1962 José Ramírez "1a AM" SP/CSAR

This 1962 José Ramírez "1a AM" is a classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in Madrid at the Concepción Jerónima workshop – a peak-era Ramírez from the decade that defined the modern concert guitar.

Built in the José Ramírez III Workshop

This guitar was built in the famous José Ramírez 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.

Stamped "AM": Antonio Martínez

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 and Sound

It is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and easy action, despite the way many of the guitars from this period were set up. The tone is thick yet clear, and has that essential warm, mysterious and moody quality that made Ramírez famous. It features first-rate materials and high-quality workmanship.

Condition

Condition is exceptional, with only one (barely noticeable) hairline crack in one of the sides (near the foot), internally repaired with 4 small wooden cleats. This is a very strong example of a top '60s Ramírez – for the serious player or collector seeking out a peak example of Ramírez at their finest, this has it all.

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