Jeffrey Yong

Jeffrey Yong (born 29 November 1958) is a Malaysian Luthier best known for his use of local Malaysian wood, such as monkeypod, rengas, mango, rambutan and Malaysian blackwood. The use of non-traditional wood to build musical instruments has not only placed Jeffrey Yong guitars (JY Guitars) in international markets but also as one of the top luthiers in the world. Jeffrey has gained international recognition and has been invited to exhibit his instruments in several international conventions.

Jeffrey Yong JJ "Seismic" 2011

Jeffrey Yong
Jeffrey Yong playing at The Seismic
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Yong
Born (1958-11-29) 29 November 1958
Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia
Occupation(s)Luthier
InstrumentsGuitar, harpguitar, ukulele, sapelele, bass guitar
Years active1985–present
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

Jeffrey Yong started out as a guitar instructor and examiner in 1976. Nonetheless, Jeffrey's love to arts and music led to the building of his first maiden guitar in 1985 from a DIY kit. Jeffrey also traveled abroad to further improve his guitar-making skills. However, it all started when he was questioned by a local overseas luthier why he was sourcing material from overseas when Malaysia exports good quality wood. This conversation inspired him to look into non-traditional wood as building materials for musical instruments. Since then it has led to a chain of events.

As an artisan who was reluctant to remain just another guitar-luthier, Jeffrey continued to innovate and find his niche. Jeffrey has constantly pushed himself to acquire other forms of knowledge and experiences which has led to his extensive knowledge in wood especially those in tropical regions.

He founded the Guitar Institute Malaysia (GIM) in 1993 specializing in teaching various genres of guitar playing and guitar construction. He has also taught at the Luthier School International in California. His skill in luthiery has been mostly self-taught. In 2006, his full monkeypod OM Guitar won the Blind Listening Test at the Guild of American Luthier's convention as the best sounding guitar in terms of tonality, timbre and sustain. With two of his guitars in the top three. Other's in this category were notable luthiers like, Erwin Somogyi.

Jeffrey's guitars have been exhibited at Healdsburg Guitar Festival, Shanghai Music Festival, and Montreal Guitar Show. At the Montreal Guitar Show 2011, He premiered his JJ Blackie as well as his innovation "Seismic" a JJ shaped 10-string, (as shown in the picture above) which was featured by Premier Guitar Magazine.

List of Achievements
Year Conventions & Festivals Place Achievements
1993 Guitar Institute Malaysia (GIM) Malaysia - Founder
1998 Guild of American Luthier's (GAL) Convention Tacoma, Washington, USA - Introduction of Malaysian Blackwood internationally
2006 Guild of American Luthier's (GAL) Convention [1] Tacoma, Washington, USA - Introduction of Monkeypod wood (Samanea saman or Rain Tree)

- OM Guitar won the Blind Listening Test - Best sounding guitar in terms of tonality, timbre and sustain

2011 Montreal Guitar Show [2] - JJ Blackie & Seismic was featured by Premier Guitar Magazine
2012 Kirov Moscow International Guitar Making[3] Moscow, Russia - Classical Guitar Tioman III won first prize
2012 Sound Messe Osaka [4] Osaka, Japan
2013 Malaysian International Guitar Festival (MIGFEST) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2013 Healdsburg Guitar Festival [5] - Featured on Guitar Player Editor
2013 Tokyo Handcrafted Guitar Show Tokyo, Japan
2014 Malaysian International Guitar Festival (MIGFEST) [6] Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2014 Guild of American Luthier's (GAL) Convention [7] Tacoma, Washington, USA
2015 Osaka Music Festival Osaka, Japan
2016 Shanghai Music Festival Shanghai, China
Articles
Year Media Title
2009 The Star Newspaper Jeffrey Yong promises to teach how to make a guitar in two weeks
2012 The Straits Times Newspaper Strum a Mango
2014 The Star Newspaper Guitar Gods of A Different Sort
2016 Create with Malaysia A Luthier's Song
2017 Sin Chiew Newspaper Making Musical Instrument with Non-Traditional Wood

Types of Non-Traditional Woods

Malaysian Blackwood

- Jeffrey's extensive knowledge in woods has led to the introduction of the Malaysian Blackwood in international waters during the 1998 GAL convention in Tacoma, Washington, USA. Since the inception, the popularity of Malaysian Blackwood has grown tremendously. The Malaysian Blackwood carries many premium qualities for musical instruments making that are unparalleled. Today, the Malaysia Blackwood has established it position firmly at the level of premium tonewoods in the musical instruments making industry.

