Caldersmith Guitars

Caldersmith Guitars are quality handcrafted instruments which extend the established tradition of classical guitar making into unique, acoustically advanced designs.

Features of Caldersmith Guitars

Built in the Australian tradition with frame mounted soundboard.

Soundboards are reinforced with graded rectangular lattices for optimal acoustic efficiency and tonal balance.

Unique aesthetic combinations of imported and Australian tonewoods.

Customised guitars created to suit individual needs.

Our workshop is one of the oldest buildings in the village of Comboyne, built between 1910 and 1915.

The interior is mostly local rosewood with the exterior made from local hardwoods such as tallowood, blackbutt and bluegum. We have re-stumped, restored and re-fitted to make what we believe is a perfect environment for handmaking musical instruments - a true 'cottage industry'!

Graham  Caldersmith

Graham Caldersmith started his career as a high school Science teacher in 1967, spending his weekends playing folk music and working with wood in his shed. In 1971, he moved back into academia to undertake a Masters in Aerophysics at ANU. Whilst working as laboratory manager and physics tutor, he started independent research into musical acoustics. At the age of 36 he finally indulged his passion with formal acoustics studies under Neville Fletcher at UNE, Armidale. Other significant opportunities came with a scholarship to research acoustics in Stockholm in 1978, a Churchill Fellowship to the US in 1982, and an Australia Council research equipment grant in 1980.

Graham has always made guitars in some capacity (since his first clumsy attempt using a plywood door at the age of 17), but did not become a full time luthier until 1978. Using his comprehensive background in acoustics and woodwork, he has become known as one of the pioneers of the Australian lattice-style guitars, and the leading exponent of the various guitar family instruments. He also has significant reputation as a maker of violins, violas and cellos. His early working life was spent in Canberra until 1995, when he moved to the Port Macquarie Hastings area to live first in the village of Kendall and more recently in the smaller village of Comboyne.

Angela  MacPherson

For the first 15 years of her working life, Angela worked in various health settings as an Occupational Therapist. She then studied theatre and education, and spent some years as a teacher and group leader working with youth and community theatre projects. She has been working on guitars with Graham since 2004.

Her relationship with guitars started aged 8 when her parents gave her an Admira with flamenco pegs and sent her to the local music shop for classical lessons. Despite intermittent bursts of enthusiasm, it wasn't until meeting Graham that she decided to deepen her understanding of music theory and embrace the discipline of guitar grades. She currently takes lessons from Giuseppe Zangari in Newcastle, and enjoys informing the making process from a player's perspective.

Angela participates in most aspects of the guitar building and particularly enjoys sourcing and selecting woods, and the design and decorative elements. She also brings her organisational and communication skills to our operation and is generally the first point of contact with Caldersmith Luthiers.

Rye  Turner

Rye Turner has been working part time in the workshop since late 2007. He brings a keen mind, a background in general woodwork, and a love of the guitar (particularly acoustic and electric).

Rye now makes many of the components from frames, fingerboards and bridges to preparing backs, braces and rib bending. He regularly delights us with new initiatives and insights.