For 135 years, making guitars has been a “family affair” for the respected Spanish luthiers working under the José Ramirez name. So it was no surprise that representing the Madrid-based company at Winter NAMM 2017 in Anaheim, California, was none other than Amalia Ramirez, great-great-granddaughter of the family’s original luthier, José Ramirez (1858–1923). Amalia began her apprenticeship in the family’s workshop 40 years ago, and today she directs the business and also inspects every guitar that comes out of the Ramirez workshop. In this video, Ms Ramirez shows us a few of the company’s recent offerings, including reissues of guitars such as the Antigua (spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides: “That old sound with better projection,” she says), and the Guitarra de Tablao, which is fashioned after one of José Ramirez I’s designs.
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