2025 German Vázquez Rubio "Solista 640 Lefty" No. 10425 CD/IN

This 2025 German Vázquez Rubio “Solista 640 Lefty” No. 10425 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a left-handed guitar with a 640mm string length.

A Concert Guitar with Elite Bracing

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. German brought the system from his elite guitars into this model with the same high standard of sound – and this version is left-handed, with a shorter 640mm string length.

Materials and Sound

The materials are incredibly beautiful, starting with a well-selected western red cedar soundboard and Indian rosewood for the back and sides. Flamed maple is used in the binding, framing the darker woods of the body, and the tuners are by Irving Sloane, with snakewood buttons. It sounds very elegant: rich and warm, the trebles lyrical and the basses creamy, with ample volume for the concert stage.

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. On the label: German’s signature, the year 2025 and the number 10425. By any standard, a very versatile and strong instrument.

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.