|
Jose Ramirez
Greetings to you, Oh Great, Wise, and Illustrious Ones!
When's the last time you had a Good Morning greeting like that!
Yeah, Yeah. OK Michael, Robert, Lynn – the rest of you smart alecs who’ve heard it before!
No wisecracks from the peanut gallery.
Coffee’s poured. Mmmmmm….. Love that aroma!
Anyway, grab your cup and let’s continue with our discussion on guitars from yesteryear…er,
Monday.
Let’s see, where did we leave off Wednesday? Oh yeah. Salt Lake City.
Told you that Alan Parker and I started a company called Intermountain Electronics Corp.
The company was initially started as a means to conduct R&D into acoustics design and to manufacture and sell 3-D sound systems.
This was well before the days of Quad stereo and Dolby Surround.
Alan and I had discovered some secrets to reproducing a sound stage in the middle of the room using first a conventional stereo – well, almost conventional stereo – system, and then later enhancing the principles using four speakers placed equidistant from one another.
The reproduction was so startlingly realistic that we had folks looking all over for speakers where none existed. We struck an agreement with JBL to manufacture the drivers for our sound cabinets.
They were single, 8-inch transducers using an edgewise-wound two-inch voice coil and 11-pound magnet structures.
In the center of the transducer – a sandpaper-like cone suspended on a very soft, live rubber surround with more than an inch of excursion – was a slightly-over-two-inch titanium dome capable of reproducing high frequencies virtually flat out to 19 KHz.
It yielded a single transducer capable of near-flat reproduction from 8 Hz to 19 KHz in cabinets of just over one
cubic foot.
Anyway, we don’t need to go into all the technical specs.
Point is, we needed a demo floor and a showroom to demonstrate what we had developed, and promote the sale of “basic” sound systems starting at roughly $2,500.
That price was almost stratospheric in 1967 considering you could buy a pretty decent stereo in those days for $500.
We struck an agreement with Daynes Music in downtown Salt Lake City for showroom space.
There was a catch.
“Skip” Daynes discovered I had "near" perfect pitch – he used the term, “perfect relative pitch” – and could grade guitars and other instruments according to their tonal balance.
Daynes Music was the largest retailer of guitars and fine instruments in the Intermountain West, and they had a selection of instruments like you couldn’t believe.
Even though I had put my guitar in the closet and wasn’t playing at all – for anybody or anything – Skip talked me into a trade.
My showroom space would be free…..in exchange for grading the shipments of guitars or other stringed instruments he brought in.
What Skip found out was that the guitars he was importing from Spain varied from the sublime to the ridiculous in tonal quality.
They weren’t especially cheap guitars. Mostly, they were the product of Hernandez, Garcia, or some other fairly well-known Spanish luthier.
They were all classical or flamenco guitars.
My grading of these guitars, however, created a four-star scale.
A one-star rating might bring something on the order of $400 - $500, whereas a four-star rating could bring as much as $1,500 - $2,000.
The trick was that all of the guitars came from the same luthier, and Daynes paid the same price for all of them.
It was rare to have a guitar with a four-star rating, but it didn’t take very many two- and three-star ratings to more than pay the rent for our showroom space.
Daynes Music would receive shipments of up to a hundred guitars or more at a time.
My responsibility was to unpack them, string them up, tune them and play them long enough to give them a tonal rating.
I’ve already told you that my music styles were mostly country and jazz.
Playing classical guitars with their wide necks and nylon strings was hardly my forté.
Skinny necks and steel strings were. Wrapping my hand around those wide necks took some getting used to, but finger-picking with all five fingers of my right hand was suddenly a whole lot easier.
It was maybe the second or third shipment of these guitars that came in from Sherry-Brenner, the U.S. importer and distributor.
I was busy unpacking and stringing up the guitars.
All of them came in nondescript cartons that gave no clue as to their contents, and all of the cartons looked exactly alike.
Midway through this particular shipment, I unpacked a guitar that was obviously not from the same luthier – an instrument whose woods and construction was radically different.
It had a name inside that meant nothing to me at the time: José Ramirez.
Nevertheless, I strung it up and began to play it.
There was no question that I had an instrument from a totally different league.
Despite the fact that it was a flamenco guitar – small and extremely lightweight – it had a sound that belied its size.
The bass was rich and sonorous, the high notes were crisp and brilliant, and the tonal balance was unlike anything I’d ever heard from any guitar in my lifetime.
I took the guitar to Skip and said, “This guitar is a mistake.
It doesn’t belong in this shipment. This is a whole different caliber of instrument!”
Skip, being in the musical instrument business, was of course very familiar with the name, José Ramirez.
He said to me, “You’re right. This IS a mistake.
