RIP Graham Caldersmith

[graham mcdonald]

We have been away over the weekend and returned home to a phone message telling us that Graham Caldersmith died last Saturday. For those of you who didn't know him Graham was one of Australia's finest classical guitar and violin makers, a world renowned expert on how they worked in a acoustic scientific sense as well as a delightful and generous person.
He had been ill for some years with a nasty form of leukaemia and an immunology treatment had been working well keeping the cancer under control. It stopped working a few weeks ago and his condition went downhill quite quickly. I am told he didn't want a funeral, but there are plans for a memorial concert in Sydney sometime in November. Our thoughts are with his partner Angela.

[peter.coombe]

Thanks Graham. Just getting over the shock from reading your post on Facebook. Graham was my inspiration when I first started. I pested him with my early creations and he was very gracious and encouraging, even told me "when you go full time". At that particular time I thought fat chance of that happening, but he was right. Graham Caldersmith did much of the early research into guitar acoustics, and a lot of what is in the Gore and Gilet books stands on the shoulders of Graham's work. A great man, and a damn nice bloke too. Will be sadly missed.

[kiwigeo]

This is indeed sad news. Graham was definitely an envelope pushing pioneer in the field of luthiery. RIP Mr Modern Australian Luthiery.

[Trevor Gore]

Sad news indeed. Graham was a pioneers in musical acoustics and guitar function, starting as an academic with a PhD in physics before moving to instrument making. One of the finest classical guitars I ever heard was one of Graham's. As Peter mentioned, a lot of the procedures and concepts in the books are based on Graham's work and I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude. We'll miss the man, but he leaves an everlasting legacy.