During and in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War material shortages forced them to experiment, and the young José developed a love of innovation.
In Andrés Segovia, whom he first met in 1952, he found a performer who was like him passionate about achieving greater volume and clarity, to allow the classical guitar to be accompanied by a full symphony orchestra.
Daring to tamper with the designs of Torres, Ramírez built larger and more powerful concert guitars, with longer scale lengths and asymmetrical bracing.
In the 1960s, to cope with increasing demand, Ramírez moved his workshop to its own building, and greatly expanded the number of employees, leaving the original premises as a shop only.
There followed in 1987 the Diapason d'Or from the Ministry of Education and Culture of France, but to the end of his life the award he most cherished was a letter from Andrés Segovia acknowledging his work.