1960 Jose Ramirez "1a" (AM) SP/CSAR (ex Laurindo Almeida)

This guitar was built in the famous Jose Ramirez III workshop, which for over half a century has produced instruments performed on by countless professionals from Sting to Segovia, Chet Atkins to Sabicas and Lee Ritenour to Christopher Parkening. This 1960 Ramirez is as light as a feather and extremely comfortable to play, with an exciting old-world sound similar to other mid-century instruments, (including Fleta, etc.) from the same period. The tone is dry and pure with with a very strong fundamental, and yet full of character and depth from the controlled overtones. It is stamped internally with the builder's initials, "AM" (Antonio Martinez), the same maker who built Ramirez guitars for Segovia and Parkening (For a complete list of Ramirez luthiers from this era, click here). For its age, the condition is exceptional - there is only some signs of playing wear but no damage or repairs. Playability is excellent - this is from the period just before Ramirez introduced the bulkier, ebony re-enforced necks, so this guitar has a nice smooth easy neck with low action. An additional treat - the previous owner of the guitar acquired it from the famous Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida, in 1963, and has owned it ever since. The original hardshell case bears Almeida's name on a small tag, and his name is also stamped on the upper harmonic bar inside the guitar, visible by tilting the guitar at an angle and looking inside. There is a video of Almeida playing on a guitar that looks identical to this one - we believe there is a good chance this could be the same guitar!

For more information on Ramirez, be sure to read The Ramirez Family: Masters of the Guitar, or for information on the Ramirez family members, from Amalia Ramirez back to Jose I and for some interesting fact-checking on myths and facts about this legendary workshop.