Karl Hauser 610 Very Good, Hard

Not long ago, a Hermann Hauser Classical Guitar built in Munich, Germany, by the master luthier himself in 1939 sold for $134,500. Modern Herman Hauser guitars range from $3000-$12000 USD and beyond, depending on Hauser 1, 2, or 3 and the type of wood used for the back and sides: for example, a Herman Hauser III "Andres Segovia" model classical guitar recently sold for $12,500.00. However, this guitar is not a Hermann Hauser guitar; this one is made by the Karl Hauser Guitar Company of Bubenreuth, W. Germany.
Apparently, the Karl Hauser label was created in the 1950s or 1960s and their instruments were distributed in the USA by Ideal Music Merchandising, N.Y.C., from about 1965 to about 1983. The label included violins, cellos, violas and a limited number of other stringed instruments; all of these instruments were made by the studio craftsmen of Hofner Musical Instruments of West Germany. The name Karl Hauser Classical Guitars was selected to start a U.S.A. market for affordable instruments with a very famous name (i.e., Hauser of the famous Hermann Hauser family). Officially, the Hermann Hauser Company denies any relationship with or any information about the Karl Hauser instruments.

This is not to say that they are not very good guitars. Since I am no classical guitarist, I am going to cite here some more credible on-line authorities. “Viktork,” one of the most knowledgeable and prolific on-line sellers of vintage classical guitars, said of the Karl Hauser 610 classical guitar which he sold in 2017 for $2500: “It is quite possible that this guitar could have been made by EDGAR MONCH, a famous German luthier, who in the early stages of his career was making guitars for other German guitar makers. This guitar shows very strong resemblance to guitars made by Monch in the early 1950s. On international second-hand markets, Edgar Monch's guitars from that era that look very similar and are built the same way and from identical materials are priced at $5000-$8000.”

Another on-line reviewer says “Karl Hauser classical guitar models might sound as good as [an equivalent] Hermann Hauser model, but the Karl Hauser name does not compare with the prestige of Hermann Hauser. They share the same sound board design, bracing technique, fret board design, same woods, same materials, but Karl’s guitars sell for only a fraction of Hermann’s. People pay $20,000 or more for modern Hermann Hauser guitars, but a Karl Hauser, depending on the model and the type of woods for top/back/side, if in mint condition is worth perhaps $3500.”

Again, Viktork says of his Hauser 610: “It is a high quality guitar producing super sweet and highly resonant notes with very extended sustain at very impressive volume. Basses are deep and exceptionally rich with overtones. None of Masaru Kohno guitars that went through my hands (#10 1970, #10 1974,#20 1975, #30 1976 & #15 1977) could be considered better than this Karl Hauser guitar, which makes Masaru Kohno #20 1975 a quiet guitar, even though the latter one is a high grade concert guitar with an unquestionably strong voice.” Note: Masaru Kohno was a master Japanese luthier whose guitars can sell today for as much as a modern Hermann Hauser.

Classical guitarist James Trotta comments in 2013: “I have owned many Karl Hauser guitars since 1970, including a model 610 and two 730's….[T]he Karl Hauser guitars are exceptional, rare instruments. In 1979, I recorded "Classics for Classical Guitar" with a Karl Hauser model 730 which I purchased in 1970 and still own. The tone is sweet and the basses are piano-like. I have some very expensive, concert-grade guitars including a real Hermann Hauser II. Blindfolded I would have great difficulty telling the two apart.”

For sale here is one of these very special and rather rare Karl Hauser Model 610 Classical Guitars; this one was originally listed on-line in 2016 for $3900. There is slight wear on the top, sides, headstock, and back, with the most noticeable wear being the slightly worn section below the sound hole on the top and a barely visible repaired crack on the bottom side. The tuners seem to be too new to be original, and there is some light pencil handwriting on the inside label. Curiously, both a strap button and a truss rod appear, unusual on a classical guitar. The model is denoted on the label inside the soundhole as 610, and the serial number dimly impressed on the back on the headstock appears to be 20821-161, but unfortunately I have no idea exactly what the numbers designate. The guitar sounds great and plays beautifully, and will only continue to go up in value for both the wood quality and the fact that nobody these days makes a guitar that can touch this one for anywhere near my asking price. If modern era luthiers are using 60-year-old woods to make a classical guitar, its price is likely to be at least $6000.

While I am no expert on tone woods—especially not sixty-year-old German tone woods—the materials appear to be as follows: the top is a high grade Solid Spruce with a very light coat of lacquer finish; the back and sides are Philippine or East Indian Rosewood with again a very light coat of lacquer. The fingerboard and bridge are also Rosewood, while the rosette is inlaid with hardwood parquet—perhaps maple; the neck appears to be mahogany. The body is fully bound, front and back, and it has a 650 mm scale and a 52 mm nut.

I am including a new arched-top TKL hard shell case, as the original case was badly worn and unworthy of the instrument (I will ship it in the original case instead if you request it). Obviously, the case is in excellent condition and provides reliable protection for this fine guitar.

Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.

I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy it.

Thanks for your interest in this excellent vintage guitar.