1947 Hermann Hauser I SP/IN

This 1947 Hermann Hauser I classical guitar pairs a spruce top with Indian rosewood back and sides – a postwar Munich Hauser with original finish and no cracks or repairs.

The Mature Hauser I Style at Its Zenith

This instrument is a supreme example of the mature Hauser I style at its zenith. It has the classic curves, compact (yet sturdy) build and aesthetic features of one of the most iconic (and copied) models in the history of the craft – and the unmistakable "archetypal" Hauser I sound that has mesmerized audiences for nearly a century in the hands of Andrés Segovia, Julian Bream and countless others.

Sound of Exceptional Refinement

The sound has virtually everything one could ask for on a wish-list of sonic qualities – piano-like clarity in all registers, precise balance and a vast color palette (bright and brassy ponticello, milky and luminous sul tasto, and everything imaginable in between), with a clearly defined, "anchored" fundamental and very controlled, transparent overtones in every note. For fear of overstating just how refined and beautiful the sound of this instrument is: in all our years in business we have seen only a handful of other Hauser I instruments of this caliber.

Condition

As if this weren't enough, the guitar is in fantastic condition – it has no cracks or repairs of any kind, and the finish is original, with only some minor, superficial playing wear. For those in search of the ultimate Hauser I, this has it all – the elegant and classic Hauser design, superb feel and playability, and most importantly, incredible nuance and subtlety of sound.

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.