1970 José Ramírez "1a" No. 4449 CD/CSAR

This 1970 José Ramírez "1a" No. 4449 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in Madrid by Arturo Sanzano and once the guitar of Rafael Paiva, close friend of Antonio Lauro and Alirio Díaz.

A 1970 Ramírez from Madrid

For more than half a century, guitars from the José Ramírez III workshop have been in the hands of countless professionals, from Segovia to Sting, from Sabicas to Chet Atkins and from Christopher Parkening to Lee Ritenour. This was still a big, exciting era for the workshop, often called its golden era: the Ramírez concert guitar had conquered the world's stages, and the top players kept coming to Concepción Jerónima in droves.

Stamped "AS": Arturo Sanzano

This guitar is stamped "AS" (Arturo Sanzano; see our list of Ramírez workshop luthiers).

Tone and Playability

Playability is very easy, with a lovely neck and easy action, which is not a given with guitars of this era and the way they were often set up. Thick yet clear, the tone has the warm, mysterious and moody character that made the Ramírez name famous, the sound heard on so many of Segovia's and Parkening's recordings from this time. It features lush CSA rosewood for the back and sides – quite a treat for the eyes.

The Label and Condition

No. 4449 is written on the label, which is dated 1970 and signed by José Ramírez III. Over many years the guitar was shared among a circle of friends (see below), as its current condition attests – quite a bit of playing wear, but no cracks or repairs of any kind. A hardshell case was included.

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".