Cebu guitar-makers are famous in the Philippines.  They make lots of cheap guitars that can be purchased all over the country for as cheap as $15.  They also make fine classical guitars that sell for $200 to $500.  I was not impressed with the steel string guitars.  The guitar-makers in Cebu disdain all machines.  To use a band saw to cut a piece of wood would defile the tradition.  Everything is done by hand.

The guitar-makers' methods actually look rather crude.  I did not observe any of the many guitar workshops I visited using rulers, calipers or any other instrument to measure.  They did not even use clamps.

Every guitar made in Cebu is unique.  At the Lilang factory, one of the biggest and oldest, they display all the component parts on the wall.  You can select your own design.  Here they are displaying the different bracing systems which each yield a different sound.

Here is a top of the line $500 guitar being finished.  Women do all the finishing work.  Note the beautiful laminations in the neck and the intricate inlay work on the rosette.  I do not play classical guitar, so I could not really assess the quality.  I wished my father-in-law who is an accomplished classical guitar player could have accompanied me in my tour.