Buy Ramirez R4 Classical GuitarRamirez R4 Classical Guitar Product Description:
- Solid Red Cedar Top
- Solid Indian Rosewood Back & Sides
- Fustero Tuning Machines
- Lacquer finish
- Includes Humicase Protégé
Product Description
The R4 is the top of the line for the R series with solid Indian rosewood sides and back, the highest-grade quarter-sawn cedar top, an ebony fingerboard, and Spanish cedar neck. It has a very robust tone, excellent volume and clarity. This guitar projects well in a medium-sized hall. José Ramírez guitars have been played by virtually all the great guitarists of the 20th and 21st centuries from George Harrison to Sting, from Andres Segovia to Chet Atkins. The unmistakable sound has been, and continues to be, the top choice for guitarists of all genres and styles of music. This guitar comes in a HumiCase Protege humidified protective case.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
A touch of Spain
By William N. Gross
The Ramirez R4 definitely provides that "Spanish" tone that a lot of guitarists look for; dry with a crisp edge. But on a scale of one to ten, I would give it a 6.5. You get a good amount of the Ramirez tone (for reference listen to Andres Segovia, Göran Söllscher and Leona Boyd among others) but to get it all, the cathedral-like resonance, the deep basses, you would have to go for the 1A.Some salient points:1. It is EASY to play, even with high tension strings2. Its not so precious that you can't lug it anywhere3. It responds to exactly how it is being played. If your technique is good, you will hear it!4. Yet it is forgiving. If you are still developing your technique, it doesn't penalize you and will even compensate somewhat.The R4 has:Solid Indian Rosewood back and sides, NOT laminatedSolid cedar topEbony fretboardNice tuners-nothing fancy (stamped metal, not engraved) but they hold their tune.The level of craftsmanship is quite high. If you look inside, hardly any glue is visible; all pieces are well sanded and the fitting of the bracing joints is remarkably snug. Same outside good level of detail to the finish. The grain of the woods is not as tight as what you would see in a pricier model, but its very good.More expensive guitars will have a much more complex and I would say gratifying sound but can also amplify any mistakes in technique since they are SO responsive, so keep this in mind when shopping.The Ramirez R4 strikes a good balance between responsiveness and forgiveness. You'll sound good, and if you are Pepe Romero, you are going to sound GREAT! But the sound is not as full across the spectrum. I expected a bit more from it since it is ALL SOLID WOOD but its tone is a bit muted. For $3000 more depth, color and complexity would be nice. A good used concert guitar can be had for that price point if one is patient enough to look. Still, it is definitely a darker sound than most laminates can provide and is dynamic enough to handle anything 500 years of guitar repertoire can dish out. Though the overtones are limited, it has nice sustain and is very even from bass, through mid-range and up to the treble.I have a few classical guitars, from a garage sale beater to a full-on concert model. The R4 has been a GO-TO guitar for me in several situations: I take it to the conservatory when my kid is taking piano lessons, I take it to a cafe and play while the family is shopping next door, I take it traveling. It has provided me with a lot of practice hours I might not otherwise have gotten, just because I feel comfortable going mobile with it. And I've gigged with it, it is a capable, though not ideal concert instrument. Those are a lot of pluses in its favor. Changing strings has not changed the guitar's characteristics that much. I've tried D'Addarrio EJ45 and 46, Savarez Corum,a Hannebach mix and finally settled on Dogal Diamante Regular Tension NR127B or Strong Tension NR127C, which seem to be the right strings for this guitar and give it a little more of that color mentioned earlier. And again, even with strong tension strings, this guitar is very easy to play.The intonation is slightly off a bit higher up the neck, maybe the 9th fret or so, but ONLY slightly. This is more common on Spanish guitars than say, a Japanese or American guitar. The Spanish seem to have no problem with this and it can be true of their finer concert instruments as well. If they're not going to worry about it, neither am I.Keep in mind EVERY guitar is different, even two guitars of the same model made side by side will sound different. You might get a 5 star guitar where as I gave this one 4 stars.Though a master would go for a more responsive guitar, the R4 is a very good choice for a student, even an advanced student and definitely suits the guitarist who is in the market for the Ramirez sound. It is no secret that this series, like many manufacturers is "factory made" in Spain, but making a guitar is a hands-on process and each one is still given individual attention.
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