Serial Number 046

Ramirez Modern

Started on October 21, 2025, completed on November 12, 2025

A right handed modern style Classical guitar was the last guitar to build out of the forms and templates that I current have. I know I have been building a lot of left handed guitars the last while but I always felt that I need something to be available for the south paws out there. And there are quite a few out here in Thunder Bay.

With the recent purchases on new tools and jigs, I am hoping to raise the quality of the builds. The dovetail is still the one thing I need to overcome and I did purchase a new jig which I hope will be the last one I will need for it. The necks are way better than probably the first two years in terms of fit and finish. That new jig won’t be used on this guitar build.

This guitar will have a 2A Spruce top and Spalted Tamarind for the back and sides. I feel like the last few guitars were on the warmer side and want something that has a little more brightness to the sound. I usually build Classicals with a species of Rosewood with the exception of the guitar I built for Jess Horricks. We agreed with Mango for the back and sides.

I tried a new location for the sound hole on this guitar. I did have a good idea for some accents on the soundboard but the soundhole jig is on the short side for what I had in mind. I may have to build something in the future if I continue to try this new soundhole location.

Having Tamarind as the back and sides, I decided on a Tamarind fingerboard. I thought this would have been the first guitar to have Tamarind as the fingerboard but it seems that I have tried it once already a few guitars ago. I also managed to get a big enough piece from the extra wood from cutting out the body to make a head plate veneer with it. It is a very pale guitar looking down on it.

After some consideration, I decided to go with Spanish Cedar for the neck wood. This is because the Spanish Cedar was specifically brought in for classical guitar builds. A harder wood can be used for classical guitar builds but using Spanish Cedar for steel string acoustic guitars is not ideal.

I was initially going to try another multi-tonewood neck but I will do it on the next steel string build.

With the brown and black accents on the guitar, I decided to go with Wenge for a bridge. I thought I had made a Wenge bridge before but I guess it was talks about doing it. I did talk to my teacher, Jeremy about using Wenge for a bridge and there are some concerns over the open grains through the wood and the question of strength because of it.

SPECS

Body Classical Ramirez modern

Scale 660mm

Top Spruce 2A

Back Spalted Tamarind

Sides Spalted Tamarind

Neck Spanish Cedar/Wenge strip

Fingerboard Tamarind

Bridge Wenge

Tuning Machines Gotoh 35G350

Strings D’Addario EJ45 Pro Arte