The Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter Head Luthier, Fernando Abendan Dagoc, which prefers to be called as “Andoy“, is the family’s 3rd generation in the guitar industry. He is the ones who train the luthiers in the workshop, and the go-to person if there are complexities.
At his early age
Lived at Lincoln Street, the well-known guitar street of Cebu City, together with his parents and relatives, who ventured into the guitar industry.
Andoy at an early age of 7 assisted his uncle, Avelino Abendan, with his guitar business, during this time, he was exposed to the basics of making, repairing up to selling the instruments.
D’Original Guitar Shop
In 1978, on the opposite side of the road from Nely’s Guitar, D’Original Guitar Store started by Andoy himself!
It was here that Andoy learned his skills of buffing and sanding guitars from Boy Helbolinggo, and sharpened his guitar repairing skills.
All this to have his allowance for school, then he closed it down after he graduated from the University of San Jose-Recoletos as Mechanical Engineer.
Andoy as a Wood Agent
On the year 1983, he became a Wood Agent in the nearby pier. It was during this time that his familiarization of the different behaviors and characteristics of woods grew.
Custom Guitar and Repair Shop
D’Original Guitar Store had lots of customers wanted a customized guitar. So in 1985, Andoy together with his siblings started Custom Guitar with Joy as the proprietor.
Andoy employ and trained guitar makers and polishers from Lapu-Lapu City. His first employees were Ali and Luz Casquejo, Ali makes the guitars with Andoy, while Luz does the polishing.
Being an Employee before Employer
In 1992, he was employed in RJ Guitars as the one in charge of production of guitars and later in 1994 left the company and started Custom Enterprises, which continued the wood industry he started.
Custom Enterprises
With the high demand for woods, he started Custom Enterprises with his wife Angelita. Aside from selling different kinds of solid wood, they were also selling plywood, lacquer, strings, and other guitar accessories.
Ferangeli
As they were managing Custom Enterprises for more than 10 years, Andoy was going back to his passion of being a luthier bit by bit, until he started Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter, a combination of the names Fernando and Angelita and the name of their firstborn daughter, Ferangeli. Here, Andoy devoted his time to make high-quality solid wood instruments, with research and development, reading books about the different ways of making guitars and managing and teaching his men of local guitar makers of Lapu-Lapu City. Then he met Adolfo, a renowned luthier from Spain, where they share knowledge from experience to experience and theories of physics and acoustics in the art of guitar making.
With his burning passion for making high-quality instruments, he aims Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter to produce instruments with the best sound possible the wood can offer.
