2020 German Vázquez Rubio "Solista" No. 12820 CD/IN

This 2020 German Vázquez Rubio “Solista” No. 12820 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a heavily played guitar with a huge, open sound, structurally perfect.

The “Solista”: Elite Bracing in a Concert Model

The “Solista” was German’s most recent concert model when it was introduced, and it carries the bracing system he first developed for his elite guitars. The bracing fattens the tone, above all in the trebles, and gives the guitar a warmer sound overall.

A Heavily Played Guitar

This guitar has been heavily played, as the extensive wear in the finish shows – purely aesthetic, as it is structurally perfect, with no cracks or repairs. It was originally fitted with a 20th fret, an armrest and a four-piece back, with a thin blue strip of purfling separating the inner pieces of rosewood from the outer ones. Its previous owner had a few more modifications made afterwards: endpins, so the guitar can be played standing with a strap, and a carved sound-port in the upper bout of the bass-side rib (see photo 2).

Sound and Label

It has been played so much that it is incredibly open, with a huge, fat sound and a remarkable responsiveness that makes it a breeze to play, and it easily has the power for any concert setting, in ensemble or solo. On the label: German’s signature, the year 2020 and the number 12820, with “Solista, -650-” written beside it. All in, this is a very versatile and strong instrument by any standard.

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.