Julián Gómez Ramírez

Early Career and Influences

Julián Gómez Ramírez was born in Madrid in 1879. At the young age of 13, he began working in the workshop of Augustín Andrés. In 1910, Julián joined the workshop of José Ramirez I, where he worked for four years. However, his guitars from the 1930s have very little to do with the instruments of José and much more to do with those of Manuel Ramirez. Robert Bouchet confirms that Julian Gomez Ramirez worked for Manuel Ramirez in Madrid before settling in Paris.

Move to Paris and Rise to Prominence

He eventually moved to Paris in 1914, where he became France’s first representative of Spanish guitar making.

Historical Testimony

In the following excerpt from the book by Jan and Corra, written in the 1920s, the influence of Torres on Gómez Ramírez is described: “The best guitar maker of the time lives here. His name is Ramirez. He has found a new shape for the guitar. Finer, more powerful. Each one is like a real Torres. Come with me. I will show you one or two that he made from an old piano, which he tore apart for its wood. Exquisite.”

“Ramírez builds his instruments almost on the street. His workshop was about ten feet in size, with a door six feet wide. Here was a piece of pure Spain… Ramírez’s workshop was not what we had expected. I think that in a place where fine instruments are made, a certain cleanliness, a certain finesse is rightfully expected.” – Jan and Cora Gordon.

Legacy and Influence

This new style of guitar making was particularly appreciated, as Spanish fan-braced guitars were fuller and more powerful than the romantic guitars with small bodies, whose popularity had declined significantly due to the immense success of the piano in the Parisian salons. He was bestowed the double honor of crafting the first concert guitar for Ida Presti and also a guitar for Robert Bouchet in 1938. Simultaneously, he introduced Bouchet to the art of guitar making, thus laying the foundation for the 20th-century French guitar making school.