1981 José Ramírez "1a" No. 14987 CD/IN

This 1981 José Ramírez "1a" No. 14987 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides; Pardy Minassian plays Arnaud Dumond's "Comme un Hommage à Ravel" on it in the video above.

Made in the Concepción Jerónima Workshop

Countless professionals have performed on instruments from the famous José Ramírez III workshop over the past half century and more – think of Sting and Segovia, Sabicas and Chet Atkins, or Lee Ritenour and Christopher Parkening. It was made in what collectors often call the golden era of Ramírez – not because later guitars are any less fine, but because the guitars were still something of a novelty, future master luthiers were still in the workshop, and the great players of the day flocked to Madrid.

Sound and Playability

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. Its tone is thick yet clear – warm, mysterious and moody, the essential quality that made Ramírez famous. It features first-rate materials and has the classic Ramírez look, feel and sound.

Condition and Label

The 1981 label carries No. 14987 and the signature of José Ramírez III. It's in excellent condition, with only one well-repaired hairline crack in the lower bout of the top between the bridge and the foot, as well as some minor cosmetic wear in the finish. Overall a great 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".