2004 José Ramírez "1a C664" No. Y4-048 CD/IN

This 2004 José Ramírez "1a C664" No. Y4-048 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides – a long-scale Tradicional, with a 664mm string length and a 54mm nut.

Built in the Calle de la Paz Workshop

Countless professionals have performed on instruments from the famous José Ramírez 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 at Calle de la Paz 8 in the first decade under Amalia Ramírez, who took over the family business after the death of her brother José IV in 2000.

The Long-Scale C664

Possibly one of the most played and best-known Spanish guitars in history, the Ramírez "1a" continues to satisfy players as a truly outstanding performance instrument by any standard. Most Tradicionales have the standard 650mm string length; this one was built to the longer 664mm scale of the earlier Ramírez concert guitars, with a wider 54mm nut – its label code is "C664 Tradicional". It has one of their classic rosettes and purflings, which are absolutely stunning.

Tone, Playability and Label

It is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and easy action. The tone is thick yet clear, with that essential warm, mysterious and moody quality that made Ramírez famous. Although this is a previously owned instrument, it is in excellent condition, with only wear in the finish, and structurally sound with no cracks or repairs. A hardshell case was included. The 2004 label carries No. Y4-048 and the signature of Amalia Ramírez – with the model code "C664 Tradicional" written beside it.

There is much more about the workshop on our blog – The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar, the family members from Amalia Ramírez back to José I, and some 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.

The Workshop Under Amalia Ramírez

Under Amalia Ramírez the workshop has kept the classic concert guitar at the heart of its range – the "1a" (first class) in the "Tradicional" design, its model code written by hand on the label: C650 for a cedar top with Indian rosewood, "-A" for a spruce (abeto) top, "-P" for CSA rosewood (palosanto) and "-AP" for both, with F656 and F656-A for the cedar and spruce flamencos. Around it she has built a wider family of models: the "Centenario" and "Elite", made with the workshop's most precious woods; the reissued "SP" and "2a"; the "Auditorio", "Antigua" and "Guitarra del Tiempo"; anniversary series such as the "125 Años" and "130 Años"; replicas of historic guitars, from the 1912 Manuel Ramírez played by Segovia to the 1913 "Guitarra de Tablao" of José Ramírez I; and the studio lines NE, R and FL. The concert guitars carry the Calle de la Paz 8 label, signed by Amalia Ramírez with her star signature and numbered with a letter-and-number code (Centenario and Elite have numbers of their own), while the studio guitars have an orange "Guitarras de Estudio" label, "Diseñada, Revisada y Certificada por Ramírez", with the red "Calidad Ramírez" stamp.