1974 José Ramírez "2a" No. R1353 CD/CSAR

This 1974 José Ramírez "2a" No. R1353 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, with no cracks or repairs.

The "2a": Pretty Much Identical to the "1a"

It comes from the famous workshop of José Ramírez III, whose instruments have been played by countless professionals for well over half a century – Segovia and Sting, Sabicas and Chet Atkins, Christopher Parkening and Lee Ritenour among them. In all ways a "2a" is pretty much identical to the standard "1a". The Ramírez shop's explanation for the lower price tag, back in the day, was that it either used materials that might have minor aesthetic blemishes, such as small knots or "cocas" (as the Spanish call darker areas of resin concentration in the grain), or had been built by an apprentice and not a foreman. Many decades of discussion later, however, many players and aficionados agree that a great 2a can be identical to a great 1a.

Playability and Sound

This one has first-class tone and workmanship, offering a sound on par with the very best of the Ramírez workshop. The neck is lovely and the action easy, so it is very easy to play – despite the way many of the guitars of this period were set up. You hear it straight away – a thick yet clear tone with that essential warm, moody and mysterious quality that made Ramírez famous.

The Label and Condition

On the red-bordered grey label of the 2a – new in 1973 – are the year 1974, the number R1353 from the 2a's own "R" series and the signature of José Ramírez III. It also carries the small green sticker of the American distributor, Antigua Casa Sherry-Brener ("Modelo Segovia – Hecho a Mano"). It features beautiful materials and is in great condition for its age – no cracks or repairs, just some mild playing wear, including a ding behind the bridge. An excellent example of a fine Ramírez for the active concert player or recording artist.

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".