José Ramirez – 1a 2011

Description

The Ramirez family has been building fine and high-quality guitars since 1882. These instruments were and are played by some of the greatest guitarists in the world such as Julian Bream, Andres Segovia, Laurindo Almeida, Oscar Ghiglia, Jose Luis Gonzales and many more. The Ramirez family is part of the history of the classical guitar. Jose Ramirez I (1858-1923) trained a large number of luthiers in his workshop at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. José Ramirez III (1922-1995) was a precursor in the use of Cedar as a top-wood and built several guitars for Andres Segovia.
This guitar, model 1a, is a very fine instrument. An interesting feature is its spruce top. Spruce was the only wood used by the Ramirez dynasty until the mid-1960s before cedar became the usual species used for the tops of Ramirez guitars. This model also has a regular 65 cm scale, in contrast to the typical 66,4 cm scale of the earlier models. This makes it a very comfortable guitar, yet unique in its sound quality. It is in very good condition, without any cracks and with only a small mark under the bridge, the usual sign of a slipping string.
What a roundness in the sound. The notes are balanced all along the fingerboard and the sustain is very consistent. It is a lovely concert guitar with a generous volume, wide dynamic possibilities and a rich palette of sound colours. With its strong projection, it is easy to play and can undoubtedly fill concert halls.