2019 José Ramírez "1a C650" No. X9-004 CD/AR

This 2019 José Ramírez "1a C650" No. X9-004 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and African rosewood back and sides, in brand-new condition.

Built in the Calle de la Paz Workshop

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. Since 2000 the workshop has been in the hands of Amalia Ramírez, and this guitar was made well into her direction.

The C650 Tradicional

Possibly one of the most played and best-known Spanish guitars in history, the Ramírez "1a" continues to satisfy players as a truly outstanding performance instrument by any standard. Built to the classic Ramírez concert design with a standard 650mm scale – hence the code C650 – it pairs the traditional sound with an easy neck angle. For attention to detail, quality of construction and sound, this is a first-class instrument. This one has a particularly striking and beautiful set of African rosewood for the back and sides.

Playability and Condition

The sound has all the color and warmth of a classic Ramírez – thick yet clear, warm and a little mysterious. It is very easy to play, with a lovely neck and easy action. Although second-hand, the guitar is in brand-new condition, and a custom BAM case was included. The label is signed by Amalia Ramírez, dated 2019 and numbered X9-004, with "Trad. C-650" written beside the class.

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.