1960 José Ramírez "1a AM" SP/CSAR

This 1960 José Ramírez "1a AM" is a French-polished classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, once owned by the great Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida.

A Featherweight 1960 Ramírez

It comes from the famous workshop of José Ramírez III, whose instruments have been played by countless professionals for well over half a century – Segovia and Sting, Sabicas and Chet Atkins, Christopher Parkening and Lee Ritenour among them. This 1960 Ramírez 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 a very strong fundamental, and yet full of character and depth from the controlled overtones.

Built by Antonio Martínez ("AM")

It is stamped internally with the builder's initials, "AM" (Antonio Martínez), the same maker who built Ramírez guitars for Segovia and Parkening (for a complete list of Ramírez luthiers from this era, click here). Playability is excellent – this is from the period just before Ramírez introduced the bulkier, ebony-reinforced necks, so this guitar has a nice, smooth, easy neck with low action.

Condition and Label

For its age, the condition is exceptional – there are only some signs of playing wear, but no damage or repairs. The blue-grey bordered label is dated 1960, with a small handwritten note on it.

Ex Laurindo Almeida

An additional treat – the previous owner of the guitar acquired it from the famous Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida in 1963, and 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. In the video above, Almeida plays a guitar with The Modern Jazz Quartet that looks identical to this one – we believe there is a good chance this could be the same guitar!

To learn more, read The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar; meet the family members from Amalia Ramírez back to José I; and for some interesting fact-checking, see our article on myths and facts about this legendary workshop.

The José Ramírez Workshop of Madrid

Founded in Madrid in 1882 by José Ramírez I, the Ramírez workshop has produced guitars for more than a century and through five generations of the family. José Ramírez III (1922–1995) took over as maestro in 1957 and developed the Ramírez concert guitar we know today – large in body, with a long string length and a cedar or spruce top, with great power, sustain, sweetness and balance across the entire register. He popularized western red cedar as a soundboard wood, and from the 1960s Andrés Segovia played José Ramírez guitars to the end of his days.

Ramírez Craftsmen and the Next Generations

From the 1960s to the 1990s the workshop trained many of the most talented guitarreros of the day, among them Paulino Bernabé and Manuel Contreras. In 1995 the shop moved from Calle Concepción Jerónima 2 to Calle de la Paz 8, and since the death of José Ramírez IV in June 2000 the business has been directed by his sister, Amalia Ramírez, who inspects every guitar during and after construction.

Ramírez Models, Labels and Builders' Stamps

For decades the workshop sold its guitars by class rather than by model name. The "1a" (first class) was the standard concert guitar; the "2a" (second class) was built the same way, and the shop explained its lower price tag by materials that might have minor aesthetic blemishes, or by its having been built by an apprentice rather than a foreman. Flamenco guitars add an "F" – "1aF" and "2aF". Until 1967 the labels carried only the year; from 1967 they were signed by José Ramírez III and gave the guitar's number and class, and from 1973 the 2a had a grey label of its own, with a red border and "R" numbers. Until 1971, many Ramírez guitars were stamped inside with the initials of the craftsman who built them – AM for Antonio Martínez, MT for Mariano Tezanos, PB for Paulino Bernabé and many more (see our list of Ramírez workshop luthiers). Later decades brought new models: the "Centenario", which roughly marked the workshop's hundredth anniversary; the "Da Cámara"; the shorter-scale C86 of 1986; and, under José Ramírez IV, the "Tradicional" and the "Especial".