1997 Gary Southwell "1940 'Augustine' Hauser, ex-Bream" No. 155 SP/IN

This 1997 Gary Southwell No. 155 is a spruce and Indian rosewood bench copy of the 1940 Hermann Hauser I played by Julian Bream, from the Russell Cleveland collection.

A Bench Copy of Bream’s Hauser

This guitar is a “bench copy” of the 1940 Hauser immortalized by Bream in several recordings and documentaries, built only two years after Gary began working with Bream on the design. The label, signed and marked “Nottingham 1997”, is numbered 155.

Sound and Craftsmanship

The guitar is surprisingly lightweight and has an impressive bottom end, perfect balance and a Hauser-like clarity that indeed shows close attention to the original. Craftsmanship is superb and materials are first-rate. Not a single detail has been overlooked – it is fitted with Rodgers tuners and thinly finished in an amber oil varnish, which, thanks to its strength, has left this instrument, now nearly 30 years old, in near-pristine condition. Jack Sanders plays Tárrega’s “Lágrima” and “Adelita” on it in the videos above.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection.

In Orfeo Magazine

Gary Southwell is featured in Orfeo Magazine No. 11 – England (cover above, read it online), also available in print in the collected edition:

Orfeo Magazine 11–15 (print edition)

Gary Southwell: Historical Guitars from England

Gary Southwell is regarded today as one of the most established of the British builders. He trained in the early 1980s, primarily in furniture making and in historical (pre-Torres) instruments, and in 1983 set up his own workshop in Nottingham, specializing in – and becoming a leading expert in – 19th-century guitars, copying and restoring guitars by Lacote, Stauffer, Pagés and Panormo. Alongside his Hauser model he builds historical copies (Torres, Panormo, Stauffer, Lacote, Scherzer) and a modern model of his own design, the “A-Series”, first developed in the 1990s with David Starobin.

Julian Bream and the 1940 Hauser

Since 1995 Gary has become well known for his Hauser model, many of them built for Julian Bream – to quote Gary directly: “I have worked closely with Julian Bream on this Hauser design since 1995, experimenting and refining certain aspects. We have been particularly interested in the tuning of the front, back and body chamber; examining their relationship to each other and how that affects the tonal quality of the finished guitar. This has enabled me to successfully produce a sound reminiscent of the original Hauser guitar.” In addition to Julian Bream, Gary’s impressive list of clients includes the likes of Paul Simon, David Starobin, Sting, David Tanenbaum, Scott Tennant and John Williams, to name just a few.