1976 José Ramírez "2a" No. R1767 CD/CSAR

This 1976 José Ramírez "2a" No. R1767 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides from Madrid, with beautiful materials.

A "2a" from the 1970s

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. The "2a" models are pretty much identical to the standard "1a" model 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.

Playability and Sound

Workmanship and tone are first-class here, with a sound on a par with the best that the Ramírez workshop could offer. 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 Label and Condition

It has the red-bordered 2a label that Ramírez used from 1973: dated 1976, signed by José Ramírez III and numbered R1767 – the "R" marks the 2a numbering. 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 – only one hairline crack in the back, expertly repaired, and a small filled area that was previously used for an endpin. 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".