2026 German Vázquez Rubio "Classic Estudio-SM" No. 11626 SP/PE

This 2026 German Vázquez Rubio “Classic Estudio-SM” No. 11626 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and palo escrito back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – a spruce-top “Solo Madera”; Goran Ivanovic plays a 2026 G.V. Rubio in the videos above.

A Spruce-Top “Solo Madera”

“SM” stands for “Solo Madera” – “only wood” – and this new version of an old G.V. Rubio classic, made in his Los Angeles workshop, follows German’s idea that vibration moves a bit more efficiently through uninterrupted wood. Upgraded materials – including church-sourced palo escrito for the back and sides – and the stripped-back design aim at a noticeably better sound and let the beauty of the wood show; it is a top-of-the-line student and entry-level concert instrument.

Details and Label

There are no purfled inlays – instead a simple, elegant mother-of-pearl ring rosette, matched in the tie block, EVO gold-steel frets, a racing stripe in the heel, a brass-ring marker at the 7th fret and a thin matte lacquer, applied by hand, that shows the natural texture of the wood. As with the standard model, it sounds great and plays easily. Its “Desde 1968” label carries German’s signature, the year 2026 and No. 11626.

Two Videos

Goran Ivanovic plays his “Children Songs: Morning Rain” and “Brazilian Brothers” on a 2026 G.V. Rubio in the videos above.

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.