2018 German Vázquez Rubio "Concert 635" No. 52618 SP/MP

This 2018 German Vázquez Rubio “Concert 635” No. 52618 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and maple back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – flamed maple framed in rosewood; Fareed Haque plays in the video above.

The “Concert 635”

The “Concert 635” is a beautiful concert guitar with several unique and striking design elements.

The Details

A perfectly quarter-sawn spruce top and flamed maple back and sides are framed by rosewood in the binding, back center strip and tie block. The headstock is layered in four pieces of maple and three of walnut, with a rosewood front veneer, and “opens” into the neck when viewed from behind; half-herringbone purfling lines the top and the rosette, and there is a little blue in the rosette, barely noticeable. Its French polish shows the attention to detail and perfection that very few makers achieve.

Sound and Label

The trebles are very clear and full, and the basses are deep with a nice bouncy response. A very low action and the 635mm scale make playing it effortless. There is also a 20th fret, for repertoire that needs a high C natural. In short: beautiful sound and intricate work. Its “Desde 1968” label carries German’s signature, the year 2018 and No. 52618; “635” is written beside the number.

In the Video Above

Fareed Haque plays “’Round Midnight” at GSI.

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.