1934 Hermann Hauser I SP/CSAR (ex Vahda Olcott-Bickford, Pepe Romero)

Built just three years before Segovia's iconic 1937 instrument, this is a great example of the mature Hauser I style at its best. It has the classic curves, compact (yet sturdy) build, and aesthetic features that make this one of the most iconic (and copied) models in the history of the craft. This guitar was formerly housed in the Sheldon Urlik collection and featured on pages 96-97 of the 2nd edition of his book and before that, it was previously owned by Vahda Olcott-Bickford, one of the most influential North American guitarists of the 20th century, and then by maestro Pepe Romero.

It has that unmistakeable 'archetypal' Hauser I sound that has mesmerized audiences for nearly a century in the hands of players such as Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, and countless others. The sound can be described as having virtually everything one could ask for on a wish-list of sonic qualities - a piano-like clarity in all registers, precise balance and a vast color palette (bright and brassy when played ponticello, milky and luminous when played sul tasto, and everything imaginable in-between). Every note has a clearly defined and "anchored" fundamental at its core with very controlled and transparent overtones. Of note, it is also 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 which maximizes consistency and evenness of tonal character. It is also projects beautifully, even by modern standards to satisfy the needs of any concert player. It has one repaired (spliced) crack on the soundboard between the bridge and foot, and a crack in the side (cleated and stable - and invisible from the outside), and is in otherwise excellent condition. For quality of sound and ease of playability this is an exceptional and rare example of this makers best work featuring the elegant and classic Hauser design, excellent provenance, superb feel and playability, and most importantly - incredible nuance and subtlety of sound.

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 encouraged Hauser to build instruments based on his 1912 Manuel Ramirez guitar (built by Santos Hernandez) 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.