2014 German Vázquez Rubio "Concert Negra" w/Pegs No. 31614 SP/IN

This 2014 German Vázquez Rubio “Concert Negra” No. 31614 is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California with Planetary pegs, in excellent condition.

A Concert Negra with Pegs

A perfectly quarter-sawn spruce top and gorgeous Indian rosewood back and sides – very high-quality materials, and a pleasure to look at. The shellac finish is applied with a level of attention to detail and perfection found in very few makers. The basses are steady and full and the trebles very clear and easy to work with, and the whole guitar is extremely responsive and open, with plenty of volume.

Pegs, Condition and Label

The action is very low, flamenco style, and it plays like a dream. The tuners are Planetary pegs, which are a breeze to use – machines that hold – with the old-school peghead look. The condition is excellent, with no damage, repairs or significant wear. On the label: German’s signature, the year 2014 and the number 31614.

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.