Pinoy guitar maker Jonathan Dela Cruz rocks

In the world of guitar making, while Inang Bayan boasts many commendable craftsmen in Cebu and Pampanga, it is the rare Pinoy who deserves to be called a genius. The appellation "genius" is never given lightly. In the world of classical music, it is reserved for the likes of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin. In jazz, the likes of Bird, Coltrane and Miles may be referred to as geniuses. In pop music, it is used only for timeless icons on a par with Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones or Aretha Franklin. Guitar maker Jonathan Dela Cruz is -- by any measure -- a genius.

Of the many local luthiers and craftsmen we have, Jon is the one most likely to give even top foreign luthiers pause. Even top dogs like Paul Reed Smith or Ken Parker might take a step back upon perusal of a Jon Dela Cruz guitar. The most trivial evidence of his genius is his ability to craft products every bit the equal of drool-worthy and insanely expensive boutique brands like Baker or Suhr. More than a few customers have asked Jon Dela Cruz to craft instruments inspired by coveted brands such as Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP, PRS, or Music Man. Brands such as these, as any halfway experienced guitarist will tell you, are the current creme Dela creme of the guitar crop. And as any working musician will tell you, products such as these routinely cost a set of arms and legs of several people. Many top professional Pinoy musikos who have asked Jon Dela Cruz to craft instruments inspired by name brands are satisfied customers. In fact, more than mere customers, many pro musicians are now loyal users of the Dela Cruz guitar. Bass virtuoso Karel Honasan is one of them. He tells GMA News Online that although his instrument collection includes world-renowned brands like Fodera and Fender, his Dela Cruz-made bass guitar is now one of his mainstay instruments. Guitars and basses crafted by Dela Cruz are made with wood and hardware selected by customers themselves and ordered from credible sources like Luthier's Mercantile and Stewart Macdonald's. Where the cost of comparable foreign instruments is heartbreakingly prohibitive, the painstakingly handcrafted Dela Cruz guitar is, while pricier than the guitar-shaped furniture sold by other local makers, more within the reach of the working professional in this country. The crux of the matter is this -- Dela Cruz guitars have soul. Tap a common mass-produced acoustic guitar's body, and one would hear a sound akin to that of a cardboard box. Even an untrained ear would hear a thud devoid of resonance. The sound would be dull and lifeless. Tap a Dela Cruz acoustic guitar's body and one's ear is treated to ringing harmonic overtones. As with most things in life, it's the little details that count. In the acoustic guitar, for example, much of its resonance hinges on its internal structure. The mass-produced instrument often suffers from lackluster bracing, while the Dela Cruz guitar is braced with lovingly handcrafted strips of only the finest wood. Each strip must be measured, cut and crafted according to the tightest tolerances. A difference of a millimeter or two can spell the difference between a live guitar and a dead one. Formerly branded Elegee – for "electric guitar," in a bit of low-brow wit -- Dela Cruz's guitars are now marketed under the Dela Cruz brand. Old Elegee stock may still be found at the musical instruments retail store PJC along Ortigas Avenue extension, where doubters and interested parties alike may check out the guitars for themselves and decide on the veracity of this musician's praise. Hyperbolic though it may seem, I daresay the praise is well-deserved, based on personal experience. I once played a gig with a Dela Cruz-made jazz archtop custom-made for a friend. Where I usually sound like a retarded idiot onstage, I sounded merely like an idiot that night. Facetiousness aside, I played way over my head that night. My hands executed more than what they're usually capable of. As all other things -- hands, mindset, and outfit -- were equal that night, credit must go to the guitar used. What makes the Dela Cruz guitar special are the passion and painstaking attention to detail put into each element of guitar craft. Each piece -- frets, neck, body, pick-up and hardware -- all combine to produce a synergetic whole equal to more than the sum of its parts. Stacked up against venerated foreign brands, the Dela Cruz guitar more than holds its own. It's a Ferrari among a sea of Toyotas. While the latter certainly makes a great car, which one would you rather drive? – YA, GMA News Jonathan Dela Cruz may be reached through his Facebook page. His shop is located on Old Sta Mesa Street, behind SM Sta. Mesa.