Jose Ramirez 4E

2005 4e Cedar top, Indian Rosewood back and sides. Ebony fretboard, and cedar neck I think. Low end Fustero tuners I think.

This guitar has a very nice Spanish sound, deep basses as you would expect from Ramirez, highs are good, overall well balanced, with very good sustain.

Workmanship is good, I see one fret that is not seated completely but that's all. The wood and finish are beautiful. Smells fantastic even still. Setup from the factory was not great, nut and saddle were plastic, I replaced them with bone saddle and Tusq Ivory nut, and took the action down as far as I could. It still does not play as easy as I would like but I have always heard that real Spanish guitars are harder to play. I did not like the tuners that were on it, they seemed very stiff, I replaced them with another set of Fustero's and worked the holes a little bit, now it is better.

I expect this guitar to hold up well. I keep it in proper humidity and in the case almost all of the time.

Have had no dealings the the manufacturer to date.

I have been playing classical for 6 years now, I am satisfied with this guitar, and I would recommend it if it was available for under $2300. The catalog prices are over $3000, which I think is too much, seeing as I felt the need to change the tuners, nut and saddle.

The Jose Ramirez 4E is the top of the line student guitar made by hand in Spain. The small Ramirez shop only makes the concert models there, while the student guitars are contracted out to select luthiers in Spain and finally checked for quality and setup at the Ramirez shop before being sold. The top is AAAA book matched Western red cedar, fingerboard is African ebony, the tuners are Deluxe Gold Fustero, bone nut and saddle, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, neck is Spanish cedar with ebony reinforcement, inlays are wood, finish is fine lacquer, 650 mm scale, and 52 mm neck. Humicase is included.

Many classical guitar experts have commented that this guitar sounds as good as the 1a concert Ramirez, which sells for $6000+. I have not played a 1a, but the sound of my 4E is deep and rich, with exceptional projection and sustain. The smell of the solid cedar top and solid rosewood back and sides is exotic and truly sensational. As with many highly resonant solid wood guitars, there are a few Wolf notes on the G string at the 9th to 12 frets. But these are not obtrusive. As I understand it, Wolf notes are notes that howl because of inordinate resonance at that particular frequency. I use D'Addario hard tension strings for the boldest sound that brings out the greatest volume on this magnificant guitar. However, I have had difficulty capturing the top quality tone with a microphone. I use a Shure PG57 dynamic microphone through a TubePre microphone preamp into a Washburn QM4 PA system made by Soundtech. I have been unable to get the whole sound of this beautiful guitar using this setup. I suspect that a condenser microphone would give too much feedback in a live setting rather than a studio. In the mean time I will just have to find an acoustically live place to play, such as an ancient stone church somewhere, like the classical guitar masters use. This astounding lack of excellent acoustic places to play in the modern world is the main reason I use mostly undersaddle pickups in my other classical guitars.

As expected in a guitar this expensive with the Jose Ramirez reputation, the action, fit, finish, and intonation are highest quality.

I have had no problems whatsoever with the durability and reliablity of this guitar.

I have heard that the Jose Ramirez shop in Spain is good at backing up their guitars. I bought it at Guitar Center with a deep discount even though there were no defects, probably because it was a 2005 model which they had not sold for over a year. I have also heard that Tornavoz music in California, who are the exclusive wholesale distrubitors for Ramirez in the U.S.A., are also pretty good at backing up their guitars. Time will tell, and I expect long service from this fine guitar.

I have been playing classical and flamenco guitar seriously now for 8 months, self-taught. The only modification I might make to this guitar is an under saddle pickup with endpin preamp, or buy the Jose Ramirez 4CWE which is the cutaway amplified version of this guitar. But I can't bear to cut even an endpin hole in this fine guitar with a list price of $4748. It will probably be passed on to my children and grandchildren.

Made in Spain by an individual luthier for Ramirez. Ramirez contracts
out construction of student guitars. Solid Cedar, rosewood back and
sides. Regular classical guitar construction.

