My Concert classical guitars are available in either of two styles. One is fashioned after the great Herman Hauser I, and the other after the great Spanish Master Santos Hernandez. I should make it very clear that I do not build "copies" or replicas of the instruments made by these two masters, I use their style as a basis to produce my own world class instruments. There are qualities in my guitars that you will find in the guitars of these masters, but my guitars have their own unique quality and character. These two styles of classical guitar differ slightly in their shape and construction details and this ultimately effects their sound and how they feel to the player as well as the general appearance. The different feeling comes mainly from the fact that the waist is a slightly different shape and in a slightly different position and this places the guitar in a different position for the player and thus ultimately feels different to play.
The sound of the two styles of classical guitar is similar. This is mainly due to the fact they are both made by me, but there are subtle differences and this is why I continue to produce the two models. THe two models broaden the scope of what I produce and this is important as each customer has different tastes and requirements. Basically the Hauser model has a bit more clarity and the Santos a more traditional lush Spanish sound. The different styles also produce a different feel and appearance. Both guitars offer superb presence, volume and quality of sound. They are made to the highest standards and suit the most demanding of professionals.
Hauser
The Hauser model is styled after the famous 1937 Hauser I that was once owned
by Segovia and now hangs in the Metropolitan museum in New York. The guitar pictured
features a 20th fret, at the request of the customer. This option is available on all
guitars I produce and does not add any additional cost. The Hauser shape has silghtly
squarer shoulders and a flatter "bottom" than the Santos Hernandez, which is more rounded, some
would say more "feminine", but not me, I am no longer that brave.
This particular instrument has a 20th fret, as requested by the customer. The Hauser model has great clarity and separation of the notes which makes it suitable for a wide range of music. The 20th fret is necessary in much of the contermporary music being played by today's guitarists. The dimensions of both style of instruments are fairly similar in the length and widths of the upper and lower bouts. The differences are mainly in the shape of the bottom bout and the shoulders (upper bout). Small changes to these outlines actually produce a completely different instrument in feeling and sound. The waist is in a slightly different position on both instruments and this positions the guitar at a different position on the knee and the right hand thus comes over the lower bout in a slightly different position.
Santos Hernandez
This model is styled after guitars made by the great Spanish master, Santos Hernandez.
These guitars have a particular sound that is definitely spanish in origin. It is lush
and full bodied, but still retains a certain clarity and separation. This pictured guitar has a Spruce
top and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. The Spruce top has been french polished
with a dark shellac (seedlac) at the request of the customer, who did not want a pale
blonde finish.
The difference in the shapes between the Santos and the Hauser is obvious in the pictures
shown on this page. The Santos is also finished in a dark shellac. The darker shellac
is slightly harder than the blonde and gives the appearance of age to a new instrument.
The most noticeable difference in the two guitar styles is the sound. The Santos has
the lush warm Spanish sound and the Hauser the clarity and separation that is typical
of Hauser's instruments. Because of the differnce in shape there is also a different
feel when playing the instruments.
