1939 Hermann Hauser I SP/CSAR

Donated to the GSI Foundation, this 1939 Hermann Hauser I is a classical guitar in spruce and CSA rosewood from Munich, from the years when his mature style was at its best.

Hauser I at His Best

This instrument is a fantastic example of Hauser I at his best. Its classic curves, compact (yet sturdy) build and aesthetic features make it one of the most iconic (and copied) models in the history of the craft, and it has the unmistakable "archetypal" Hauser I sound that has enchanted audiences for nearly a century in the hands of Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream and countless others.

Sound

The sound offers virtually everything on a wish-list of sonic qualities – piano-like clarity in all registers, precise balance and a vast color palette, from bright and brassy ponticello to milky and luminous sul tasto, and every other imaginable color in between. Every note has a clearly defined, "anchored" fundamental at its core, with very controlled and transparent overtones. Truly an exceptional and rare example of this maker at his best.

Donated to the GSI Foundation

This guitar was generously donated to our non-profit charitable organization, the GSI Foundation. Guitar sales through the GSI Foundation raise money to directly benefit music education in public schools.

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.