Balanced, warm, dark, Spanish classical guitar tone. Never tried
Ramirez 1A, but have heard this guitar sounds close. Plenty loud
and wide variety of tones available depending on your playing
ability. Excellent balance of all frequencies.

Action absolutely perfect. 3mm 12th fret low and high E strings.
As good as any factory "single luthier built" guitar action.
Frets sticking out that had to be sanded, braces cut sloppy in a few
cases. Cedar top not very attractive. Sides and back are stunning,
though. Finish too thick on a few places, such as neck joint.
Overall, sound and action much better than workmanship.
Tuning pegs are very bad. Fretwork could be a bit better - buzzing
in a few places due to very slightly off frets. Not as precision fret
work as it could be for $3000.

Seems durable noting classical guitars are delicate and easily
destroyed by carelessness.

Picked best 4E out of a bunch. They all sounded different from
one another which proves that the guitar was built by hand.
Compared 4E to other Ramirez student models and 4E was far beyond
any of them in tone, playability. 4E is equal or better than any
other $3000+ guitar, whether factory or luthier guitar. Better than
some guitars costing thousands more. At this price, most classical
guitars will be very good. Tried several major brands - Esteve,
Cordoba, Burguet, old Martin classicals, various luthier built guitar.
4E has very different tone than above guitars. Has the "Segovia"
Spanish sound.

Wish tuning pegs were better.

I have a 1989 Ramirez 4Ez (left handed) guitar made in Madrid, Concepcion Jeronima No.5. It has a Solid Cedar Top (with a very tight grain indicative of great quality) and beautiful, Indian Rosewood Back and sides. The fingerboard in ebony (of course) and the cedar neck is inlayed with an ebony reinforcement (which I love) The attention to detail is stunning throughout the whole guitar. The original tuners were Fusteros and I used them happily for about 14 years before they became worn and a little tatty, then I felt it was time to give this guitar the tuners it genuinely deserves. I bought a set of Manuel Fustero "Concert grade" tuners with gilt plates and genuine mother of pearl buttons. These Tuners look stunning and actually add to the already fabulous tone and projection of my guitar. The scale is a very comfortable 650mm, which I think is fairly standard on Spanish instruments.

Sound? Absolutely out of this world. The tone and sheer volume, when I first got the guitar brand new in 1990, scared the life out of me. I had previously been playing on a very acceptable Alhambra 3c (pseudo-Fleta design) and I loved that guitar. This one blew it so totally out of the water that I actually couldn'y play the Ramirez for a while because I didn't feel confident enough in my own ability to handle and control what it was so obviously capable of. The initial tone was quite bright, pianistic, balanced, not excessively bass heavy (which the 3c was) and VERY loud. But as the years have gone on the tone has mellowed into a very dark, rich, romantic sound which fits my playing style perfectly. I am a totally Segovia nut and I feel that this guitar really enjoys that way of being played. That's not to say that it can't handle baroque or modern repertoire, because it can! I play everything on it from Narvaez, Dowland and Milan to Yocoh, Villa-lobos and Lyndsey-clarke and it handles it all effortlessly.

The setup of the guitar (which was done in the workshop) is pretty close to perfect. It does indeed, as other reviewers have pointed out, have quite a high action compared to some other guitars but this does not affect how easy it is to play on and also has the advantage of making string "collapse" almost impossible! I am now an exceptionally loud player who can generate great velocity through the strings but the 4Ez can handle any amount of focused power and sings beautifully.

I detected no flaws in the workmanship when new, apart perhaps from the glue thing that someone mentioned before. There was a slight green residue in the fret grooves but this in no way put me off and the wood and lacquer was perfect. The Tuning keys, as I said before, were very good but not Fustero's "concert quality" which are generally reserved for the 1a. I happily used and abused the one's this guitar had until I felt that they made it look bad and I changed them. I have no complaints about either set.

This guitar has been everywhere with me. It has been the length and width of the country in the Hiscox "Lite flite" case that I have now had for about 16 years and I have never had any issues with this guitar's durability. As far as I can tell this Ramirez, like all of them, is built like a tank. Of course, it's not a solid bodied electric and so a reasonable amount of caution is required and no playing cricket with it!

