1925 Hermann Hauser I SP/CSAR

This 1925 Hermann Hauser I is an early Spanish-style classical guitar, built in Munich in spruce and CSA rosewood, with an ornate mother-of-pearl rosette and a Madrid-style head that tip the hat to Manuel Ramírez.

A 1925 Hauser I: the Spanish Style Arrives in Munich

This particular guitar is a fine example of Hauser's integration of the Spanish style into his own Germanic base. Sound is as one would expect – perfectly balanced, with great clarity between voices, and a rich, deep texture that gives it a unique lyricism and great beauty of tone. It is fitted with a "zero fret", which makes the open strings sound like the fretted notes, as all notes vibrate between a fret and the saddle – maximizing consistency of sound.

A Tip of the Hat to Manuel Ramírez

The guitar has a striking appearance, most notably in the rosette, which is extra ornate – instead of a central mosaic, this space is fitted with alternating MOP and black triangles. The head shape is in the style more typical of the Madrid school of the same period – both elements suggest a "tip of the hat" to Manuel Ramírez, one of the makers who inspired Hauser's "Spanish" style. It also has an endpin in the bottom – likely original, as many other Hauser I instruments from this period have this feature.

Condition

It has cracks on the top that have been carefully and conservatively repaired – mostly with glue only (only one very small cleat internally). Apart from this, the guitar is in performance-ready condition, for the concert stage, the recording studio or a luxurious evening of private playing. Playability is a dream for both hands. Truly a remarkable and rare instrument from one of history's most important luthiers.

Hermann Hauser I: Master Guitar Maker of Munich

Hermann Hauser Sr. (1882–1952) is best remembered for the remarkable instruments he built in the Spanish style after 1924. In that year, both Andrés Segovia and Miguel Llobet visited Hauser. Segovia was impressed by the quality of Hauser's work and wrote his impressions, noting that he "immediately saw the potential of this great artisan if only his mastery might be turned to the construction of the guitar in the Spanish pattern, as immutably fixed by Torres and Ramirez as the violin had been fixed by Stradivarius and Guarnerius" (Segovia in Guitar Review, 1954).

Segovia, Llobet and the Spanish Model

Segovia encouraged Hauser to build instruments based on his 1912 Manuel Ramírez guitar (built by Santos Hernández) after he examined and made measurements of this instrument. At this time Hauser also had the opportunity to examine Miguel Llobet's famous 1859 Torres, which would also become a decisive influence on the maturing "Hauser" style.