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 made him considered one of the top luthiers in the world. Yong has gained international recognition and has been invited to exhibit his instruments at several international conventions.
Biography
Yong started as a guitar instructor and examiner in 1976. His love of arts and music led to building his first maiden guitar in 1985 from a DIY kit. Yong 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.
As an artisan who was reluctant to remain just another guitar luthier, Yong continued to innovate and find his niche. Yong has constantly pushed himself to acquire other forms of knowledge and experiences, leading to his extensive knowledge of 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. Others in this category were notable luthiers like Erwin Somogyi.
Yong'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.
Types of Non-Traditional Woods
Malaysian Blackwood
- Jeffrey's extensive knowledge of woods has led to the introduction of the Malaysian Blackwood in international waters during the 1998 GAL convention in Tacoma, Washington, USA. Since its inception, the popularity of Malaysian Blackwood has grown tremendously. The Malaysian Blackwood carries many desirable qualities for musical instruments. Today, Malaysia Blackwood has established its position firmly at premium tonewoods in the musical instruments-making industry.
Monkeypod Wood (Samanea saman or Rain Tree)
- 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 heard and felt during an acoustic guitar blind-test listening session. This non-conventional build has triumphed over the other acoustic guitars in the session. The tonal characteristic was unique and impressionable to everyone present. Eventually, the audience unanimously regarded the Monkeypod guitar as the one that possessed the most desired tonal characteristics.
- While using Monkeypod wood to build guitars 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 never stopped growing since.
Guitar Models
All instruments built in Jeffrey's workshop are made 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 is influenced by Martin's X-scalloped braces patterns, Torres Fan bracing and the Smallman Lattice bracing.
Steel String Guitars
JJ (Jeffrey Jumbo) Guitar
The body shape is a cross between a Jumbo and a Classical Guitar.
OM Guitar
Seismic Guitarat
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
Sound hole, back, and bottom strap buttons are appointed unevenly representative of a seismic shift.
To get a chime 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 design (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 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.
Sound port to bring the in-body sound closer to the player.
Thumb Scallop helps the player utilize the over-the-thumb technique with ease.
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&
External links
The Official Jeffrey Yong Guitars Website
The Official Shun Ng Website
Living people
1957 births
Malaysian luthiers
People from Kuala Lumpur