1999 German Vázquez Rubio "640" No. 30599 CD/PE

This 1999 German Vázquez Rubio “640” No. 30599 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California; Daniel Monaghan plays Torroba’s “Torija” on it in the video above.

A 640mm Concert Guitar

This is a concert guitar with a cedar top and a lovely set of palo escrito – a very fine Mexican rosewood – for the back and sides, built to the slightly shorter 640mm string length. Extremely responsive and open, it has plenty of volume and character, with very clear trebles that are easy to work with and steady, full basses.

Playability, Condition and Label

With the shorter scale and a very comfortable action it plays easily. The condition is excellent, with no damage, repairs or significant wear of any kind – only some minor wear in the French-polished top; the lacquered back and sides have virtually no wear. The label is the “G.V. Rubio, Fabricante” label of the late 1990s, signed and numbered 30599, Año 99.

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.