1964 José Ramírez "1a MT" SP/CSAR

This 1964 José Ramírez "1a MT" is a French-polished classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, made by Mariano Tezanos; Marina Tomei plays Moreno Torroba's "Los Mayos" on it in the video above.

From the Famous Ramírez Workshop

The José Ramírez III workshop, where this guitar was made, supplied countless professionals over more than fifty years: Andrés Segovia and Sabicas, Christopher Parkening and Chet Atkins, Lee Ritenour and even Sting. Here is that classic, identifiable Ramírez sound of the period – rich and thick, yet clear throughout the range, with the warm, mysterious and moody quality that made Ramírez famous.

Mariano Tezanos and the Doubled Sides

The MT stamp inside identifies Mariano Tezanos, who shares with Antonio Martínez (AM) the reputation of the most sought-after Ramírez maker – helped by the fondness Segovia had for his own 1968 MT, arguably one of his two favorite Ramírez guitars (see our list of Ramírez workshop luthiers). Here is the 1a model in its 'final' form: it has doubled sides, which we believe Ramírez introduced in 1964, making it one of the earliest examples we've seen.

Condition and Restoration

Condition is excellent, with only one repaired crack in the back (repaired with glue only, and invisible from the outside) and a recent refinish by German Vázquez Rubio. The tuners are brand-new Fusteros, supplied by Ramírez, identical to the machines that would have been on it in 1964. Overall, a striking and bold example of a top Ramírez from their golden era by one of its most legendary builders.

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.

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".