2011 German Vázquez Rubio "Torres" No. 71411 SP/IN

This 2011 German Vázquez Rubio “Torres” No. 71411 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California, in like-new condition.

The “Torres”: A Compact Body

Its woods are a pleasure to look at – a perfectly quarter-sawn spruce top over Indian rosewood back and sides, all of very high quality. The “Torres” model has a slightly smaller body than his concert guitars, and still a full, big-bodied sound. German applies the shellac finish with a care and perfection found in very few makers.

Sound, Condition and Label

Open and extremely responsive, the guitar has plenty of volume and character; its trebles are very clear, its basses steady and full. With its very low action it is a dream to play. The condition is like new. On the label: German’s signature, the year 2011 and the number 71411.

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.