2026 German Vázquez Rubio "Classic Estudio-SM" No. 010926 CD/PE

This 2026 German Vázquez Rubio “Classic Estudio-SM” No. 010926 is a classical guitar with a cedar top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – the “Solo Madera” version of his student concert model.

The “Classic Estudio-SM”: Solo Madera

This is a new version of an old classic from G.V. Rubio – a genuine G.V. Rubio guitar built in his Los Angeles workshop. The new spin is in the name: “SM”, for “Solo Madera”, meaning “only wood”. The design comes from German’s belief that vibration travels just a bit more efficiently when the wood is uninterrupted. It is a top-of-the-line student and entry-level concert instrument in every way, with a beautiful set of church-sourced palo escrito for the back and sides. The upgraded materials and the design aim for a noticeable step up in sound, while letting the natural beauty of the wood come to the fore.

Only Wood

Notably, the guitar has no purfled inlays; it has a simple but elegant mother-of-pearl ring rosette (matched in the tie-block inlay), EVO gold-steel frets, a racing stripe in the heel, a brass-ring 7th-fret marker and a thin, hand-applied matte lacquer that really shows off the natural texture of the wood. Like the standard model, it sounds great and plays easily. German’s label – “Constructor, Desde 1968” – is signed, dated 2026 and numbered 010926.

In the Video Above

Our own demo of this guitar.

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.