

Congratulations again, I'm really envious!

acousticjazz · #3 04-29-2010, 04:00 PM

Beautiful guitar! 5 days seems like a really short period of time, do you mind telling us a little more about the process? Thanks in advance, you look pretty happy in those pictures btw

hnuuhiwa · #4 04-29-2010, 04:07 PM

Congrats Shun...I saw your picture and the post of your 5 day completion on the OLF. I believe it was Jeff who posted it there. Great Job

Kent Chasson · #5 04-29-2010, 06:17 PM

That's gorgeous. Nice work.

I can't figure out what is stacked on the top shelf behind you. One piece necks with just the peghead roughed out?

Martin_Nut · #6 04-29-2010, 06:39 PM

Wow - that's a very pretty looking piece of work, indeed. Congrats!

gregg · #7 04-29-2010, 07:03 PM

Quote:

I can't figure out what is stacked on the top shelf behind you. One piece necks with just the peghead roughed out?

Why did you do that Kent, I've been staring at those things trying to figure out what they are....there doesn't seem to be enough angle cut into them to be rough-cut headstocks...Don't know, I give!

Greg

hnuuhiwa · #8 04-29-2010, 08:27 PM

Greg/Kent - maybe this is what they are...I think he calls it the Sapelele, according to his site.....

hnuuhiwa · #9 04-29-2010, 08:35 PM

Here's a few more pics I found...

Supposed to be "a conceptual musical instrument developed around the shape of the traditional sape of Sarawak," Yong said, "but fused with the other world famous instrument, the ukelele."

Kent Chasson · #10 04-30-2010, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hnuuhiwa

Greg/Kent - maybe this is what they are...I think he calls it the Sapelele, according to his site.....

Ah, that makes more sense. Thanks. And Greg thanks you too!

UTW · #11 06-10-2011, 09:44 PM

Yes, many people learned building from him but none of them are able to make a guitar....

I bought guitar from him (us$xxxx), he is irresponsible person, the neck , fingerboard and body is not lined up on the centre line a lot. his workshop is completely opened without any temperture or humidity control, so called martime climate mother nature control, my guitar top cracked after 18 months, asking for rebuilt but no reply.... totally irresponsible and shameless !!

Shun · #12 06-15-2011, 12:05 AM

Yes, many people learned building from him but none of them are able to make a guitar....

I bought guitar from him (us$xxxx), he is irresponsible person, the neck , fingerboard and body is not lined up on the centre line a lot. his workshop is completely opened without any temperture or humidity control, so called martime climate mother nature control, my guitar top cracked after 18 months, asking for rebuilt but no reply.... totally irresponsible and shameless !!

Please ignore this post. I'm a personal friend of Jeff's, and I know for a fact, he would never not reply IF anything was spoilt. All this humidity/temperature control is complete nonsense. The monkeypod wood is from malaysia itself and therefore is already in its home conditions. These are extremely strong trees, they go through thunderstorms and extreme heat.
And by the way, Every single person who has gone to his building course goes home with a guitar. It is a crash course in guitar making. If you want to be a luthier, there is a much longer road. No shortcuts. And jeff has travelled that long road.

WhistlingFish · #13 06-15-2011, 12:39 AM

Shun, congratulations on completing your guitar!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shun

All this humidity/temperature control is complete nonsense. The monkeypod wood is from malaysia itself and therefore is already in its home conditions. These are extremely strong trees, they go through thunderstorms and extreme heat.

With respect, and to neither support nor contradict the post you're responding to, your statement makes little sense. All wood species react to humidity changes to a greater or lesser degree whether the products made from it live at home or abroad. The fact that Malaysia experiences high RH throughout the year is immaterial - it's the degree to which humidity fluctuates and the resulting dimensional changes in the instrument that are the enemy.

heavyg · #14 06-15-2011, 01:05 AM

something don't seem kosher here monkeypod? 5 days? yikes!! monkeybusiness?

cadam5150 · #15 06-15-2011, 04:09 AM

With every blue moon rises, we get to read some posting that amazes most readers ... tinted with unverified claims, emotionally charged allegations, incoherent statements ... contradictions and more ...

Inevitably, such postings diminish the spirit of any well-meaning threads in this forum. It further confounds me regarding the underlying agenda harbored by the author of these postings.

For any fire to exist, there must be sparks...

I hope to see less of such derogatory posting.