Monkeypod Wood (Samanea saman or Rain Tree)[8]

- Formally known as Albizia saman and previously only used for aesthetic purposes, monkeypod was pioneered as a tonewood by Jeffrey Yong and has recently been applied by other luthiers such as Bamburg guitars.

- Up to 99% of this guitar was built using hardwoods. Its presence at the 2006 GAL convention was evidently heard and felt during an acoustic guitar blind-test listening session. This non-conventional built has triumphed over the other acoustic guitars in the session. The tonal characteristic was unique and impressionable to everyone who was present. Eventually the audience has unanimously regarded the Monkeypod guitar as the one that possessed the most desired tonal characteristics.

- While using Monkeypod wood to build guitar is not new but it has never been regarded as a premium tonewood in the musical instruments making industry. The showdown in 2006's GAL convention has certainly illuminated its profile. The popularity of this unique wood has been never stopped growing since.

Guitar Models

All instruments build in Jeffrey's workshop are by hand excluding the regular hardware and electronic parts that are pre-purchased and installed. Jeffrey's guitars are made with 99 percent local woods, the remaining 1 percent accounts for the maple veneer used in the bindings. Monkeypod wood is used as a standard for all Jeffrey Yong guitars. The braces designs and layout are influenced by the Martin's X-scalloped braces patterns, Torres Fan bracing and the Smallman Lattice bracing.

Monkeypod wood from Jeffrey Jumbo

Steel String Guitars

  • JJ (Jeffrey Jumbo) Guitar
    • Body shape is a cross between a Jumbo and a Classical Guitar.
  • OM Guitar
  • Seismic Guitar [9]
    • 10-String Acoustic Guitar.
    • Presented it in Montreal Guitar Show in 2011.
    • Influenced by the tragic March 2011 earthquake in Japan.
    • Body - Monkeypod
    • Fretboard and bridge - Blackwood
    • Headstock - half-slotted, half-pegged design
    • Soundhole, back, and bottom strap button are appointed unevenly representative of a seismic shift.
    • To get a chimey sound, its D and G strings have octave pairs, and the B and high E have unison strings.

Classical Guitars

  • Tioman I (Nylon String)
    • Torres bracing and body design
  • Tioman II (Nylon String)
    • Torres body shape with modified lattice bracing
  • Tioman III (Nylon String)
    • Khono design body shape (larger body) with modified lattice bracing

JJ (Jeffrey Jumbo)

The JJ is a hybrid of a classical guitar and a jumbo, it has uses a scallop "x" bracing, and a unique bridge which offers more mass than the conventional bridge.

Other interesting features are:

  • Cutaway bevel offers more excess to higher frets without sacrificing air mass in the body.
  • Soundport to bring the in-body sound closer to the player.
  • Thumb Scallop helps the player utilise the over the thumb technique with ease.[10]

List of Artists

Don Alder

Farid Ali

Kent Nishimura

Hiroshi Masuda

Shun Ng

Wayan Balawan

Dan LaVoie

Okapi

References

2. https://web.archive.org/web/20120120222403/http://www.alliedlutherie.com/weekly4.htm
3. http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2011/Sep/Masterpieces_From_Montreal_Montreal_Guitar_Show_2011.aspx?Page=4
4. http://www.shunng.com
5. http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/7/29/central/4318755&sec=central
6. http://www.vintageandrare.com/builder/Jeffrey-Yong-Guitars-508
7. http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2011/Jul/GALLERY_Montreal_Guitar_Show_2011.aspx?Page=17&

  1. "2006 GAL Convention - Exhibition". www.luth.org. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. "Masterpieces From Montreal: Montreal Guitar Show 2011". Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. "Jeffrey Yong Guitars". Jeffrey Yong Guitars. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. "Guitaring Passionately". cadam7777777.blogspot.my. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. GuitarPlayerEditors (20 August 2013), Jeffrey Yong at the 2013 Healdsburg Guitar Festival (with Barry Cleveland), retrieved 13 January 2018
  6. "Malaysian International Guitar Festival - MIGFEST 2014 - Classical Guitar Asia". Classical Guitar Asia. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  7. "Untitled Document". www.luth.org. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  8. "Jeffrey Yong Guitars". Jeffrey Yong Guitars. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. "Masterpieces From Montreal: Montreal Guitar Show 2011". Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  10. "Yong the master guitar man | Malay Mail Online". Mmail.com.my. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
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