Description
The Ramirez family has been building fine, high-quality guitars since 1882. Their instruments have been and are still played by some of the world’s greatest guitarists, such as Julian Bream, Andres Segovia, Laurindo Almeida, Oscar Ghiglia, Jose Luis Gonzales, and many others. Thus, the Ramirez dynasty, now spanning five generations, is an essential element in the history of classical guitar making. It began with Jose Ramirez I (1858-1923), who trained many guitar makers in his workshop in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among these illustrious luthiers are Enrique Garcia, Julian Gomez Ramirez, Antonio Viudes and many others. They were followed by José Ramirez II (1885-1957), José Ramirez III (1922-1995), José Ramirez IV (1953 – 2000) and Amalia Ramirez (1955 – present).
José Ramirez III (1922-1995) was a pioneer of cedar tops for guitars. His instruments gained international fame in the 1960s through Andrés Segovia and his many students. Starting in 1965, José Ramirez III began developing a new instrument built with a top made of Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and featuring double sides (rosewood and cypress). This revolutionary new way of building guitars and the use of this innovative type of wood spread very quickly in the guitar world. In addition, Andrés Segovia played several J. Ramirez III as his main concert instrument. He played four instruments over an extended period of time [1962 (but dated 1963), Spruce, 1965, 1967, 1969 (all three cedar)].
This excellent 1973 José Ramirez III has a beautiful, Cites-certified Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a very responsive cedar top. It was built by experienced luthier and Ramirez workshop employee Manuel Cáceres Pizarro, of whom this guitar bears stamp number 8 inside the top. Due to the wonderful patina, craquelé varnish on the top, and beautiful Fustero tuners, this 1973 José Ramirez III has a wonderful vintage look. It has only one repaired crack on the top and a dent covered with a piece of cedar also on the top. The previous and only owner also had some orientation dots added to the side of the fingerboard. Tonally, this guitar is as close to a grand piano as a guitar can get. It produces almost endless seaming, dense and overtone-rich sounds with fantastic presence and stunning projection. This guitar is a jewel from one of the most respected guitar-making dynasties in the history of our instrument.
Luthier: | José Ramirez |
Construction year: | 1973 |
Top: | Cedar |
Body and sides: | Brazilian rosewood (CITES-certified) |
Scale: | 666 mm |
Nut: | 53 mm |
Weight: | 1774 grams |
Air resonance frequency: | A |
Tuners: | Fustero |
Strings: | Knobloch 400ADC |
Case: | Hiscox |
Condition: | Very good |