2026 German Vázquez Rubio "Classic Estudio-SM" No. 11726 CD/PE

This 2026 German Vázquez Rubio “Classic Estudio-SM” No. 11726 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – with no rosette at all, just the soundhole.

“SM” for “Solo Madera”

German calls this new take on his classic student model the “SM” – “Solo Madera”, or “only wood”. Built in his Los Angeles workshop, it rests on his belief that vibration travels a little more efficiently through wood that is left uninterrupted. The back and sides are a beautiful set of palo escrito sourced from a church, and the upgraded materials and design are meant to lift the sound noticeably while letting the natural wood speak for itself – a top-of-the-line student and entry-level concert guitar.

No Rosette

This one goes furthest of all: there are no purfled inlays and no rosette – just the soundhole – with EVO gold-steel frets, a brass-ring 7th-fret marker and a thin, hand-applied matte lacquer to bring out the natural texture of the wood. It sounds great and plays easily. The label is signed by German, dated 2026 and numbered 11726.

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.