David Rubio (1934-2000) originally studied medicine, but an eye handicap prevented him from working as a surgeon. He moved to Spain, where he came into contact with flamenco music. He derived his name from this period: Rubio ‘red beard’ – his real name was David Spink.
After tours of the United States, where he met his wife, Nest, they returned to England in 1967. Through his contact with Julian Bream, David started to build guitars, lutes and harpsichords in Duns Tew. In 1979 they moved to a magnificent medieval home in Cambridge, where besides building violins and harpsichords, David did research in the ancient Italian art of violin making.