Viuda de Manuel Ramirez ~1917 - fantastic flamenco guitar - historically very significant!
The workshop of Manuel Ramirez is undoubtedly the most important guitar workshop of the early turn of the century, the post-Torres era of guitar making. Manuel Ramirez (1864-1916) championed the survival of the „Torres“ design into the 20th century and beyond. With his vision and determination, coupled with a workshop made up of the best luthiers of the time (including none other than Santos Hernandez, Domingo Esteso, Modesto Borreguero, Pascual Viudes and most likely Enrique Garcia), he successfully crafted great guitars that ensured the Torres legacy for all future generations of luthiers.
After the death of Manuel Ramirez, three guitar makers (Santos Hernandez, Domingo Esteso and Modesto Borreguero) continued to work for Manuel Ramirez's widow under the label „Viuda de Manuel Ramirez“ until 1920.
Considering that this guitar was built by Santos Hernandez, Domingo Esteso or Modesto Borreguero, this is a fantastic instrument. The construction is excellent. It has a fine spruce top with cypress back and sides. The scale length is 652 mm and the nut width 51 mm.
This guitar is equipped with a very large body for its time. The guitar impresses with deep basses, full and warm trebles and rich sound textures that are interwoven with the clear, bell-like fundamental tones. The feather-light weight of the guitar gives it incredible volume and an immediate response.
It is no wonder that in recent years more and more contemporary luthiers have been working to rediscover this style of construction, as it has an absolutely mystical and magical charm that has captivated players and listeners since the turn of the century right up to the present day. The sound is unmistakably Spanish - deep, dark and mysterious, and the experience of playing such a guitar is unique, probably also due to its age and the fact that the guitar was played regularly for over 100 years.
Despite the visible signs of use, the guitar is in remarkably good condition - only one crack on the back and one on the frame have been repaired over the years.
This guitar would make a fantastic concert and recording instrument for both classical and flamenco music - it was built at a time when there was no distinction between „classical“ and „flamenco“. It is simply a great „guitar“ - its versatility as a musical instrument lends itself beautifully to virtually any style lent to it by the hand of the individual musician.
It comes with the original guitar case.
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