2026 German Vázquez Rubio "Classic Estudio-SM" CD/PE

This 2026 German Vázquez Rubio “Classic Estudio-SM” is a classical guitar with a cedar top and palo escrito back and sides, handmade in Los Angeles, California, by the Paracho-born luthier.

A New Version of an Old Classic

This is a new version of an old classic from G.V. Rubio, and is a modestly priced, genuine G.V. Rubio guitar built in his Los Angeles-based workshop. It’s a top-of-the-line student/entry-level concert instrument in every way. It features striking materials – most notably a beautiful set of church-sourced palo escrito for the back and sides.

“Solo Madera”: Only Wood

The new “spin” is calling this the “SM” model (Solo Madera – meaning “only wood”). The design concept derives from German’s belief that vibration will travel just a bit more efficiently when the wood materials are uninterrupted. The upgraded materials in the “Classic Estudio SM” and its design aim to bring a noticeable enhancement in sonic performance, while at the same time allowing the aesthetic beauty of the natural materials to be more prominent.

Mother-of-Pearl Rosette and Matte Lacquer

Notably, the guitar lacks purfled inlays, and has a simple but elegant mother-of-pearl ring rosette (also matched in the tie-block inlay), EVO gold-steel frets, a racing stripe in the heel, a brass-ring 7th fret marker and a hand-applied, thin “matte” lacquer finish to really show off the natural texture of the wood.

As with the standard version of this model (and actually with all guitars to come out of this workshop), it sounds great, plays easily and represents a great value for the price.

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.