Jose Ramirez AE

The usual things you would expect with a classical guitar at this price. Solid spruce top with solid rosewood back and sides and good quality tuners. Looks fantastic. The finish is not too thick either. I got a case included for free as the shop owner knows my tutor.

It has a bright sound but with depth. I deal for playing baroque pieces as well as modern. Still has a quite romantic feel though. I find the D a little dull compared to the other basses though. Perhaps I will have to change it.

Very playable , the action was 4mm at the 12th fret for the bass E string. My only gripe was some buzzing on the D string and the fact that the same string often went out of tune at first. I would have expected better frets at this price.

A delicate instrument. Needs to be kept in its case and kept away from extremes of temperature. I am never going to take it out of the house. Very reliable but only durable if kept properly.

The guys who sold me this are excellent for support not sure about the Ramirez company though.

Been playing classical guitar for six years and this is my 1st all solid model. Very happy with it. Will not be buying another. If it were stolen I would call for the return of crucifixion.

Made in 2005, in the Tetuan taller in Madrid, Spain. 19 frets, 650mm scale. Spruce top, Indian rosewood body, ebony fretboard on mahogany neck with ebony reinforcement strip. Mother of pearl/gold plated tuners.

As far as features, this is a classical guitar, compared to its electric cousins it is pretty bare-boned. But you can tell it is high quality. The tuners are quite nice and the finish, especially on the mahogany and rosewood areas, is superlative.

Mine did not come with a case included.

The best thing about this guitar (in my humble opinion): the sound. It sounds wonderful, and I've only had it a very short time. I play all styles of music, not only classical, but I have long since moved away from playing with picks, which is why I only play classical guitars now and one of such high quality, at this price, suits me just fine

Finish as I said is gorgeous, not a flaw on it. I was looking at a 2-E in the shop and noticed a blemish on on the neck, they offered to give me a sizeable discount because of it. So high marks to the Jose Ramirez shop. In the end I bought the AE. I have yet to find a single flaw in the guitar's workmanship.

As the previous reviewer said, these types of guitars are delicate and need to be properly taken care of. They are anything but durable, although when taken care of, extremely reliable. Durability = 4, Reliability = 10, avg 7.

Like I said the staff in the store itself (I believe they were part of the Ramirez family) were very helpful and flexible, and very hands off. It was quite a nice experience to buy directly from them. I strongly recommend to anyone interested in buying a classical guitar made in Spain that you buy it in Spain. They can be as much as 3x more expensive in other countries.

Considering the price/quality ratio I have to give it a 10. It is a wonderful guitar for this price, with a full rich sound, which projects very well, and has high quality craftmanship. For my purposes it is ideal. I've been playing guitar for just on10 years, and classicals about 5, this is the first 'high quality' classical I've owned. I've never had the opportunity to play a 5000 euro professional quality classical so perhaps I dont know what I'm missing but I can only be satisfied with my purchase.

The Ramirez AE classical guitar is a new model introduced for those who prefer the sound of a spruce top as opposed to the red cedar top of all the R and E lines.
This particular piece is a brand new AE made in 2004. Solid spruce top with very fine and even grain, mahogany neck with ebony reinforcement strip, ebony fingerboard, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, traditional 650 mm. scale, Fusteros gold plated tuners.

It came with an extremely well made hardshell case, I don't know if this is a standard feature or an upgrade.

The guitar is marketed as an "advanced student" model, and in my opinion, in terms of tonal quality, volume and intended use it sits in the middle between the highest end studio models such as the 4E and the R4 and the true concert models such as the 1A.

Ramirez guitars are know for their extremely lyrical sound, as they embody the traditional "Spanish" sound better than any other manifacturer, and this AE is no exception.
Probably, the classic Ramirez bracing pattern, more than the materials, glues and varnish, which are standard in all fine classical guitars, is the biggest factor in creating that familiar Ramirez tone, deep and resonant, with perfect balance between highs and lows, long sustain and a "vocal" quality on the upper registers.

The spruce top however adds more brilliance to the fundamental tone than the more common mellow cedar tone, making this guitar quite versatile and adaptable to a more complete repertoire than the standard Spanish-flavored pieces.

It is extremely responsive to the touch both in terms of volume and color. There is no muddiness in tone on the ppp passages, and fff still responds with an intact fundamental, with no strident overtones.
The range of voices from "ponticello" plucking to near-soundhole "appoggiato" is amazing, and it pushes the player to work on his right hand technique and control to obtain the best results.

Finally, the volume and projection are outstanding, and definitely comparable to a cypress-lined concert model. At times I found I had to somehow tone down my usual "rasgueado" technique as it was overpowering in the context of the piece I was playing.

The action is textbook, 5mm on the bass side and 4 mm on the treble side at the 12th fret, and both the nut and bridge are carefully shaped and of proper height.
Ramirez recently introduced an upgrade on their 4E model, offering real bone nut and bridge saddles, which would be very desirable on this model too.
The overall construction and attention to detail are flawless, whether this guitar was built in house at Ramirez or subcontracted to Alhambra (as some of the studio models are).
The thin varnish is perfectly applied, all wood joints and purflings are impeccable, and the soundhole rosette is very intricate and beautiful.

The guitar is extremely light.

This is a classical guitar and should be properly cared for. Like all fine acoustic guitars, you must keep it properly humidified in its case, play it frequently and keep it clean, and it will last a lifetime.

N/A

The AE model is ideal for the advanced student and concertist on a tight budget, as it offers a comparable quality to the 1A concert model for a fraction of the cost.
I found it handles the widest classical repertoire better than its cedar-topped equivalent, and I expect this model to become one of the most successful in the Ramirez line.

Not mentioning minor guitar builders, whose production is more scarce, less consistent and harder to compare, I think the only current production comparable model is the Kohno Professional J, a concert model which is more expensive, sounds perhaps even more brilliant and "dry" but to my ears it lacks the Ramirez' lyrical quality especially on the upper register.