1969 David Rubio SP/IN

A 1969 classical guitar by David Rubio, with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in England soon after his return from New York – an easy-playing Rubio with a slender neck.

In the videos above, Mario Da Silva plays Villa-Lobos' Prelude No. 3 and Chad Ibison plays Tárrega's Prelude No. 1 on this guitar.

From Rubio's "Bream" Period

This guitar is an excellent example of the earlier work Rubio is best known for, from his "Bream" period. The tone is thick and rich with great sustain, especially in the trebles, with excellent volume that never turns boomy – ideal for recital and concert – and the beauty and lyricism of his best guitars.

Playability and Condition

It is notably easy to play: the neck is slender compared with Rubio's usual heftier shape, so the left hand has an easy time. Apart from two hairline cracks in the top, lightly secured with glue and 4 small cleats, it is in fine condition for its age. A player's dream, and highly collectible.

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.