1970 José Ramírez "1a" No. 4443 CD/CSAR

This 1970 José Ramírez "1a" No. 4443 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in Madrid by Fernando Morcuende and in completely original condition.

Built in the José Ramírez III Workshop

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. The early 1970s were still part of what many call the workshop's golden era – the Ramírez concert guitar was in demand all over the world, several luthiers who would later make their own names were at the benches, and elite players came to the shop in droves. This guitar was built during one of the best periods of José Ramírez III.

Stamped "FM": Fernando Morcuende

It is stamped internally with the initials FM – here Fernando Morcuende, who reused the initials of Félix Manzanero, an earlier Ramírez maker (for a complete list of Ramírez luthiers from this era, click here).

Sound and Playability

Despite the way many guitars from this period were set up, this one is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and an easy action. The tone is thick yet clear, and has that essential warm, mysterious and moody quality that made Ramírez famous in the great recordings made by Segovia and Parkening from this time. It features striking CSA rosewood for the back and sides – quite a treat for the eyes.

Label and Condition

On the label: José Ramírez III's signature, the year 1970 and No. 4443. The condition is excellent, with no cracks or repairs – the guitar is in completely original condition with average playing wear. An excellent example of a fine Ramírez for either collector or concert player.

To learn more, read The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar; meet the family members from Amalia Ramírez back to José I; and for some interesting fact-checking, see our article 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".