2023 German Vázquez Rubio "Solista" No. 92123 SP/IN

This 2023 German Vázquez Rubio “Solista” No. 92123 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California; Cristina Galietto plays Tansman in the videos above.

The “Solista”: Elite Bracing in a Concert Model

With the “Solista”, German took the newest bracing system from his elite guitars and built a concert model around it. In the trebles above all, the bracing gives a fatter tone, and the whole guitar sounds warmer for it. German introduced the elite bracing in this simpler design without lowering the standard of sound, using Indian rosewood rather than more exotic woods for the back and sides and keeping the inlay plainer.

Playability and Label

It is very easy to play, with a smooth, comfortable neck, and powerful enough for the concert stage, whether solo or in an ensemble. There is also a 20th fret, for repertoire that needs a high C natural. This particular guitar is French polished throughout, although the model normally has lacquered back and sides. German’s label – “Constructor, Desde 1968” – is signed, dated 2023 and numbered 92123. By any standard, a very versatile and strong instrument.

In the Video Above

Cristina Galietto plays the “Preludio” and the “Danza Pomposa” from Alexandre Tansman’s “Cavatine” on a 2023 G.V. Rubio “Solista”.

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.