I really have had no need of any customer support for this guitar as I have had nothing to complain about. I perhaps SHOULD give a "no opinion" in this section but I have spoken to Amalia via email with regards to my next purchase (see overall rating) and she was polite, helpful and interested.

I started playing in April of 1987 (only a matter of weeks before the Maestro's death) and am now a guitar teacher as well as performer. I have many guitars, mostly electric including; Ibanez RG550L, RG470L, Epiphone "SG" G400, Fender USA Stratocaster, and Ernie Ball OLP Axis. I also own a Yamaha RBX270L Bass guitar and a Marshall JCM900 half stack. Classically I only have two, the Ramirez and an Admira "Avila" spruce top which I use purely for teaching purposes and to safeguard my Ramirez in situations that I don't feel comfortable taking it.

I really have no regrets about buying this guitar and there is so much that I love about it. It's beautiful, mellow, powerful tone; it's classy looks; it's ease of playability. If I had to be VERY picky and choose one thing that i'd change (not that this is possible) or would have prefered; it is the headstock shape. The E series has a lovely 5 horn headstock but I would have loved Ramirez to put the A series stock on these. If this guitar were stolen I wouldn't just be sad, i'd be inconsolable! No amount of money could replace it, or the sentimental value that it has in my life. It is what I cut my "teeth" on and as such is forever part of me. As I've said before, my guitar is now 15 years old and I have started to search for my next great instrument. As a result, I have compared this guitar with so many other guitars over the years. Here is a list of the most notable ones, the year and comparison notes:

Ramirez 1a camara - 1990 - The guitar that inspired me to want a Ramirez! The Camara was of strikingly similar character to my 4E but was perhaps a bit more "polished" in it detailing. I really didn't here a great gulf in sound though.

Contreras D2 double top - 1991 - This guitar belong to an old friend and teacher of mine, Peter Wiltschinsky and was a great guitar. During duets, mine held it's own on both tone AND volume fronts inspite of NOT being "double backed". Pete couldn't believe this and neither could I!

Manuel Gonzales (Contreras) - 1991 - Owned by my Father, Gordon Ormond. An "offshoot" of the Contreras name and a fine guitar. My guitar was just as loud as it but had a much better dynamic and tonal palette. The Gonzales really was a "one sound" instrument, nice though that sound was.

Archangel Fernandez Flamenco - 1992 - Owned by my college tutor, Graham Wade. It has a very characteristic "Spanish" tone which you really have to hear in order to understand. Again my 4E was more than a match in volume and naturally had a much darker sound because of the woods used.

David Rubio - 1993 - Another guitar of Graham's. He was doing a recital on the evening of my lesson day and brought it along so save time. I have to say that, in my opinion, my Ramirez kicked the butt of this English guitar. The Rubio was thinner sounding, quieter and generally weaker by comparison. Also, it was over 6 times more expensive! Graham SOLD this guitar shortly after.

Ramirez 1a - 1994 - the City of Leeds "College Ramirez" that only advanced students got to play on. It was 25 years old when I heard it but still sounded great. Graham started using this guitar for my lessons after he sold the Rubio. As with Camara a few years before, it was very similar in sound to mine and of similar volume. This proves that Ramirez' quality goes right throught their range.

Contreras C4 - 2002 - Owned by a former student of mine, this was a lovely guitar in spruce and rosewood. Once again, there was nothing that either he or I could do on the Contreras that I couldn't on the Ramirez. The quality of sound, volume and tonal variation of my guitar is stunning.

Tony Johnson - 2003 - A first rate concert guitar that I tried when I met Tony at a guitar society lecture. Again, we were comparing spruce to cedar and mine to a guitar at least 3 times the price. But the Johnson didn't, couldn't dominate. It was no louder and the tone was

2002 model, 4E. Cedar top, solid Indian rosewood sides and back, ebony fingerboard. Visually stunning guitar, cedar is a lighter, more spruce-like colour (which is rare, and adds to why I like the look of ths guitar). And yes, it definitely grows on you. Guitar is light, and rosewood is thinner than I expected. I'm giving this a 10, although it doesn't have tons of features, a student classical guitar doesn't NEED tons of features.

