Given that this guitar deviated from the typical instruments I had encountered from Hermann Hauser before 1925, I reached out to Hermann Hauser III for insights. To my inquiry, he shared that he possesses two similar guitars in his collection, both dating back to 1917 and 1918.

This guitar was part of a series inspired by 17th and 18th-century French guitars that Hauser Sr. crafted for Prof. Heinrich Scherrer, a renowned lute and guitar virtuoso who held the title of "the king of the lute and guitar" in Munich from 1900 to 1920. In terms of construction, the back, sides, and neck are crafted from European flamed maple, while the top is fashioned from German spruce. True to Hauser Sr.'s approach with all instruments made for Prof. Scherrer, the top was intentionally left in a nearly natural state, devoid of varnish.

This guitar exhibits distinctive features, including a scalloped fingerboard with a zero fret and metal frets up to the 9th fret, with ivory employed for the upper frets. It boasts a string length of 645mm, a 48mm nut width, a body measuring 478mm, and an overall length of 965mm. The label bears the inscription "Herm. Hauser Lautenmacher in Munich Bayerstr. 33, A.D. 1914," while the maker's stamp is visible on the back, neck block, and top. The underside of the top bears Hauser's signature and the date "10/VII/1914."

Notably, the bridge on this guitar does not appear to be original. In terms of tonal characteristics, it embodies the quintessential Hauser sound: a harmonious, refined, and clear tone, slightly imbued with darkness, featuring vibrant trebles alongside resonant bass notes, and boasting commendable volume. THIS GUITAR IS NOW PART OF THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM IN PHOENIX, AZ