Alegre Guitar Factory
Alegre Guitar Factory
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4.0
51 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
24
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
3
Bryan C
Oakville, Canada133 contributions
July 2024 • Family
Cebu, Philippines is very well known for the manufacturing of quality handmade guitars. Alegre Guitar Factory in Lapu-Lapu City is a shining example of a business enterprise that greatly contributes to that reputation. In North America, we are always looking at instruments made with woods such as mahogany, rosewood, sitka spruce, walnut, etc. However, in the Philippines, Alegre Guitars uses a large selection of exotic woods in addition to standard tone wood varieties. Mango wood for example is a soft wood, but the tonal qualities are phenomenal. Jackfruit wood is another similar example. As a guitarist, it was like walking into a candy shop surrounded by steel and nylon string guitars, ukuleles, and Philippine harp bandurrias. The real highlight behind visiting this factory came in the form of learning about the building process, various types of bracing employed, the variety of tone woods used that are not commonly known, and then hearing the finished product. For non-guitarists, there is an opportunity to learn something new, watch craftsmen apply their skill in creating a beautiful instrument, and if you're fortunate enough, hear them fill the air with some of the most incredibly rich and full sounds that may be enough to inspire you to learn how to play.
Written 13 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alan S
6 contributions
July 2016 • Solo
While Alegre has a polished feel and a large collection the quality is actually quite poor for the price. I shopped around and visited four different guitar shops/factories while on Mactan and found Jerry's Guitars just down the road. It doesn't have the same polished look to the shop but that doesn't matter, the guitars are better made and cheaper. I picked up a beautiful classical guitar for £30 which was easily worth four times as much. Alegre in my opinion is a tourist trap, the salesmen were pushy and I'm glad I didn't buy from them.
Written 21 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brasilipino
Ponta Grossa, PR317 contributions
May 2017 • Couples
Been there to buy a guitar because they are reference in Cebu. But I've found a guitar factory. They guide you through the process. it's quite interesting. The price is kinda expensive, but ppl say it's good.
Written 29 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heypaulino
Long Beach, CA10 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
My father and I got a taxi to the Alegre factory, with hopes to buy 1 or 2 high quality guitars (as heirlooms and learning instruments for me and my children, as dad is originally from cebu).
We really just wanted to know what the important differences were between the higher end models, so that we could make an informed decision (plus it's interesting). The sales man was nice (I think he worked there?) but he just did not get what we needed from him- we just want to make an informed decision, and it would have been a bonus to also have been inspired as to why what we were buying was special. Instead we were given 'here's the cost, it's made in Canada/India/locally' basic facts, so we left, uninspired (isn't guitar shopping supposed to be fun?)
Then we went to Susing's down the road, but just decided to call it a day as our disappointment got the best of us-we stood in their empty shop,feeling awkward as nobody came out, it remained completely empty.
So we're leaving Cebu without our guitars, maybe we're not really missing much if their quality is like their service!
We really just wanted to know what the important differences were between the higher end models, so that we could make an informed decision (plus it's interesting). The sales man was nice (I think he worked there?) but he just did not get what we needed from him- we just want to make an informed decision, and it would have been a bonus to also have been inspired as to why what we were buying was special. Instead we were given 'here's the cost, it's made in Canada/India/locally' basic facts, so we left, uninspired (isn't guitar shopping supposed to be fun?)
Then we went to Susing's down the road, but just decided to call it a day as our disappointment got the best of us-we stood in their empty shop,feeling awkward as nobody came out, it remained completely empty.
So we're leaving Cebu without our guitars, maybe we're not really missing much if their quality is like their service!
Written 13 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Milton W
Okanagan Valley, Canada63 contributions
Feb 2016
We went here and found the staff seemed a little bothered by our presence. The salesmen were polite but just wanted to sell you a guitar. We went down the road to 'new Susing's guitar factory' got an amazing tour and I ended up buying a beautiful spalted mango wood tenor ukulele. For a preview there's a video on YouTube by Milton Westy.
Written 3 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marvin F
26 contributions
It was nice to see a wide array of guitars.
From small to big ones. From the simple to the more intricately designed ones
But, this is not for those hunting for a cheap, quality guitar to buy.
Interesting though..
From small to big ones. From the simple to the more intricately designed ones
But, this is not for those hunting for a cheap, quality guitar to buy.
Interesting though..
Written 3 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jen MonteCarlo
Dammam, Saudi Arabia392 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
It is a great opportunity to explore Cebu's finest guitar specialist in Mactan. If you really are a music lover and fond of collecting different varieties of guitars, from Bass, Lead or just a normal guitar, this place is made for you. Seeing how this man-made instruments are made are so fascinating to see.
Written 3 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jen B
Groton, CT32 contributions
Nov 2015 • Couples
My husband and I stopped her on a guided tour of Cebu and Mactan Islands. They were very informative about the guitar making process and they have a lovely shop to sell the items they make. My husband ended up getting a mandolin for himself as a memento. They were not pushy about trying to get him to purchase something more expensive, which we appreciated.
Written 8 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kat Donsol
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam128 contributions
July 2014 • Family
The Alegre Guitar Factory is on the Lapu-Lapu island in Cebu. The shop is close by the airport and most taxi drivers know how to get there.
The Alegre Guitars are probably not made on site anymore but it seems like the souvenir guitars are produced there and sold around Cebu. The souvenirs (can't play these) are anywhere around P150 to P900.
Alegre doesn't just sell guitars, the shop sells ukulele and cocolele (made from coconuts). The guitar shop has a good selection of handmade guitars and the prices vary. We bought two ukuleles and we negotiated down the price for each ukulele from P11,000 to P8,700. Not everything can be negotiated down, it depends mostly on the starting price. If you are prepared to buy a handmade guitar, bring cash with you so you get a cash discount.
The sales at Alegre are all musicians and they make the instruments sound wonderful, once they start playing, you'll be buying! Happy shopping!
The Alegre Guitars are probably not made on site anymore but it seems like the souvenir guitars are produced there and sold around Cebu. The souvenirs (can't play these) are anywhere around P150 to P900.
Alegre doesn't just sell guitars, the shop sells ukulele and cocolele (made from coconuts). The guitar shop has a good selection of handmade guitars and the prices vary. We bought two ukuleles and we negotiated down the price for each ukulele from P11,000 to P8,700. Not everything can be negotiated down, it depends mostly on the starting price. If you are prepared to buy a handmade guitar, bring cash with you so you get a cash discount.
The sales at Alegre are all musicians and they make the instruments sound wonderful, once they start playing, you'll be buying! Happy shopping!
Written 9 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenneth Lam
Singapore, Singapore44 contributions
Dec 2018
If you ask around, hotel, taxi drivers, they will tell you that Alegre is number 1. They have a reasonable range of guitars, but we did not find anything we like in our price range. We were looking for a basic guitar with a plug-in. The cheapest was 5500 pesos. It sounded ok, but it only comes in green. The next was 13,000 pesos.
In the end, we asked our taxi driver to bring us to number 2. We bought our guitars at New Susing's.
In the end, we asked our taxi driver to bring us to number 2. We bought our guitars at New Susing's.
Written 17 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What are the hours of Alegre Guitar Factory on Sunday? I will be shopping for my guitar on the way to the airport.
Written 10 January 2020
What are the hours Alegre Guitar Factory on Sunday, January 12?
Written 10 January 2020
Hi is there available taxis or grab from alegre factory going back to airport or cebu city proper?
Written 22 January 2019
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