1968 José Ramírez "1a MT" No. 2800 CD/IN

This 1968 José Ramírez "1a MT" No. 2800 is a cedar-top classical guitar with Indian rosewood back and sides, made by Mariano Tezanos in the same year as Segovia's own MT; Carlos Bedoya plays Rodrigo's "Passacaglia" on it in the video above.

A 1968 Mariano Tezanos

It has the classic, identifiable Ramírez sound of the era: a rich, thick and yet clear voice from top to bottom, and the essential warm, mysterious and moody quality that made the workshop famous. 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 his favorite Ramírez (see our list of Ramírez workshop luthiers).

Label and Condition

The label is the new numbered type, signed by José Ramírez III: No. 2800, 1968. There are two cracks in the back that have been repaired, along with a very small crack in the top, repaired internally with glue only. Otherwise it is a striking and bold example of a top Ramírez from their golden era.

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".