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Synopsis :

Cebu Province in the Philippines is well-known for its hand-crafted guitars. Local and foreign tourists come here to purchase these instruments. In this programme, we visit the Alegre Guitar Factory in Cebu and meet its Proprietor Fernando Alegre who is also President of the Guitar Foundation of the Philippines. He tells us about the different types of wood like cedar, spruce, daniela, palisander and rosewood that are used in making guitars. Softwood is suitable for the soundboard and hardwood for the back of the guitar. Also, the various steps involved in making these instruments and why  the guitar industry in Cebu is often a family business that runs through generations. We learn that Fernando has five skilled workers who are good in carpentry. They were taught the art of guitar-making by their parents. He advises them on how to come up with good sound. Each worker can take up to two months to make one high-end guitar, and a week to make four to six low-end guitars. The Philippines is a guitar-making and not a guitar-producing country as the instruments here are hand-crafted and not mass-produced like those in highly industrialised countries.