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 in several international conventions. Biography Yong started out as a guitar instructor and examiner in 1976. His love of arts and music led to the building of 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 which has led to his extensive knowledge in 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. Other's 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 in woods has led to the introduction of the Malaysian Blackwood in international waters during the 1998 GAL convention in Tacoma, Washington, USA. Since the inception, the popularity of Malaysian Blackwood has grown tremendously. The Malaysian Blackwood carries many desirable qualities for musical