2016 José Ramírez "1a C650-AP" SP/CSAR

This 2016 José Ramírez "1a C650-AP" is a classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in Madrid in the José Ramírez workshop under the direction of Amalia Ramírez – the top-grade "1a" model with a 650mm scale.

From the José Ramírez Workshop, Directed by Amalia Ramírez

This guitar 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.

The Ramírez "1a": Primera Quality

This model is the famously designated "1a", which stands for "primera" in Spanish, and means "1st" or "highest" quality. The 1a Traditional represents top quality in workmanship, detail and choice of wood. They are truly outstanding performance instruments by any standard and have the unmistakable color and warmth of tone that we normally associate with a great Ramírez.

Playability, Materials and Details

Playability is a breeze and is reminiscent of the Madrid guitars of the 1950s for the sleek and comfortable neck shape. For attention to detail, quality of construction and sound, we rate this instrument very highly. This model features a particularly striking and beautiful set of rosewood for the back and sides. It has one of their classic rosettes and purflings, which are absolutely stunning.

To learn more about the family and its workshop, read The Ramirez Family: Masters of the Guitar, our history of the family from Amalia Ramirez back to Jose I, and 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.