Specifications:

        Timbers:    

      Scale length:
      650 mm

        Sound board:
        Cedar

      Neck width at the nut:
      53 mm (usually 52mm)

        Back and sides:
        South American rosewood

      Overall length:
      995 mm

        Finger board: Macassar Ebony
        (African Ebony till the early 90's)

      Body length:
      482mm

        Bridge: Padauk
        (South American rosewood used till 1995)

      Body width:
      upper bout 276 mm
      waist          240 mm
      lower bout 364 mm

        Bracing:
        Lattice system of composite Balsa wood and carbon fibre

      Body depth:
      increasing from 100 mm to 102 mm

 .

Greg Smallman is the best known of the Australian guitar makers.

He started making guitars in 1972. His first instruments were in a traditional Fleta design in spruce or cedar. These were very fine instruments but at that time Australia was a very small and unknown market and no local products or musicians were taken seriously without overseas acceptance, so Greg Smallman decided he would have to offer a lot more in a guitar than even the best of the traditional makers .

In the late 70's he teamed up with Peter Biffin, another fine luthier and together they produced many experimental instruments both steel and nylon strung.

In early 1980 Greg designed his famous lattice bracing system. By using balsa wood and carbon fibre struts he produced a cedar sound board much thinner and lighter than a conventional guitar giving a less percussive quality combined with increased frequency response and volume. This design also incorporates a ridged arched back that along with the sides are constructed with South American rosewood. A truss rod similar to those used in steel string guitars was added in 1990 and more recently Padauk has replaced rosewood for the bridge material reducing the weight of the sound board.

In 1981 John Williams purchased a guitar and since that time his praise and criticisms have been instrumental in the development and refinement of this design. Many fine guitarists play Smallmans such as Timothy Kain (Australia), John Williams (England), Stephen Rak ( Czechoslovakia), Lawrence Ferrara (U.S.A.),Benjamin Verdery (U.S.A.) Ulf Golnast (Germany) David Tannenbaum (USA) Carlos Bonell (UK) to name but a few.

Greg Smallman is constantly experimenting with improving his design. In late 1998 he produced two guitars with no neck heel. In 2001 he produced an adjustable neck, which allows the player to adjust the action without detuning or altering the saddle.

In the year 1999 the label changed to Smallman and Sons Damon and Kym. Damon and Kym have been building guitars in the same small workshop since 1994. Their guitars are being played by, amongst others, John Williams, Yang Xue Fei and Carlos Bonelle.

The current specification guitars now feature a small arm rest that protrudes about 6mm from the binding on the bass side lower bout of the instrument. This stops the player's arm touching the soundboard leaving it free to respond to full effect.

In 2002 Greg Smallman and Sons relocated the workshop to Melbourne Victoria.