This is most likely a special-order. We need to track down the history of this guitar, find out who it was made for, and see that they get it back.”
He gave me the name of their importer, Sherry-Brenner in Chicago.
I called them and explained the sequence of events and told them that I was trying to find the guitar’s rightful owner.
I was advised that this was not one of Ramirez' usual
flamenco guitars. The instrument had been crafted under the hand of José Ramírez III, grandson of the first luthier José Ramírez, using the same specifications he had used in creating an instrument for the great classical guitarist, Andrés Segovia.
Ramírez III had come up with a combination of science, using calculus to determine acoustic wave patterns within an instrument, and a rare varnish he developed not unlike that which Antonio Stradivarius used in the creation of his masterpiece violins.
It had only been four years earlier that he had finally produced a guitar Segovia was totally happy with.
The guitar I unpacked had been made especially for Johnny Smith, the great jazz guitarist and Capitol Records recording artist.
Two months had elapsed since I started the search to find out the history of the instrument, and the individual for whom it was intended.
In those two months, the day never passed when I didn’t pick up the guitar and play it.
The sound was so unique and completely satisfying. Never in my wildest imagination did I expect the sequence of events that followed.
I finally tracked down Johnny Smith and talked to him on the telephone.
“I have your José Ramírez guitar here.” I explained the events that had followed and he said, “Wow. I gave up on that guitar a long time ago and bought a Hernandez instead.
That guitar was supposed to have been shipped to me a year ago.
I imagine it was lost somewhere in transit.”
“OK,” I said. “What would you like me to do with it?
This is a wonderful guitar and I’ve really been enjoying it.”
Johnny responded, “I don’t really need it anymore.
If you are interested, you can have it for whatever is left owing.”
“Whatever is left owing” turned out to be $1,656.
Johnny had paid José Ramírez a deposit and progress payments amounting to $3,500.
I couldn’t believe it! He was willing to walk away from the guitar with $3,500 invested in it.
Whatever! I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Skip Daynes made arrangements with and for me so I could pay off the unpaid balance over a period of several months, and just like that, I had a world class guitar.
(Overjoyed
at having the Ramirez - 1967)
My recollection is that it was in the spring of 1968 that Andrés Segovia came to Salt Lake City to do a concert at the Valley Music Hall, sponsored by Daynes Music.
He arrived in Salt Lake City the afternoon of the concert only to find that his Ramírez guitar had been damaged in flight from New York.
Panic ensued. There was no way he could get his Ignacio Fleta guitar – the one he used as an alternative to his José Ramírez – in from New York in time for the concert.
Skip Daynes called me.
“Segovia is in town for a concert. United Airlines has damaged his Ramírez in flight and we can’t get his replacement guitar in time.
Would you loan Segovia your Ramírez for tonight’s concert?”
Would I? Wow! NO PROBLEM!
Thus it came about that Andrés Segovia, guitarist extraordinaire and undisputed master of the classical guitar used my José Ramírez flamenco guitar for his concert.
At the end of the concert, when he returned the guitar to me, he said, “This is undoubtedly the finest flamenco guitar Ramírez has ever made.
I would rank this as one of the ten best flamenco guitars in the world.”
Segovia was to later write,
“José Ramírez in not just a producer of magnificent guitars but also an indefatigable researcher insofar as the historic evolution of the “kitara” is concerned, the study of the mysteries of acoustics and vibratory waves in bowed, plectrum and plucking instruments. Very few “Luthiers” have come to possess such a vast amount of knowledge and few have applied their knowledge, with so much success, to the progressive practice on their work.
In his tenacious pursuit to realize his lifelong goal, José Ramírez, has built the most sonorous and beautifully timbred guitars in the whole world.”
Amen!
And through an extraordinary set of circumstances, the Lord provided me with what has turned out to be Ramírez’ finest flamenco guitar.
 
(1986
-- Della and I are singing Psalms in hospital rooms at the
Providence Memorial Hospital in Anchorage.)
Having one of the world’s finest guitars, however, and still being stuck in the music styles I’d grown up playing was a picture in stark contrasts.
It was only a few months later that same year – the fall of 1968 – that Chet Atkins came to the Valley Music Hall to put on a concert.
You’ve got to know that I was there, and that I made a point of meeting him and sharing both my guitar – ironically, he used one of José Ramírez’ classical guitars during his concert for a couple of pieces – and some of the music I had composed and was playing.
He was gracious and complimentary. But it was his final comment to me that changed my musical focus from that day forward.
“Regner,” he said, “Don’t be a copycat. You don’t need to copy or duplicate what I do.
That’s nice flattery for me, but it doesn’t make you a stand alone musician.
You have a tremendous gift. Develop your own style.
