1993 German Vázquez Rubio No. 12893 SP/CY

This 1993 German Vázquez Rubio No. 12893 is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a traditional flamenco blanca from his early years, finished in French polish.

A Traditional Flamenco Blanca

This is a traditional flamenco blanca: a spruce top over cypress back and sides, built light and responsive, with the bright, percussive voice and quick attack that flamenco players look for. The standard 650mm string length and a generous 53.5mm nut give room for both rasgueado and picado, and the French polish lets the top vibrate freely.

The Label

It carries the oval label of German’s early years – “German Vazquez R., Constructor de Guitarras, Desde 1968” – numbered 12893.

German Vázquez Rubio: Early Years in Paracho, Mexico

German Vázquez Rubio (also known as G.V. Rubio) has been making guitars since 1968 – over fifty years – and has developed his own signature sound that guitarists have come to love. He was born in 1952 in Paracho, Mexico, where there is an abundance of fine luthiers (with few exceptions, all of the finest guitars in Mexico come from Paracho). German’s first formal training began at eleven years old, when he left school to help support his seven siblings and went to work in the workshop of his uncle, Manuel Rubio. There, even at his young age, he made a conscious effort to make guitar building his life’s work.

“Desde 1968”

In 1968, at the age of sixteen, he made his first concert-level guitar (hence his label reads “Desde 1968”). German has since been able to learn from many different master builders such as Félix Manzanero, José Romanillos and Thomas Humphrey. He now resides in Los Angeles, California, where he builds a variety of both classical and flamenco models. He is also the maker of the real-life guitar from the Disney/Pixar film Coco – you can read more in our article on German Vázquez Rubio and the real Coco guitar.

First Prize in Mexico

In 2000, German won First Place at the Concurso Nacional de Constructores y Ejecutantes de Guitarras, Mexico’s national guitar-making competition.