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Workshop at Comboyne N.S.W. Australia
News - Last Updated 8th July 2010
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New Guitars.

    Black Sassafrass seems to be the ‘in thing’ with our two most recent concert guitars being made in this spectacular Tasmanian timber.

Various views of Sassafras.


  Canberran Chris Wells discovered our guitars at the National Folk Festival and ordered a custom guitar with a D extension on the 6th string. A small lever on the extension piece allows Chris to flick the guitar into D tuning with his left hand, saving time and minimising the destabilising effect of retuning.
  Says Chris ….
"What I really like it that when I am playing a piece with low D tuning is the string sounds full and rich but not overpowering the other strings, where on my other guitar with drop D tuning the string sounds a bit weak and muddy, probably due to the lower tension. What is surprising me is that going though sheet music and seeing if it has an open E and if not using the D and then playing that instead of the 4th string when open. There are more pieces than I expected without an open E (mainly in C or G) and due to the fretted notes being the same I am not having to relearn them but just play them as is but with the odd low D thrown in when I think it would fit nicely."

Chris playing. inset head.

 


Under Construction.

Two Granges (Cedar/Rosewood and Cedar/Black Sassafrass). These guitars have been ordered by players in Sydney and Darwin.

 



National Folk Festival, Canberra.

    For the first time, we took eleven guitars (including baritone, treble and octave) to the National Folk Festival in Canberra.

We were the only nylon string guitar exhibitors in the Instrument Makers Pavilion and were not expecting great interest from the folk music fraternity. That left room to be pleasantly surprised at the appreciation of our guitar range, and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing the instruments used in traditional and inventive music.

 
Display area at Canberra Folk Festival.

  W.A. classical guitarist, Alan Banks, used one of our concert guitars to play Carlo Domeniconi's "Kyonbaba" in performance and demonstrated standard, baritone and treble guitars in the 'Instrument Makers' Concert' on Easter Sunday night.

Graham also connected with numerous 'old' colleagues from his 30 years in Canberra - both fellow folk musicians and clients who sport his instruments.

 



And now for something completely different....

  Peter Constantly experimenting with his Caldersmith bass guitar ...... spot the clothes pegs!

 
Peter Constantly experimenting.



Guitar Family Updates.

We have updated the Guitar Family Page with additional information and YouTube video links.

 



Rafael Andia and Claire Sananikone recording.

We have just received an extract of a recording by Rafael Andia and Claire Sananikone. The duet was composed by Rafael, and recorded in 2008 on Caldersmith Concert guitars.

Play/Download Music (1.46 MegaBytes)
<strong>Inmemorial Sobre Las Notas Negras</strong> composed by Rafael Andia and  
              performed by Claire Sananikone and the author on Caldersmith Concert  
              guitars.. Inmemorial Sobre Las Notas Negras composed by Rafael Andia and performed by Claire Sananikone and the author on Caldersmith Concert guitars..
<strong>Inmemorial Sobre Las Notas Negras</strong> composed by Rafael Andia and  
              performed by Claire Sananikone and the author on Caldersmith Concert  
              guitars.. To download this audio file....
  • Point the mouse at the speaker icon.
  • Click the right mouse button.
  • Select 'Save target as...' menu item.
 



Those Were the Days My Friend...

Recently we attended a pearl wedding anniversary in Goulburn, where Graham was reunited with several of his old folkie friends, including veteran fiddler, Bob McGuiness. Thirty years ago, Graham and Bob performed at the wedding of Jennifer Hume and Ian McDougall in the same venue, Garroorigang, the Hume family homestead. They are pictured here admiring (or at least regarding) the steel string baritone Graham made for Ian in 1984. Needless to say, Bob and Graham managed to trot out a few 'choons' for old times sake as part of the entertainment programme in the stately drawing room.

Bob McGuiness and Graham.

 








*Background Music: "The Frog Galliard" - John Dowland. Played by Alessandro D'Aco on his Caldersmith Concert Guitar.

 

Graphics, layout and design by  Krewe 42.  Updated by Allen Bruce.  Copyright ©2004. All Rights Reserved. Graham Caldersmith.