| Hermann Hauser Sr. (1882-1952) enjoys a
prominent place in the development of the modern classical guitar.
His career as a luthier can be fairly neatly divided into two distinct
time periods; the period before 1924 when he produced approximately
250 guitars in the German tradition and the more successful period after
'24 when he was converted by Andres Segovia to exploring the Spanish method
of guitar building.
It is generally acknowledged that after
twelve or so years of experimenting with designs in the Spanish tradition
of guitar making, Hauser reached the peak of his career.
It was during this period that Andres Segovia played a Hauser Sr. and proclaimed
it was the "greatest guitar of our epoch." With that
in mind, veteran luthier Kenny Hill did exhaustive research focusing
on Hauser instruments of this period and is now offering historically
accurate replicas of this timeless classical guitar design with the introduction
of his " Hauser '37 " model.
The instrument pictured on this page
features a stunning Engelmann Spruce top with tight, even grain and
lots of medullar rays, indicating very little grain runoff.
This guitar has many of the obvious physical attributes of Hauser
guitars from this period but more importantly it is accurate in it's internal
structure.
On examining the meticulous interior of this instrument
it is evident that Mr. Hill has gone to great lengths to capture the build
quality of this time period. The Spanish cedar back lining is solid
and carved while the top lining is individual pieces of spruce applied
by hand; scrupulous particulars but historically precise and important
to recreate the sonic properties of this great builder. The
internal 'slipper foot' head block is really a continuation of the external
neck, further indicating the Spanish build tradition of this period
in Hauser's career. The symmetrical 7-fan and bridge pad strutting
pattern is also typical of a mid to late 1930's Hauser Sr.
The tone of this Hauser '37 can only be
described as precise and sophisticated with exceptional note separation,
a complex overtone series as well as an extraordinarily even response in
all registers! |