Be yourself. Be Regner Capener. Don’t be just another Chet Atkins.”
It was mid-1969, however, before real change began to occur.
My ownership of the Ramírez flamenco guitar got me an invitation into the International Society of Classical Guitarists.
I found the invitation to be more than a little humorous since my ability to play classical guitar music was more than a little lacking.
Nevertheless, I began to meet other guitar “greats” who either were in the Society, or came to Salt Lake City at the invitation of the Society.
Charlie Byrd, the jazz guitarist; Laurindo Almeida, the Brazilian classical and jazz guitarist; and Christopher Parkening, Andrés Segovia’s protégé and a brilliant classical guitarist in his own right, were but a few of the guitarists I had the opportunity to play with.
Playing along with them and jamming together really inspired many changes in my own styles.
Christopher Parkening had his own Ramírez guitar, but when he played my guitar he shook his head.
“This thing is amazing! I simply cannot believe the tonal range this guitar has.
Segovia was right! This is easily Ramírez’ finest.”
Having that guitar was only the beginning of change, however.
I still was not playing my guitar in our church services, nor was I using it for anything other than practice and the monthly jam sessions with other members of the Classical Guitar Society.
One day as I sat playing the Ramírez, I realized that something astonishing was happening.
I was playing notes, arpeggios, and runs I’d never played before.
I was simply worshiping the Lord using my guitar. Something supernatural was taking place.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I began to thank the Lord for the loss of that Gibson guitar I had so prided myself with, and the gift of the virtually priceless José Ramírez guitar.
I had lost absolutely nothing when the Gibson was stolen.
What the Lord had done was to deliver me from an entertainment and performance mentality as a musician and restore a right focus on ministering to Him.
I began to pray. “Father! You know how David had such an extraordinary ability to play the harp, and spontaneously create and sing the most glorious praise and worship music.
If you will give me that ability, I promise you that I will never again be a performer or an entertainer.
I will play, but I will play as praise and worship to you.”
It was a bold and daring prayer. It was a vow that I have kept to this day.
And the Lord has responded in kind. That was nearly
38 years ago. In those years, I cannot begin to count the number of scripture songs, praise songs, worship songs the Lord has given me – many of which have become common usage in churches around the world.
I’ve shared some of the incredible experiences Della and I have had in the realm of spontaneous worship.
We have somewhere between 300 and 400 hours of spontaneous worship music recorded – some of it has been released on CD’s.
In the midst of those worship gatherings, the Lord has given me some of the most incredible music on the guitar I’ve ever heard in my life.
It’s almost like I’m listening to someone else play.
It isn’t me. I watch my fingers move and hear the sounds, but I realize that this is the Holy Spirit flowing through me in direct response to our covenant of praise and worship.
It’s kind of like speaking in tongues, if I can use that analogy.
The person who speaks in tongues has neither studied nor learned the language of praise that is ushering forth.
His or her intellect is not involved in the process in any way.
He or she yields their tongue to the Holy Spirit and give voice to the Lord, but it is the Holy Spirit that is actually uttering the words.
So it is with this spontaneous worship and praise on the guitar.
There is no intellect or pre-thought in the process as the music begins to come forth.
I get to be the willing participant and watch what the Lord does with my fingers, but the music that flows forth is totally unplanned and never before heard or played.
My José Ramírez guitar is a rare gift, but it has been totally dedicated to the praise and worship of the Lord.
Its value cannot be measured with dollars. It is priceless.
My children understand that this instrument will not be passed on down to them in the years to come, “just because.”
If one of my children or grandchildren becomes a worshiper and a guitarist, the instrument will go to that child.
If not, it will be held in trust until such time as someone comes along who will use the guitar only as a means to minister to the Lord – not for entertainment.
It is not an entertainer’s instrument: it is a worshiper’s instrument.
If I have anything to say about it, it will always and only be a worshiper’s instrument.
Have another cup of coffee. Enjoy your weekend. Get together with others of like faith
this weekend in church, and enjoy the presence of the Lord. Above all, be blessed!
Believe
the unbelievable. Effect, and do the impossible.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
700 South 6th Street
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 837-4657
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for
reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in
part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this
notice are included intact. Coffee Break archives
are available at: http://groups.msn.com/RegnersRangers/,
or http://www.CoffeeBreakOnline.com.
Coffee Break articles are published daily, Monday
through Friday, except for holidays.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each
morning in your email, please send a blank email with the
word “Subscribe” as the subject to: Capener@aol.com.
To unsubscribe, please follow the same procedure with the
word, “Unsubscribe” as the subject.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church
ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant
with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at
either of the above email or physical addresses.
To
arrange for speaking engagements, please call Della
Capener at (956) 490-7171.
|
