1966 José Ramírez "1a" CD/CSAR

This 1966 José Ramírez "1a" is a classical guitar with a cedar top and dramatic CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, in completely original condition, with no cracks or repairs.

A 1966 Ramírez from the Golden Years

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. This guitar was built during the golden years of José Ramírez III.

Playability and Sound

It is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and easy action, and was re-fretted by Yuris Zeltins with taller frets, which also improves left-hand playability. The tone is thick yet clear, with that essential warm, mysterious and moody quality that made Ramírez famous in the great recordings made by Segovia and Parkening at this time. It features beautiful materials, including dramatic CSA rosewood for the back and sides – quite a treat for the eyes.

Label and Condition

The label is dated 1966, with the small green sticker of the American distributor – "Modelo Segovia – Hecho a Mano – Exclusivos Distribuidores – Antigua Casa Sherry-Brener, Ltd. – Madrid · Granada · Cádiz · Chicago". The condition is great for its age – there are no cracks or repairs, and it is in completely original condition with average playing wear. An excellent example of a fine Ramírez for either collector or concert player.

There is much more about the workshop on our blog – The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar, the family members from Amalia Ramírez back to José I, and some 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".