Richard Jernigan -> RE: I finally played an amazing Ramirez!!! (Mar. 18 2010 10:40:49)
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The student model Jose Ramirez guitars have always been outsourced since the late 19th century. There are receipts and invoices to Jose Ramirez I from a Valencia "factory". Two other Jose Ramirez III 'oficiales' who went out on their own are Manuel Contreras Sr, who made the 1959 Ramirez which was the first used by Segovia. When Manuel Sr passed away, the business was taken over by his son Pablo, who does business as Manuel Contreras II. Felix Manzanero is still in business in Madrid. I have spoken with Manzanero, Contreras Sr and Bernabe Sr about their days working for Ramirez. They all said he was a stern taskmaster who insisted on absolutely strict adherence to his design, and that he inspected every 1a or 2a instrument personally before signing the label. I bought several 1a classicals from Jose III in the 1960s and 1970s, reselling them in the USA. In my experience the variation within a single journeyman's output was comparable to the variation across the output of the whole shop. RNJ
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