2023 German Vázquez Rubio "Concert 635" No. 61923 SP/MP

This 2023 German Vázquez Rubio “Concert 635” No. 61923 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and maple back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – with Indian rosewood binding and touches of color.

The “Concert 635” Model

This is a beautiful concert instrument featuring several unique and striking design elements.

Look Closely

Indian rosewood is used in the binding, heel cap and back center strip, framing the quarter-sawn spruce and flamed maple with its dark-brownish hue; the neck is flamed maple too. Three pieces of maple and two of palo escrito, with a padauk back headplate, make up the layered headstock, and touches of blue, yellow and red appear in the rosette, tie block, top purfling, back center seam and head veneer inlay – barely noticeable to the naked eye. It has Schaller GrandTune frictionless machines. 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. With a very low action and a 635mm string length, it is a dream to play. It is fitted with a 20th fret for repertoire requiring a high C natural. A beautiful-sounding, intricately made concert guitar. No. 61923 is written on the label, which is dated 2023 and signed by German; “635” is written beside the number.

In the Video Above

Wesley Park plays the traditional Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision” on a 2023 G.V. Rubio.

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.