Karl Hauser classical guitar info?

[Dave Bulla]

Hi all! Just rigistered for the first time and this is my first post.

I'm looking for information on a Karl Hauser classical/flamenco style guitar I have. The label says handcrafted in West Germany and the model is 730.

I am having nearly ZERO luck finding anything on the internet that even mentions Karl Hauser. Plenty of hits on Herman Hauser but Karl.....nadda

The guitar appears to be from the 50's or 60's but that is a guess. The finish is uniformly crazed over the entire top and most of the sides and back. The top is solid spruce and the back and sides are Brazillian Rosewood that is either solid or they did an incredible job of matching the laminations. There are distinctive patterns that show up both iside and out so it could be solid. The tuning knobs and "axles" are bone.

What I'd like to know is:

Who was Karl Hauser (Any relation to Herman?) and how are his guitars rated?

About when was he in business?

Where could I find information myself?

And of course, the usual question, what might it be worth? Not that it's for sale of course.

[Dave Bulla]

[cheepaxes]

[quote="Dave Bulla"]Aw now come ON!!!!

Several days now and like 14 people viewed this topic and NO response yet? :shock: [/quote]

I guess that means that 14 people didn't know the answer. It sounds like the answer is not an easy one to find. You certainly unearthed more info about Hauser classical guitars than what I know (which is nothing). I suspect that classical guitars in general don't attract as much interest from vintage guitar-heads, which means it will be harder to find information on your guitar than on, say, '60s German solidbody electrics.

Good luck,
-Scott

[Steve Richards]

After nearly 2 years, here is a partial answer. There is very little information about Karl Hauser Guitars available, and so, I will supply very little more. According to Hermann Hauser lll, Karl Hauser is in no way related to his family. He does say that he is a "very good business man," but that his (Hermann's) instruments are of "much better" quality. Whatever that all means, I'm not sure, other than he may know more than he states. He is at least familiar with the name of Karl Hauser.

Apparently there are several models out there. I have heard mentioned a Model 500, 600, 730, and an 830. I can only say for sure there is indeed a Model 730, because I have one. Recently, I bought it at an auction in Denver, where I assumed correctly, that the average attendee to an antique furniture auction (including the auctioneer to my benefit) is generally clueless as to the value of a classical guitar. It is in excellent shape and plays very well. That and the price is why I bought it. Although most of my experience is with electrics, I can say without question, it is worth more than I paid for it. Even a cheap classical is not cheap. The little sticker inside says "Handcrafted in West Germany," and looks a bit similar to the stickers in the Hermanns. Of course that similarity means very little.

There is an Internet post from 4 years ago stating that someone was willing to pay 700 Euros for a Model 730 in good condition. That is roughly $1000. There is another posting by an "expert," who hasn't actually seen one, stating that it probably isn't worth more than $900-1000. Then there is even another post stating that in mint condition a 730 is worth from $700-3500. Who really knows, and who really knows if they know? It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I bought mine to play.

Karl Hauser is also a maker of violins and violas. They are occasionally for sale at various outlets and on the Internet. I know nothing at all about these other than they do exist in a picture, and as I write this, there are two for sale on Ebay.

Clearly people like Andres Segovia and Julian Bream have played Hermann Hauser's for a reason. However, since I am not playing classical guitar professionally, and am not headed to Reisbach, Germany, at least not this week, to order a Hermann, and I am playing a Karl Hauser for entertainment, I can say that his instruments are not bad at all. I like mine. It is a fine instrument, and I'm keepin' it. If anyone has any further knowledge about these instruments, please feel free to comment. I'm sure there are at least a couple people, that would like to know. That about covers it. out

Steve Richards

[vincent pasternak]

I bought my Karl Hauser Model 730 in 1972. I was working in a music store in Danbury, Connecticut and one of the suppliers came in with it and -- knowing I was basically a nylon-string enthusiast -- asked me to play it and guess how much it might sell for. My estimate, based on the rosewood back and sides with solid maple bindings, was in the $500 range. The jobber told me, "$320-$340 retail, and wholesale to your store is under $130." He only had a demo model that day, but considering how sweet the demo model sounded and how easily it responded while I played, I went ahead and bought one sight for the wholesale price. Man, did I get a great deal that day.

The sales rep's rap was that Karl Hauser was trying to introduce a "low end" German classical guitar line into the US market to see if they would sell here, but the gold standard -- relatively speaking -- was any guitar made by Hermann Hauser which would be priced in the thousands. My memory of our conversation that day is he told me Karl and Hermann were brothers. What did I care? I got a beautiful classical guitar for an unbelievably low price, and I've never regretted the purchase. I've made hundreds (if not thousands by now) of recordings for radio, TV, albums (remember them?), CDs and live gigs of every stripe and color that you can possibly think of. I just returned to my home in Rhode Island from a concert in New York City where I played a seven minute samba on the Hauser 730 that brought the house down. This guitar apologizes to nobody. It paid for itself within months of my purchase, and eventually allowed me to make enough money in royalties and residuals to buy the house I live in today.

Whether Karl is or isn't related to Hermann (spelled with two Ns as I understand it) is irrelevant to me now. My own Model 730 has provided such great sounds through all these years and proved to be so incredibly reliable (only now, after 27 years do I have to deal with an intonation problem -- and a very small one at that -- around the fifth fret) that I was actually talked out of buying a newer, pricier guitar to record a samba album just for the sake of having a distinctive "Hauser sound" for the sessions. And those tracks are absolutely beautiful to listen to.

So that's what I have to add to this conversation: I think the Karl Hauser Model 730 was imported into the United States in the early 1970s, and was a relatively low-priced classical guitar experiment that was eventually pulled from the this market due to a lack of high-volume sales. While I'm astounded that this guitar might fetch a price of close to $1,000 today, I can honestly tell you that mine has easily made 20 to 30 times that amount over the years I have played it.

Does anybody know if Karl Hauser is still in the luthier business today?