José Ramirez clase 1A / Antonio Mateu Ramis

José Ramirez Clase 1A 1980

This 1980 clase 1A model was built by Enrique

Borreguero who's father was a very fine luthier

as well. Very good condition though the fretwork

was worn out. When placing new frets the fingerboard

will be flattened out keeping in mind that the upper

bass side allways has some give to let the lower

string vibrate freely. Apart from that the action at

the bridge can be corrected for optimal playability,

small damages to the fingerboard itself can be cured.

Strange thing about this example is that the inner sides 

are entirely veneered with rosewood as opposed to

the widely known cypress veneering. The Camara

models are quite another story and show another 

construction in order to eliminate wolftones. Contact 

with Amalia Ramirez didn't solve the mistery. "My father 

loved the experiment'  she proclaimed.

Both sides and back are remarkably straight grained.

Maybe not that attractive but it helps for optimal

stability of the wood regarding cracks in the future.

This label states that between this example and the following

guitar 400 guitars clase 1A have been constructed at the

Ramirez shop. It was booming business in those days.

José Ramirez Clase 1A 1981

This Ramirez clase 1A concert guitar was built in 1981 by
Juan Garcia Rey (number 6 that formerly was the Arturo

Sanzano number but I checked it in the Ramirez workshop)

According to the blue label can be stated that this instrument

meets the highest standards.

Due to bad storage (moisture) in the past this guitar
has a crack behind the bridge but it doesn't affect it's sound.
A beautiful warm and dark cedar tone with good balance.

The back of this 1981 Ramirez guitar that is in pristine condition.
Built up with indian rosewood back and veneered sides
(cypress)  as was usual with these instruments.

Check the blue lining around the label.
This guitar has been made during the José ramirez III era.
At that time the concert instruments was the real focus
for this company that had several master luthiers
working for them. Another thing to mention for people
who are planning to buy an older Ramirez: Beware of the
action on each instrument in combination with the height
of the bridge saddle as the necks often tend to move
a bit forward which results in a too high playing action.
The easiest way to solve the problem is to shave the
fingerboard towards the head (with frets removed of
course) so at the head the neck becomes about 3 mm
thinner and there you are. This operation enhanced
the playability of my instrument and made it even
more suitable for my smaller hands.

José Ramirez Clase 1A 1974

Back in 1974 I ordered this guitar directly from Spain.

This instrument has been built by José Ramirez III

though it is known that he had several luthiers working

for him. The number in this particular guitar states that

it has been built by Arthuro Sanzano who later

started his own workshop. In comparison to the
1980 and 1981 guitars it is striking that the laquer
used on this example isn't that reddish and in fact
never was. Nowadays the Ramirez shop isn't
allowed to use this toxic laquer anymore.
This guitar has been sold allready.

The back of this guitar clearly shows us the reïnforcement

with an ebony layer. The sound is very typical for Ramirez

guitars with a ceder soundboard. It was my first high

quality classical guitar and I did my examination

on this instrument though in fact my hands are

a bit too small for this bigger scaled Ramirez.

Antonio Mateu Ramis Flamenco guitar

Antonio Mateu Ramis was a Barcelona based luthier.

Little can be found about his activities but a classical

guitar by this builder was highly praised by the

famous Alexandre Lagoya. (Collection Sebastian Stenzel)

Very lightly built in the typical flamenco tradition.

Spruce top and ebony fingerboard.

A dry tone and quickly responding.

Apart from the nice Rosette you can see the double

scratchplates as is common on flamenco models.

On this label the luthier marked this instrument no. 13 being

dated the first of july 1953. In fact this luthier stopped in about 1965.

He had no successors. A classical guitar of this builder is

in the possesion of Sebastian Stenzel . (no. 239 - 1961)

On this guitar the use of cypress can be clearly seen.

This is still tradition in flamenco guitar building though

it is possible to order a "negro" flamenco model

that has been equipped with a rosewood back.

Ebony tuning pegs to lighten the guitar. At this
moment some examples keep popping up at
E-bay though prices still are quite high, mostly
starting at € 2000,- though it is worth the money
to my believe.