1900's Manuel Ramirez "Santos" SP/MH

The Manuel Ramirez shop is undoubtedly the most important workshop of the early turn-of-the-century, post-Torres era of guitar making. Manuel Ramirez (1864-1916) committed himself to ensuring the survival of the "Torres" design into the 20th century (and beyond). With his vision and determination, coupled with a shop assembled of the finest builders alive at the time (including none other than Santos Hernandez, Domingo Esteso, Modesto Borreguero, Pascual Viudes and very likely Enrique Garcia), he successfully produced great instruments that secured the legacy of Torres for all future generations of guitar makers. This particular guitar is a perfect example of the style and sound that had such a profound impact on its listeners and players. It's a small-bodied instrument with deep basses, golden and vibrant trebles, and rich textures of sound interwoven with the clear, bell-like fundamentals.

Its feather-like weight gives it incredible volume and instant response. It is no wonder that in recent years more and more contemporary luthiers have worked to re-discover this style of build, as it has an absolutely mystical and magical charm that has continued to captivate players and listeners from the turn of the 19th century up to the present. The sound is unmistakably Spanish - deep, dark and mysterious, and the experience of playing a guitar like this is unique, likely also due to the age and its having been played regularly for over 100 years. This guitar was featured in Vintage Guitar Magazines's "Guitars With Guts" column, written by Richard Brune in October 2004 in article entitled "A Masterpiece by Santos Hernandez", where in addition to singing the praises of the instrument for its original condition, near-perfect craftsmanship and beautiful tone, Brune identifies Santos Hernandez as clearly being this instruments author, based on several internal and external details. He also dates the instrument to 1898-1900 based on the label. It is a more deluxe model, featuring valuable and rare materials, including Cuban mahogany for the back and sides (more rare and valuable than any CSA rosewoods) and intricate marquetry, most notably the use of mother-of-pearl in the rosette, etc. As mentioned, it is in excellent, very original condition (including finish, tuning machines, etc), with some tightly-closed and very stable cracks in the body (glue only on the top cracks, small cleats for the back). This guitar would make a fantastic concert as well as recording instrument for any modern setting. It's simply a great "guitar" - its versatility as a musical instrument beautifully accommodates virtually any style brought to it by the hand of the individual player.