2016 German Vázquez Rubio "Estudio 635" No. 11816 SP/PE

This 2016 German Vázquez Rubio “Estudio 635” No. 11816 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – his student concert model with a 635mm string length.

A Genuine G.V. Rubio from Los Angeles

Every “Estudio 635” is a genuine G.V. Rubio, made in German’s workshop in Los Angeles. It was designed as a student and entry-level concert guitar, and it is top of the line in that role.

Sound and Playability

German uses palo escrito – a very fine rosewood from Mexico – for the back and sides. The sound is great and the guitar plays very easily. At 635mm, the string length is short, and the guitar plays extremely easily. The finish is hand-thinned lacquer.

The Label and Condition

The label is signed by German, dated 2016 and numbered 11816, with “635” 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.