IF THE TERM “CHILD PRODIGY” can bea

IF THE TERM “CHILD PRODIGY” can beapplied to luthiers, Joshia de Jongecertainly qualifies. Growing up in the shopof her father (acclaimed luthier Sergei deJonge), Joshia began working with wood asa small child, making boxes, yo-yos, andpiggy banks before graduating to guitars inher teens. But while her earliest effortsmay have been novelties, de Jonge, now inher 30s and living near Ottawa, Canada,along with her husband (luthier PatrickHodgins of Little Tree Guitars) and twosons, has joined the world’s best buildersof classical guitars.The instrument pictured here is what deJonge calls her “high-end guitar.” Like manycontemporary classicals, the guitar has alattice-braced top and elevated fingerboard.The French-polished body has a Europeanspruce top, snakewood binding, and itsback and sides are laminates of Africanblackwood and Spanish cedar. The neck ismahogany, with a V joint at the headstock,and the fingerboard is ebony. De Jongeused fossilized woolly mammoth ivory forthe guitar’s nut, saddle, and tie block andoutfitted the guitar with Rogers tuningmachines. The African blackwood’s lightercolored sapwood portions are an integralpart of the guitar’s aesthetic. For example,the sapwood creates a line between the topbinding and darker wood on the rest of thesides, visually separates the two backhalves, and is integrated into the headstock.Tonally, de Jonge says, “My aimis to build guitars that have a warm,clear sound with ample projection.Volume is a goal of mine, but it is notmy main focus. I am more concernedwith the overall tone and balance ofthe instrument and then I aspire toincorporate volume as well.”Her high-end guitars currently sell forabout $12,500, but de Jonge’s instrumentshave a starting price of $5,500(joshiadejonge.com