Here’s a Ramirez Conservatorio Abeto Concert classical guitar, built during 2014 in Madrid, Spain and featuring the ‘Abeto’ or Spruce top.

This example is in overall good condition, with one small pressure mark on the top. It has no cracks and wear is minimal. The original Ramirez-branded Hiscox lightweight flight case is included.

The Ramirez Conservatorio Concert Classical guitar represents a major development in classical guitar design from Amalia Ramírez, with unique use of ‘fiddle edge’ construction. The Conservatorio uses the same advanced 8 fan brace pattern as the SPR but a unique system for gluing the top and backs to the rims and no internal linings are used!

In standard guitar construction, kerfed or solid linings are essential for strength because wood is removed from the joint between the sides and the top or back to make a ledge for gluing the decorative binding.

With the violin-style ‘Fiddle Edge’ construction, there is no need for internal linings. This adds roughly 120 square centimetres of freely vibrating area to the top, without actually enlarging the guitar. Ingenious!

The Ramirez Conservatorio is 108 mm deep at the end block, a full 9 mm deeper than the Ramirez SPR. This added internal displacement increases bass response.

The Ramirez Conservatorio  model is built entirely under the supervision of Amalia Ramírez, in the Ramirez workshop on Calle de la Paz in Madrid, Spain, with one exception that applies to all guitars built in Madrid. The city of Madrid forbids the spraying of combustible materials like nitrocellulose lacquer within the city limits, so all lacquer spraying work is performed at an off-site facility. Once the finish work is done, the instruments return to the workshop for completion, setup and inspection.

It’s not accurate to refer to the Ramirez Conservatorio as an ‘entry level’ instrument, but it is the entry point for instruments built entirely in the Ramírez workshop. The next step is the Ramirez 1a Professional, a considerably more elaborate instrument in terms of decoration and detail.

Ramirez Conservatorio Concert Classical Guitar Features: