2017 José Ramírez "4NCWE" No. 063 CD/IN

This 2017 José Ramírez "4NCWE" No. 063 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides – the top cutaway-electric model of the NE series.

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 under Amalia Ramírez, who has directed the family business since the death of her brother José IV in 2000.

The NE Line

The NE line is the new and improved "E" line, which José Ramírez III designed in 1986. Amalia Ramírez created it in 2008 by updating the patterns of the E line's rosettes, purflings and tie blocks, while staying true to her father's original designs in the basic construction. A little lighter in weight than the concert models, they have the same beautiful, rich tone that is typical of José Ramírez guitars. The 4NCWE has the specs of the 4NE – the top NE model – with a cutaway, a Fishman pickup and on-board equalization: perfect for the crossover player of jazz, pop and classical, or for the performing classical guitarist who prefers not to use a microphone.

Sound, Detail and Label

It has a rich, robust tone, with excellent volume and clarity, a 50mm nut, and the most refined detailing of the studio guitars, including the hand-inlaid purfling. A new hardshell case was included. The orange "Guitarras de Estudio" 4NCWE label is dated 2017, numbered 063 and stamped "Calidad Ramírez" – "Diseñada, Revisada y Certificada por Ramírez".

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.