2016 German Vázquez Rubio "Torres" No. 12216 SP/IN

This 2016 German Vázquez Rubio “Torres” No. 12216 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – based on the proportions and aesthetics of Antonio de Torres.

About the “Torres” Model

This is a beautiful instrument based on the proportions and aesthetics of Antonio de Torres. This is his “Torres” model: the body is a little more compact, yet the sound stays full and big-bodied. German chose very high-quality materials, a pleasure to look at: a perfectly quarter-sawn spruce top and Indian rosewood for the back and sides.

Sound, Playability and Label

Its French polish shows an attention to detail and a perfection that very few makers achieve. The sound is extremely responsive and open, with plenty of volume and character; the trebles are very clear and easy to work with, and the basses are steady and full. Playability is a dream, with a very low action. It also has a 20th fret for a high C natural. Its “Desde 1968” label carries German’s signature, the year 2016 and No. 12216; “Torres, 650” is written beside the number.

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.