1968 José Ramírez "2a" No. 2998 CD/CSAR

This 1968 José Ramírez "2a" No. 2998 is a cedar-top classical guitar with CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, built by Manuel Cáceres and set up with the lowest action of any Ramírez we've seen.

The Ramírez "2a"

This instrument was built in 1968 in the famous José Ramírez III workshop, which for over half a century has produced instruments played by countless professionals. The "2a" models are pretty much identical to the standard "1a" in all ways – the Ramírez shop claimed back in the day that the lower price tag was due to either using materials that may have minor aesthetic blemishes, such as small knots, or what in Spain are called "cocas" (darker areas of resin concentration in the grain), or if they were built by an apprentice and not a foreman. However, after many decades of discussion, many players and aficionados have concluded that a great 2a can be identical to a great 1a. This instrument in fact is stamped internally with the initials "MC", designating the great Manuel Cáceres as its builder.

A Curious Label

Unusually, the label is the regular numbered label of the 1a guitars, signed by José Ramírez III and numbered 2998 – only the class in the corner is marked "2a". (The 2a got a label of its own a few years later.)

Condition and Playability

It has three well-repaired cracks: one in the soundboard below the bridge, one at the foot where the sides join, and the third alongside the center seam of the back. It has also had an additional layer of finish applied to the entire guitar, and it does have nicks and dings all over the body, but otherwise it is in excellent, ready-to-play condition. It sounds great, exactly like a classic Ramírez from this period should – that famous tone, thick yet clear, with the essential warm, mysterious and moody quality. An excellent player's guitar, this one also has had the bridge cut down quite low and converted to a 12-hole system that allows for extremely low action – probably the lowest (and most comfortable) of any Ramírez we've ever seen. Simply put, easy to play and great sounding.

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".