1966 José Ramírez "1a MT" CD/CSAR

This 1966 José Ramírez "1a MT" is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in Madrid by Mariano Tezanos – heard in four videos above, by Edison Pereyra, Jiji and Saro Babikian.

A Mariano Tezanos Ramírez

The voice is the classic Ramírez of this era, instantly identifiable – rich, thick and yet clear in every register, and full of that essential warm, mysterious, moody quality. Its builder was Mariano Tezanos, whose MT stamp is inside; he and AM (Antonio Martínez) are the most sought-after of the Ramírez makers, especially given Segovia's fondness for his 1968 MT, arguably his favorite Ramírez (our full list of the Ramírez makers of this period has more).

Label and Condition

The label is dated 1966 and carries the small green sticker of the American distributor – "Modelo Segovia – Hecho a Mano – Exclusivos Distribuidores – Antigua Casa Sherry-Brener, Ltd. – Madrid · Granada · Cádiz · Chicago". There are three small, hairline cracks in the top that were expertly repaired with small cleats and a cloth patch – all in areas not affected by sound (near the edge of the top where the bouts join, and under the fingerboard). Otherwise it is a striking and bold example of a top Ramírez from their golden era.

Curious about the family? Our blog has The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar, the whole line from Amalia Ramírez back to José I, and a little fact-checking on the 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".