Caldersmith Lutherie
77 Albert Street
Kendall NSW, 2439 Australia
(02) 655-94646

Graham Caldersmith builds guitar family and violin family instruments utilizing frequency response analyses by recording natural mode geometries for all new instruments. These measurable results are correlated with professional musicians impressions of the instruments. Mr. Caldersmith delights in good sound when he hears it but finds that the traditional intuitive approach to lutherie is often at odds with musicians impressions. His current focus is in building instruments to order using special tonewoods according to established acoustical principles so that aesthetics and sound are integrated. He has published over 30 papers in various respected journals concerning music, lutherie, and his accumulated physics-acoustical research.

"While teaching science at secondary school in the A.C.T. I ran a folk club and sang with Eric Bogle (awarded the Order of Australia eventually for his internationally recognized songs). I started making weird instruments in the 70's and returned to University to do a Masters degree in Fluid Physics after which I began guitar and violin research while working as a tutor and lab manager at the A.N.U. I started publishing research and in 1977 and 1978 did full-time intensive research in Armidale, NSW with Neville Fletcher and in Stockholm with Erik Jansson. Began full-time instrument making in 1979 and opened a retail, repair, and restoration shop in downtown Canberra in 1986. To reduce stress and focus on making, moved to country lower Kendall in 1996. Interests are bushwalking (in the forest next to my home), gardening (to regenerate rainforest), and understanding and appreciating other humans. I'm an admirer of Carl Jung and his followers."

"The current main foci of my instrument making is in building Aussiewood violins, violas, and cellos, and in new generation (carbon-fibre under the soundboard) guitar family instruments. The steel-string baritone guitars are a valuable new instrument in folk groups where its low register provides a satisfying bass line as well as a chordal structure."

"As you can see from the JPEG's, I especially like using local Australian timbers in my designs although the bulk of instruments to date have been made with traditional tonewoods: spruce and maple for violins, rosewood and cedar for guitars. But increasing use has been made of King William Pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides) and Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) for violins and Cedar (Thuja plicata) and Blackwood for guitars. A good overview of these Aussie tonewoods can been seen at mandolin/dulcimer maker Peter Coombe's AAMIM contribution."

Graham has been pivotal in establishing a guitar family of instruments (bass, baritone, standard, and treble) since 1980 with the creation of his first baritone guitar. With a grant from the Australia Council, encouragement from John Williams, and the work of the Canberra Guitar Ensemble, the first family of guitar works was presented to an enthusiastic overflow crowd in 1987. Now, many years later, a worldwide interest by makers, musicians, and composers are integrating the standard classical guitar voice into three new ranges.

Although a current bibliography of Mr. Caldersmith's written contribution to the field is still in compilation, here's a few references to articles and papers that are likely readily available:

Plate Fundamental Coupling and its Musical Importance
Catgut Acoustical Society Journal #36, 1981.

The Guitar Family - Prospectus
Catgut Acoustical Society Journal #38, 1982.

The Guitar Frequency Response The "Chicago Papers"
Journal of Guitar Acoustics #6, 1982

Towards a Classic Guitar Family
American Lutherie #18, 1989

The Guitar Family, continued
American Lutherie #41, 1995

That's Graham, far right, with esteemed luthiers Michael Sanden (Sweden), Jeffrey Elliot (USA), Ervin Somogyi (USA), Cyndy Burton (USA), Gary Southwell (UK) at the 1998 GAL convention in Tacoma.

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