2015 German Vázquez Rubio "Estudio 640" No. 31915 SP/PE

This 2015 German Vázquez Rubio “Estudio 640” No. 31915 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a 640mm student concert guitar, in excellent condition.

The “Estudio 640” Model

The “Estudio 640” is built in the G.V. Rubio workshop in Los Angeles, and it is a genuine G.V. Rubio in every sense. For the student and the player starting out on the concert stage, it is a top-of-the-line instrument in every way.

Sound and Playability

Its back and sides are of palo escrito, one of the finest rosewoods of Mexico. The sound is great and the guitar plays very easily. The 640mm string length, a little shorter than standard, makes it especially easy to play. A hand-thinned lacquer protects it.

Condition and Label

Although a second-hand instrument, it is in excellent condition, with only very minor signs of use. On the label: German’s signature, the year 2015 and the number 31915, with “640” written beside it.

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.