1943 José Ramírez II SP/CY

This 1943 José Ramírez II is a spruce and cypress classical guitar from Madrid – a full-sized guitar from the war years, with a rich, sustaining classical tone despite its cypress back and sides.

A Full-Sized Ramírez from the War Years

This particular guitar is a fantastic example from precisely the era after the Civil War, when materials were scarce, with a full-sized feel comparable to most modern instruments (many Ramírez guitars from this period are notably "smaller" in size).

An Old-World Sound

The sound is very old-world – loose and responsive with a clear fundamental and a lovely bouquet of controlled overtones contained in every note. It also has a rich, sustaining classical tone, which is noteworthy given that the back and sides are made from cypress. It is in excellent playing condition with several well-repaired cracks in the body that are perfectly stable. Overall, a very playable example from the workshop of José Ramírez II, who helped define the style of the great mid-century Spanish guitar.

José Ramírez II: Twenty Years in South America

José Ramírez II (1885–1957), the eldest son of José Ramírez I, grew up in his father's shop, learning from his father and from journeymen such as his uncle Manuel Ramírez and Enrique García. A guitarist as well as a maker, at 20 he left on what was meant to be a two-year tour of South America – it turned into almost twenty years in Buenos Aires. After his father's death he returned to Madrid, and in 1925 he took over the Ramírez workshop.

The Ramírez Workshop under José II

At this time, the workshop employed four workers: two journeymen, Alfonso Benito and Antonio Gómez, an advanced apprentice, Marcelo Barbero, who years later would become a famous guitar maker, and the varnisher Manuel Rodríguez (nicknamed "Marequi"), whose son Manuel later became a well-known guitar maker himself. In 1929 José II won the Gold Medal at the Ibero-American Exposition in Seville. Under his direction, the workshop produced mostly plain, inexpensive but adequate guitars, particularly after 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, when high quality materials were difficult to obtain. Despite these challenges, Ramírez II was able to fill the economic niche for well-made guitars bearing the name of a famous workshop – instruments very usable for serious musicians in both flamenco and classical genres.

Read More about the Ramírez Family

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