2005 German Vázquez Rubio "Almería" w/Pegs No. 53105 SP/CY

This 2005 German Vázquez Rubio “Almería” No. 53105 is a flamenco guitar with a spruce top and cypress back and sides, made in Los Angeles, California – his Gerundino-inspired flamenco blanca, made at our request and no longer built.

A Gerundino-Inspired Blanca

This is German’s Gerundino-inspired model, which he built some years ago at our request but no longer makes, making this a rare guitar indeed. While not a direct copy, it has the throaty Spanish voice of the original and profound volume – especially in the first two strings, so picado explodes from the instrument.

Pegs, Playability and Condition

The action is very low and the top very responsive, so it plays extremely fast and easily. Mechanical pegs keep the looks traditional and the headstock light while tuning as easily as machines, and together with the 12-hole bridge they make string changes very fast. The condition is nearly new, and as usual for German the build quality, choice of wood and French polish are exceptional – a thoroughly professional instrument in all respects. Its “Desde 1968” label carries German’s signature, the year 2005 and No. 53105.

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.