Well, this instrument just sings. Definitely a classical guitar. I first played this guitar expecting it to posess a spanish/percussive tone, but was disappointed. I realised however that it performs exceptionally well with classical pieces, something that I had never heard before in a classical guitar. But, having said that, you can shop down some rest-strokes and you WILL be pleased with its song. This guitar, I found, has the potential to provide a mixture of tone colours from the instrument, making it a versatile classical; despite it's lack of flamenco guitar characteristics. But, I can not give it anything else but a 10 because it is a classical guitar - and not a flamenco guitar.

Guitar was adjusted when I got it, by luthier, who set up the action perfectly. There are tiny flaws in the fretwiring and some visible glue, which I should mention, but that is standard. It is an exquisit instrument, and imperfections build character. i know for a fact that the higher end concert guitars from Ramirez are more refined, but you get what you pay for, and in this case, I got more than I paid for.

Time will tell. This is a student guitar, but performance will not be neglected. Tuners and everything up there looks perfect, and sturdy, not worried at all. I have hit the guitar a fair bit already, with percussive little taps, and have manaed to get into the finish and dent the soundboard a little with my fingernails, but this is expected on a instrument. I wil not break through.

I don't know yet.

Playing this guitar after warming up on my Yamaha CGX-111SC I was shocked. Shocked that I had wasted my time on such an inferior instrument. It wasn't until picked it back up after playing on the 4e for hours, that I realised it's true potential as a fine instrment. I recommend this instrument as a classical guitar, but not much more however. Perfect for student. A flamenco guitar to go with it would be nice to tempt me out of tapping onto the cedar soundboard.

Hand made in Madrid, Spain this is the next best thing to the 1A concert model. All solid woods, AAAA grade cedar top with Indian rosewood sides and back, Spanish cedar neck w/ebony insert, ebony fretboard. Very nice lacquer finish.

Very sweet, dark sound compared to what I was used to. Like the previous reviewer stated the guitar sings. A very refined, articulate sound. It came with Savarez hard tension strings but I'm going to try various medium tension strings.

The top is flawless, a very high quality cedar top and the sound reflects that. Nice finish. Action was a little higher than my previous classical but in many ways it's easier to play, i.e. slurs, etc. Hand inlaid purfling and rosette. Beautiful guitar.

Classical guitars require more care than others, I'll be afraid to take this thing out of the house not because it isn't well built because it is but because it's such a fine and expensive instrument.

Ramirez has 100+ years of reputation. I have every confidence that they will stand behind their products.

I love everything about this guitar, if anything happened to it my insurance company would be hearing from me right away. I got a great price on a near concert level guitar that is in brand new condition. (It retails for close to $4K)

The Ramirex 4E is the top of the line Estudio series Ramirez. Handmade, solid rosewood back and sides, solid master grade cedar top.
Ramirez makes a concert guitar for $8000 with only 10 a year coming to the US. This is the next best thing and is 1/2 the price or less.

Vwer sweet trebles, warm and syrupy. The top is tuned to resonate with the notes of the open strings and so the guitar virtually sings.
The bass es are subdues. Be aware that this is a Classical made in madrid Spain by the most famous maker of classical guitars. It is suited for classical guitar music. Many Americans come from playing steel strings and apply that criteria. The Ramirez basses blend with the trebles. They do not dominate.

The action is like a classical should be, a bit on the high side but very easy to pl;ay. The strings never buzz.

No cedar top is rock solid. If you bump it , you might damage it.

They've been around since the 1800's. No problems.

A magnificaent guitar. Not real loud so may not work if you are playing to over 500 peoeple on a concert hall, but the most refined and sweet sound I've heard. Since Ramirez makes a 1A at $8000 it should get a 10 and this a 9. However, for me personally, this is a 10.