1966 José Ramírez "1a AM" CD/CSAR

This 1966 José Ramírez "1a AM" is a cedar-top classical guitar with CSA rosewood back and sides, built in Madrid by Antonio Martínez; Taso Comanescu plays Moreno Torroba's "Manzanares del Real" on a 1966 Ramírez in the video above.

A 1966 Ramírez by Antonio Martínez

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. Inside, it carries the stamp "AM" – Antonio Martínez, the maker who built the Ramírez guitars of Segovia and Parkening (a complete list of the Ramírez luthiers of this era is here).

Playability and Sound

Playability is very easy, with a lovely neck and easy action, which is not a given with guitars of this era and the way they were often set up. The tone is thick and yet clear, with the essential warmth and the mysterious, moody quality that made these guitars famous. It features first-rate materials and high-quality workmanship.

Condition

Condition is exceptional, with no prior damage or repairs, only some very modest wear in the finish; the label is dated 1966. One of the stronger examples of a top '60s Ramírez we've seen in recent years – for the serious player or collector seeking out a peak example of Ramírez at their finest, this has it all.

For the story of the workshop, read The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar and The José Ramírez Dynasty; for some interesting fact-checking, see José Ramírez: myths and facts.

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".