A Concert classical guitar made in the shop of Jose Ramirez III in 1968 stamped internally on the neck foot : "I.M." (Ignacio Rozas) and signed on the label by Jose Ramirez III. In 1968 this guitar was the best and only model made in the Ramirez Shop under the supervision of Jose III, and this guitar is designated on the label as "Primera clase" (first class) and numbered 3001, which represents a progression of numbers used by the shop beginning with 2000 in 1967. Ramirez Instruments made prior to 1967 do not have serial numbers and the output is unknown. This guitar conforms to all the usual specs of the Ramirez shop for the 1a model except where noted below :
Top: Book matched redwood, fine grain
Sides and Back: Book matched quartered Indian rosewood, sides lined with Cypress
Neck: Spanish cedar with grafted head and heel, central ebony reinforcement bar
Fingerboard: Black ebony, nickel silver frets
Bridge: Rosewood with one piece bone tie block surround
Nut, Saddle: Ivory nut, bone saddle (N/O)
Rosette: Geometric with multi colored wood inlays, intarsia
Tuning mechanism: Rodgers with engraving, MOP buttons (N/O)
Varnish: original catalyzed urethane except on neck
Frets: Nickel silver (N/O) String length 655 mm scale, 51 mm nut
Scale: 664 mm
Notation of Repairs: The fingerboard was planed flat to remove the original crown and new frets installed. At the same time it is likely the present ivory nut was also fitted to replace the original Ramirez bone nut. The neck has been cut down from the head to the heel and completely refinished in an unmatching red laquer. Recently a soundboard case key scratch and string ding behind the bridge was touched up and the current frets were filed, buffed and polished and a new bone saddle fitted to correct some complaints of sustain unevenness and intonation issues by the Brune shop. Additionally the Brune shop glued a split brace end of the upper top cross bar on the bass side by the harmonic window of the brace. The instrument is otherwise in original condition and a typical example of the Ramirez shop output of this era.
