1987 José Ramírez "1a" No. A 793 CD/CSAR

This 1987 José Ramírez "1a" No. A 793 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides – from the first years of the workshop's letter-series numbers, with no cracks or repairs.

Made in the Concepción Jerónima Workshop

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. 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

Despite the way many guitars from this period were set up, this one is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and an easy action. The sound is the classic one: thick yet clear, full of that warm, mysterious and moody quality for which Ramírez became famous.

Condition and Label

The label is numbered A 793 – by now Ramírez numbered its guitars in letter series – and dated 1987. It features first-rate materials and is in great condition for its age – no cracks or repairs anywhere on the instrument, only some minor dings and scratches in the finish; otherwise excellent structural condition. Overall a great example of a fine Ramírez for either collector or concert player.

For the story of the workshop, read The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar and The José Ramírez Dynasty; for some interesting fact-checking, see José Ramírez: myths and facts.

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".