2005 German Vázquez Rubio "Archtop" No. 41605 SP/MP

This 2005 German Vázquez Rubio “Archtop” No. 41605 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and maple back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a domed soundboard for extra power and focus.

The “Archtop”

The slightly extra doming in the soundboard (hence “Archtop”) increases its stiffness and so allows it to be made thinner, which gives the guitar additional power and focus. German chose very high-quality materials, a pleasure to look at: a perfectly quarter-sawn spruce top and beautiful maple for the back and sides.

Sound, Condition and Label

Its French polish shows an attention to detail and a perfection that very few makers achieve. Open and extremely responsive, the guitar has plenty of volume and character; its trebles are very clear, its basses steady and full. The action is very low, and it plays like a dream. Apart from some very small signs of wear, the condition is excellent, with no damage or repairs. The label is signed by German, dated 2005 and numbered 41605.

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.