2012 Géza Burghardt "1943 Hauser" SP/MP

This 2012 Géza Burghardt “1943 Hauser” is a classical guitar with an aged European spruce top and European birdseye maple back and sides, made in Vancouver, Canada – a Hauser-style instrument in near-mint condition.

Based on a 1943 Hermann Hauser I

This stunning guitar is based on plans made by Jeffrey Elliott of a 1943 Hermann Hauser I instrument. This is documented in a letter included with the guitar (as well as a portfolio of photos taken during construction and a certificate of authenticity), in which Géza also mentions that the top came from the supply of German luthier Edgar Mönch – one of the finer German builders of the mid-20th century.

Birdseye Maple and Meticulous Workmanship

The back and sides are an exquisite set of European birdseye maple – visually and sonically outstanding in character. Workmanship is perfect: every detail, including the V-joint where the head attaches to the neck, is meticulously done. Although over a decade old, the guitar is in pristine, near-mint condition, with no signs of prior use.

The “Teutonic” Hauser Sound

For sound, this guitar in our opinion is in equal company with other distinguished luthiers in the Hauser tradition – including such luminaries as José Romanillos and Manuel Velázquez. Géza has truly captured the essentials of the “teutonic style” made so famous by Hauser I: firm, anchored and steady basses and clear, brilliant trebles, all combining to deliver supreme clarity and balance, like a piano. With Géza’s personal touch, there is also a warm “glow” of controlled partials in every note that gives it added dimensionality within this famous style. It has plenty of volume and projection for any concert setting, and it records beautifully.

Mircea Gogoncea Plays Bogdanović

In the video above, Mircea Gogoncea plays Dušan Bogdanović’s “6 Balkan Miniatures” (IV, V and VI) on a Géza Burghardt. Overall an outstanding guitar – beautifully built, with everything a player could dream of who is searching for that teutonic Hauser sound, which very few builders have ever managed to achieve.

Géza Burghardt: From Budapest to Vancouver

Géza Burghardt is the top builder of traditional classical guitars to emerge from Hungary. He learned to work wood entirely by hand, apprenticing as a pattern maker at the age of fourteen, and went on to build boats – racing shells, kayaks and canoes – before turning to the guitar. He earned his master’s certificate in Budapest in 1981 and opened his own shop there that same year.

The Influence of José Romanillos

In 1983 Géza met José Romanillos in Budapest, the beginning of a friendship and an influence that would last for decades. His guitars follow the Spanish tradition of Antonio de Torres and Romanillos: the neck joins the head with a V-joint cut entirely by hand, each rosette is made individually, and every guitar is French polished, never sprayed – his French polish is considered among the finest in British Columbia.

A Workshop on Granville Island

In 1984 Géza and his wife Tini left Hungary, and after about four years in an Austrian immigration camp they arrived in Vancouver, Canada, in April 1988. He first ran the string repair shop at Ward Music, and in the mid-1990s he opened his own workshop on Granville Island. Besides classical guitars he has built violins, cellos and double basses, restored instruments for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and mentored several Vancouver luthiers.