1977 José Ramírez "1a" No. 10957 CD/IN

This 1977 José Ramírez "1a" No. 10957 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides; Goran Krivokapić plays Tárrega's "¡Marieta!" on it in the video above.

The José Ramírez Workshop in 1977

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.

Playability and Sound

The voice is the classic Ramírez of this era, instantly identifiable – rich, thick and yet clear in every register, and full of that essential warm, mysterious, moody quality. It features beautiful materials, including lovely Indian rosewood back and sides with beautiful grain patterning.

Label and Condition

Its label, signed by José Ramírez III, is dated 1977 and numbered 10957. It's in great condition for its age – apart from the usual cosmetic wear in the finish, it does have repairs to the soundboard, to one 4-inch crack below the rosette on the treble side and two cracks on either side of the fingerboard, done conservatively, leaving the original finish intact. Overall a great-sounding example of a fine Ramírez for either collector or concert player.

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".