1989 José Ramírez "1a" No. A-2106 CD/IN (ex Gianvito Pulzone)

This 1989 José Ramírez "1a" No. A-2106 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, previously owned by the Italian guitarist Gianvito Pulzone.

The Ramírez 1a in 1989

The Ramírez 1a is possibly one of the most played and best-known of any Spanish-made guitar in history, and it continues to satisfy players as an outstanding performance instrument by any standard. This guitar has all the color and warmth normally associated with a great Ramírez, and its playability is more like that of the Madrid-made guitars of the 1950s. For attention to detail, quality of construction and sound, we rate this instrument very highly.

Label and Condition

The label is numbered A-2106 and dated 1989. The guitar is in great condition, with one small crack in the top, at the far edge of the lower bout on the treble side, that was just expertly repaired by German Vázquez Rubio; otherwise condition is excellent, with only minor wear in the finish. Easy to play, with that immediately identifiable, classic sound that only comes from a great Ramírez concert guitar.

Ex Gianvito Pulzone

This guitar was previously owned by Gianvito Pulzone, a member of the Guitart Quartet in Italy. As a soloist, Gianvito was the only Italian guitarist to make it to the final round of the 2020 Latin Grammys, with his CD dedicated to Leo Brouwer.

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".