2011 José Ramírez "GH" No. 307 SP/IN

This 2011 José Ramírez "GH" No. 307 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides – the George Harrison model, a reproduction of the Ramírez he used in "A Hard Day's Night".

A 2011 Ramírez from Calle de la Paz

This guitar was built in the famous José Ramírez workshop in Madrid, which for well over half a century has made instruments for countless professionals – Sting and Segovia, Chet Atkins and Sabicas, Lee Ritenour and Christopher Parkening. It was made at Calle de la Paz 8 at the start of the second decade under Amalia Ramírez, who has directed the family business since the death of her brother José IV in 2000.

The "GH": George Harrison

The "GH" (George Harrison) model is an improved and authentic reproduction of the José Ramírez studio model that George Harrison used during the recording of the classic Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night", heard on "Till There Was You" and "And I Love Her". It has all-solid woods and ornaments similar to those of the original.

The Sticker and Case

Each guitar of the workshop's artist and limited-edition series tells a story – made to commemorate a milestone in the Ramírez history or to celebrate an accomplished musician, and handmade with only the most precious cuts of wood. Inside is the blue round Ramírez sticker of the model: "Modelo GH, Año 2011, Nº Serie 307". A HumiCase Protege hardshell case was included.

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.

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.