1997 German Vázquez Rubio No. 42797 SP/CY

This 1997 German Vázquez Rubio No. 42797 is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a traditionally made flamenco blanca, with three hairline top cracks repaired by German himself.

A Beautiful Flamenco Blanca

This is a beautiful, traditionally made flamenco blanca. The sound is extremely responsive and open, with plenty of volume and character; the trebles are very clear and easy to work with, and the basses are steady and full. Playability is a dream, with a very low flamenco action.

Repairs and Label

Three hairline cracks in the top were repaired by German Vázquez Rubio himself, and the guitar is in concert-ready condition. Its label is the “G.V. Rubio, Fabricante” label he used in the late 1990s, numbered 42797 and dated (Año) 97.

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.