This instrument was built in Felton, California in 2004. Its design is heavily influenced by Hermann Hauser's work circa 1937, although it is not precisely a Hauser copy. The body appears to be rosewood, but it is quite pale for rosewood and highly figured. The top is solid Englemann spruce. The scale length is 650mm. The entire instrument is French polished, making it an item NOT to sweat all over. The finish is applied thinly on the top but much thicker (thankfully) on the rest of the body. This is an acoustic instrument and did not come from the manufacturer with any provision for electronic amplification. Tuning machines are of unknown (to me) origin and perform wonderfully, very smooth. They are also quite attractive. The body is shaped in the traditional Hauser style, small, proportional in depth, and quite comfortable to hold. The instrument came with a non-descript but highly adequate hardshell case.

What impressed me with this guitar when purchased was the sound. I play strictly classical on my classical guitars (well, I might do some chord-melody cocktail jazz stuff once in a while, but that isn't my forte.) I have always been impressed by Hermann Hauser II guitars, my teacher in college (Albert Valdes-Blain) owned two and I drooled over them when allowed to touch. I have found that new classical guitars tend to open up and improve after a few months of play, and, in the case of spruce tops, continue to improve for a number of years. This fine guitar was no exception. It possessed a very pleasant and balanced voice in the shop, but has improved tremendously over the past year.

As of this writing, the sound is very very similar to Albert Blain's 1959 Hauser. There is a woody depth to the bass notes--they don't snap and pop like a cedar top. The tone almost swells after the initial attack, the bass vibrates your chest. Very nice. Notes in the mid and upper registers are clean, super clean, and blend nicely when contrapuntal music is executed.

Some say that only cedar tops such as those designs Fleta and Ramirez have championed are suitable for romantic Spanish repertoire. I believe (and I might be wrong) that Hauser copied Torres and it doesn't get any more Spanish than that! Albeniz sounds great on this Hill. Bach is sublime. This guitar is no one trick pony. Volume is suprising for such a diminutive instrument. With D'Addario composites, it absolutely smokes my 27 year old Washburn Master Classic Hauser model. (Which has aged very nicely.) The top has really opened up, increasing in both volume as well as clarity. These ten months of daily practice and exercise have really done amazing things for the tone. It started off good and is now boarderline excellent. And that is said without regard to price.

Action. Okay, here I had issues. I did switch to a higher tension string and raise the action slightly after a week of ownership. The action as supplied from the dealer was amazingly low (and I don't write 'manufacturer' here as the guitar seemed to have been at the shop for quite a while and I think the luthier on-site -- very good, by the way -- may have lowered the action to make the instrument appeal more to his clientele. ) The action for me was too low. The guitar played without buzz and with acceptible volume, but I knew the instrument was under-performing.

I had worked for a number of years for a luthier (Barry Lipman) and had no trouble fabricating an ebony shim that raised the saddle up to where I felt the action was optimal for MY performance style and tactile preference. Was it a huge increase? No! The tone improved exponentially. So -- how much did I jack up the saddle? About the thickness of two business cards. The guitar is equipped with a truss road (dual action) which is a bit of a departure from tradition, but certainly makes for a slimmer neck and the ability to make seasonal adjustments. A blessing! The rod seemed to be adjusted to perfection, or I would have loosened it a bit to raise the strings a hair. Coupling this with a switch to composites put a bit of snarl and quite a bit more volume into an already great tone.

Fit and Finish. Hmmm. Inside, the craftsmanship is just impeccable. I got the mirror and lamp out and relished the workmanship inside the body. The instrument is tight, solidly --though lightly-- built. The fretwork is truly artistry. My only complaint is that the headstock is carved slightly asymetrically. Enough to make me unhappy? No, not really. If there were any nasty bits, I'd prefer them as cosmetic and not inside the box. It is just interesting on an instrument of this calibre, especially if you could see how beautiful the inside is.

Top wood is another minor itch to me. The radial rings are not as tight as I'd want, but, But, BUT, in this price range, I don't fault the maker for this at all. Still... Hey, I'm just fussy. Overly fussy -- and please note, the tone is exceptional and I could not believe that anything suffers due to wood selection.

The guitar had two blems in the top finish that eat at me to this day. I know these were generated by putz customers at the shop where I purchased it, not as delivered from Hill. I am very very careful with my guitars and to have such blems is a sin to me. If the guitar hadn't sounded and felt so terrific, I would have passed. But, to me, those two characteristics are the most important. [I was contacted by Kenny Hil'sl people who said that if I'd like, they would be more than happy to touch up the finish. Their customer relations are just superb and I truly believe they are as enthusiastic about the customer as they are about their instruments.]

This is a truly well-crafted guitar. With a little extra care for the French polish, this instrument will be an heirloom for my daughter. I would (and have and will) depend on this guitar in performance settings. Photo of my daughter Amanda playing my 27 year old Hauser copy and the butt-ugly me with the Hill, October 30, 2004.

Customer Support is very responsive. I had a question that was answered quickly and satisfactorily by email. I truly believe that all customer service issues are influenced two things -- the phase of the moon and what the customer brings to the dialog. A decent attitude on the customer's part will often result in excellent latitude with the customer rep at the company. Please see my note above re the finish.

I have played classical for 28 years with a eight year hiatus due to a major auto accident. I own a '76 Ramirez and a '78 Washburn Hauser copy. I have played almost everything -- Fleta, Romanillos, Bernabe, Kohno, Humphrey -- so I have a pretty good handle on what guitars should sound, project and feel like. If this one were stolen, I'd certainly replace it, but not before trying out the Hill 1937 Hauser copy. The sound is what does it for me with this guitar. I am intrigued to see what the next few years bring ou tof that top. This is the best bang for the buck I have ever seen in classical guitars. This instrument performs on a par with anything you'd care to mention regardless of price. Nice job, Mr. Hill.

 

Some Detail Photographs:

Headstock is traditional Hauser shape and decoration.

Tailblock view. Nice match on the sides, beautiful execution of binding.

Shapely little Hauser-style body and closeup of label and rosette. Rosette is a good facsimile of the 1937 Segovia Hauser at the Metroploitan Museum of Art in New York City. (If memory serves.)

 

 

What's New? The New Album!

Hey, the new album is out! That's right, finally a follow-up to the reissue of my old album from the late 1980's.

Reflecting Pools is a departure for me as it is totally keyboard. Well, the guitar did show up on one track...