2012 José Ramírez "1a C650-P" No. X1-040 CD/CSAR

This 2012 José Ramírez "1a C650-P" No. X1-040 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides; Tavi Jinariu plays "Wild Mountain Thyme" in the video above.

Built in the Calle de la Paz Workshop

It comes from the famous José Ramírez workshop – today directed by Amalia Ramírez – whose instruments have been played by countless professionals over more than half a century, from Segovia and Sabicas to Sting, Chet Atkins, Lee Ritenour and Christopher Parkening. Amalia Ramírez, who took over from her brother José IV in 2000, inspects every guitar from the workshop during and after construction; this one comes from her second decade in charge.

A First-Class Ramírez

The "1a" designation stands for "primera" – first, or highest, quality – and the model represents the top level of the workshop in workmanship, detail and choice of wood. It follows the classic design of José Ramírez III, but with the standard 650mm string length and an easy neck angle, so it plays more easily than many earlier Ramírez concert guitars. For attention to detail, quality of construction and sound, this is a first-class instrument. The "P" in the code is for palosanto – CSA rosewood – and this set is particularly striking.

Tone, Playability and Label

You hear it straight away: the warm, colorful and moody Ramírez sound, thick yet clear. It plays easily, with a comfortable neck and a low, easy action. In the video above Tavi Jinariu plays "Wild Mountain Thyme". Its label is dated 2012, numbered X1-040 and signed by Amalia Ramírez, and the model code "C650-P Tradicional" is written by hand beside the class.

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.

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.