Greg Smallman
Greg Smallman (born 19 June 1947 in Cronulla, Australia) is the first internationally successful non-traditional Australian guitar-maker. He is known worldwide for his innovative guitar designs Although his guitars are in outward appearance similar to a traditional Spanish classical guitar, there are numerous innovative differences.
Greg Smallman
- Born
- 1947 · Cronulla.
- Nationality
- Australia
- Occupation
- guitar maker · musical instrument maker · musician
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wikidata · Q5606259 · wikipedia · Greg Smallman
In this article
Gallery
Gallery
• Illustration — John Williams playing a Smallman guitar in 2005 • Illustration — Smallman rosette • Illustration — Smallman label as used until 2002
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1947
Greg Smallman was born on 16 June 1947.
Description
Among the differences from the classical Spanish guitar is the use of a high, arched and carved back, which is considerably thicker and heavier than for a conventional guitar. The back is made of Madagascar rosewood, while the top is always made of western red cedar. The light weight of the top combined with Smallman's unique system of bracing makes the guitar very responsive to input with a full rounded sound (not thin). The top of Smallman guitars is braced using a "lattice" framework composed of balsa wood and carbon fibre. By contrast, traditional classical guitars use struts made of cedar or spruce arranged in a "fan" shape. The world-renowned classical guitarists John Williams, Miloš Karadaglić, Xuefei Yang and many others use Greg Smallman guitars. In 1999 the Greg Smallman label changed to Greg Smallman & Sons Damon & Kym. Based for many years in Glen Innes, New South Wales, in 2002 the Smallmans briefly relocated to the Mornington Peninsula outside Melbourne. The Greg Smallman and Sons workshop is now located near Esperance, Western Australia. They did not have a website till 2012. Greg Smallman is often admired for openly sharing his knowledge. Many luthiers worldwide have incorporated Smallman's innovations into their own guitars.
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reference work
- “Greg Smallman”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5606259: Greg Smallman
General reference · Wikidata
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Greg Smallman, revision 1373833162 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1." published by Backbeat Books
- 2.The Twang Dynasty A history of plucked stringed instruments in Australasia from 1836 to 2012 " published by Boss Publishing
- 3.Nicholas Scott. Nicholas Scott maker of Smallman Type Guitars.
- 4.Greg Smallman. Greg Smallman and Sons Classical Guitars.
- 5.http://www.thewholeguitarist.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=334%3Awilliams-agj-interv&catid=117%3A08-91-people&Itemid=483, John Williams; Australian Guitar Journal Interview
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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