Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

José Ramirez 1 of Madrid (1858 - 1923).

• Year:

  1905. Guitarra de tablao. Labelled and dated by the maker.

• Body:

  This is a large-bodied instrument with back & sides of really beautiful flamed maple. It is heavily domed in both the back and the front; as explained by Richard Bruné in a Vintage Guitar article from 2006 about a similar 1904 Ramirez. This form of guitar was apparently popular with flamenco players at that time but were also adopted by classical players including Agustin Barrios who had a similar guitar from 1911.
  Body length:- 483mm.
  Top bout:- 280 mm wide & 80 mm deep - at the edge.
  Waist:- 243 mm & 84 mm deep.
  Bottom bout:- 380 mm wide & 80 mm deep.

• Front:

  European spruce with very even grain width across the board. Luxurious rosette with mother-of-pearl Grecian marquetry centre motif with inner and outer rings. Brazilian rosewood bridge with m-o-p decoration to the bridge wings. The front has nine fan struts.

• Tuners:

  Original wooden pegs with pearl dots to both ends. The ebony head-face has a beautiful and precisely executed inlay decoration.

• Scale:

  648 mm with 19 frets on a dark rosewood (ebony ?) fingerboard on a flamed cedar neck.

• Neck Width:

  48 mm nut width with 39 mm string spacing

• Weight:

  1131 grams

• Condition:

  This guitar, over 110 years old, is in remarkable condition. Although likely to have been repolished or refreshed throughout, there is very little evidence of old marks that would have required or justified it.
  The front has minor crack repair.

• Comments:

  This appears to be a special model, perhaps built for a particular or wealthy client at the time. The materials for the neck, back & sides and bridge are extremely good. The decoration to the rosette, head and bridge is also luxurious.
  The sound is rounded, well-balanced and with pleasing depth (G air resonance). The low action also makes it comfortable to play.
  So - seemingly an exceptionally luxurious version of this model in extraordinarily good condition. A piece of history from this famed dynasty of Spanish guitar-making.

  José Ramirez - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Sold October 2016.
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

  Available from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. UK time.