2016 José Ramírez "Guitarra del Tiempo" No. 017 CD/IN

This 2016 José Ramírez "Guitarra del Tiempo" No. 017 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides – one of the first of the model, from its first year.

The Ramírez Workshop in 2016

Segovia, Sabicas, Christopher Parkening, Chet Atkins, Lee Ritenour, Sting – the list of professionals who have played instruments from the José Ramírez workshop over more than half a century is practically endless. It was made at Calle de la Paz 8 under Amalia Ramírez, who has directed the family business since the death of her brother José IV in 2000.

The "Guitarra del Tiempo"

The "Guitarra del Tiempo" continues the Ramírez anniversary models as the direct follow-up to the popular "130 Años", but unlike the earlier models it is a permanent addition to the Ramírez line of classical and flamenco guitars, with the distinctive soundhole rosette changing over time. It has a newly designed, enhanced top-brace system that delivers articulate notes and a full-bodied tone.

Sound and Label

Its ample volume and reactive dynamics will satisfy the most demanding guitarist – you can feel its power in your belly and relish the lingering sustain of its harmonics across all six strings. The "Studio Guitar – Guitarra del Tiempo" label is dated 2016, No. 017, with the line "We celebrate over 135 years since the foundation of our workshop in 1882".

Two Videos

In the videos above Amalia Ramírez presents the Guitarra del Tiempo and talks about the Ramírez legacy.

More reading on our blog: The Ramírez Family: Masters of the Guitar, The José Ramírez Dynasty (from Amalia back to José I) and some interesting fact-checking in 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.