1912 Manuel Ramírez SP/CSAR

A drop-dead gorgeous 1912 Manuel Ramírez with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides – a smaller-bodied, richly detailed model from the same year as Segovia's famous Ramírez.

In the video above, Irina Kulikova plays Eduardo Diaz's "Te Amo" on this guitar.

A Deluxe 1912 Manuel Ramírez

This instrument was built the same year as Segovia's famous and iconic 1912 Manuel Ramírez (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), but it is a smaller-bodied model with intricate detailing, including some very fine mother-of-pearl inlay work in the rosette and bridge. It must have been one of the more expensive models offered by the shop, as it also uses very fine materials, including a beautiful set of CSA rosewood for the back and sides.

A Surprisingly Huge Sound

The instrument has a surprisingly "huge" sound with a magnificent quality of tone, and its feather-like weight gives it instant response. Deep basses, sparkling trebles and rich textures of sound are interwoven with clear, focused fundamentals. The sound is unmistakably Spanish – deep, dark and mysterious – and playing a guitar like this is a unique experience, likely also thanks to its age and more than 100 years of playing.

Condition

There are some repairs to the back and sides and one crack on the soundboard, all well repaired and stable. Overall, a beautiful example of a top model from this famous workshop in every regard – performer and collector alike will be thrilled with it.

Manuel Ramírez (1864–1916): The Madrid Workshop After Torres

The Manuel Ramírez shop was undoubtedly the most important guitar workshop of the early post-Torres era. Brother and former pupil of José Ramírez I, Manuel committed himself to carrying the Torres design into the 20th century, and he gathered the finest builders of his day to do it: Santos Hernández, Domingo Esteso, Modesto Borreguero, Pascual Viudes and, very likely, Enrique García. Together they produced guitars that secured the legacy of Torres for every generation of makers that followed.

Segovia's 1912 Manuel Ramírez

The shop's most famous instrument is the 1912 guitar played by the young Andrés Segovia, built by Santos Hernández and today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, alongside Segovia's 1937 Hermann Hauser I.

The "Viuda de Manuel Ramírez" Label

After Manuel's death in 1916, the workshop went on completing instruments under the label of his widow ("Viuda de Manuel Ramírez"). His craftsmen later founded workshops of their own – Santos Hernández on Calle de la Aduana and Domingo Esteso at Gravina 7 – carrying the shop's sound and standards deep into the 20th century.