1969 David Rubio "PF" SP/CSAR

A 1969 "PF" classical guitar from the David Rubio workshop in England, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides – built by Paul Fischer, whose initials are stamped on the heel inside.

Built by Paul Fischer in the Rubio Workshop

After his return to England in 1967, Rubio trained three young builders in his methods – Kazuo Sato, Edward B. Jones and Paul Fischer. Like the workers of the José Ramírez shop in Madrid, they built instruments of Rubio's design and marked their authorship inside, with initials stamped on the heel or written on the label. This one is stamped "PF". Paul Fischer went on to become a major figure in English guitar making, known for his own innovations, above all his "Taut" model.

A Perfectly Executed Rubio

It is an excellent example of a perfectly executed Rubio guitar, with the classic Rubio rosette, head shape and plantilla, and exquisite materials – particularly the CSA rosewood, which came from Rubio's famous stock of wood. The tone is thick and rich with incredible sustain, especially in the higher registers, and it has excellent volume without being boomy, plus the beauty and lyricism for which the best Rubios are known.

Condition

Apart from two repaired cracks alongside the fingerboard (invisible from the outside), the guitar is in amazing condition for its age, with just normal playing wear from decades of use. A player's dream, and rare enough to appeal to the collector.

David Rubio: From Flamenco Guitarist to Master Instrument Maker

David Rubio (1934–2000) is arguably the most important guitar maker to emerge from England, and the founding father of the English school. Born David Spink and raised in London, he studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin, then left for Spain, where he earned his living as a flamenco guitarist accompanying singers and dancers – and picked up the nickname "Rubio" for his red beard. A touring flamenco company brought him to New York, where, from what he had seen in the guitar shops of Spain, he taught himself to build guitars under the name "Jose" Rubio. Within a few years Julian Bream was playing his instruments.

Guitars, Lutes, Harpsichords and Violins

Rubio returned to England in 1967 and, from workshops near Oxford and, from 1979, in Cambridge, built a remarkably wide range of instruments: guitars and lutes, harpsichords, baroque and modern violins, violas and cellos. In the late 1960s and 1970s he trained three young makers in his methods – Kazuo Sato, Edward B. Jones and Paul Fischer – who built guitars of his design marked with their initials. Late in his life he developed a radical 8-string guitar, the "Brahms" model, with Paul Galbraith. He died in Cambridge on October 21, 2000, leaving more than a thousand instruments.