Andres Marvi's string height (Full Version)

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hxwhf72752003 -> Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 14 2026 11:43:57)

Hi guys. How are you?

Recently, I have been interested in Andres Marvi's guitars. The bass is wild, and the high pitch is bright. I have found many Andres on the internet, but most of the heights of the saddle are very low, from 6mm to 7.5mm, and the heights on the 12th fret are about 2.7mm.

I was wondering why many Marvi guitars had such low settings. Do these guitars' necks bend easily? I am interested in buying one with 7.2mm on the saddle and 2.8mm on the 12th. But I don't know if this guitar will keep changing.[:)]



Ricardo -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 14 2026 15:37:54)

My opinion is they are not "bright" as you say. How would you know if the neck had "bent"? Guitars are stable with stable humidity...if you force them to endure wild changes any guitar will have to adapt to that. Those numbers only tell us how the neck angle was set, which sounds quite good for a flamenco guitar.



Arash -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 14 2026 23:00:05)

here at 4:30 he talks about specifically the tolerances and the string height at the bridge area and how important that is.



He also talks about how he started with flamenco, but tried to implement classical "features" in to them. Maybe this is why in my opinion his guitars usually have a - let's say - warmer sweeter tone and not as aggressive/bright or whatever you want to call that other style.

This one with the pegs is probably the "brightest" one I have heard, but usually his guitars are warmer and fuller sounding.
He also builds with a more raised Neck which goes up to almost to the sound hole




hxwhf72752003 -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 15 2026 6:23:03)

Oh, you are right. The neck is straight. What I want to say is that if this setting is not the original one, will it keep changing?

By the way, I think Arash's words are right to describe the sound of Marvi.[:)]



Echi -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 15 2026 19:05:48)

that set-up is correct and typical of Marvi: usually Marvi uses an ebony (invisible) reinforcement inside the neck.
Very nice guitars



hxwhf72752003 -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 16 2026 15:20:22)

Thank you Echi. Your information is useful! This guitar is from Diego. A very good person who knows a lot about guitars. We had a nice talk and I love that Marvi.[:D]



Estevan -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 16 2026 23:49:38)

I don't know much about Marvi's guitars except that they are good enough for Gerardo.

What I do know is that the last time we were in Spain (2012) we stayed in a small village in the hills south of Granada, and discovered that his workshop was just around the corner. Had a nice chat with Andy but didn't need to try any guitars.

Andy had a very nice dog who we would see every day as we went up to the village taps; here's a portrait.



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hxwhf72752003 -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 17 2026 5:22:07)

These cute dogs are always chilling in the shadow of the village[:D]



RobF -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 17 2026 13:52:51)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Estevan

I don't know much about Marvi's guitars except that they are good enough for Gerardo.

What I do know is that the last time we were in Spain (2012) we stayed in a small village in the hills south of Granada, and discovered that his workshop was just around the corner. Had a nice chat with Andy but didn't need to try any guitars.

Andy had a very nice dog who we would see every day as we went up to the village taps; here's a portrait.



Ferreirola. I was there about the same time you were, in October. Fun fact, if you take a walk along the Calle Real de Ferreirola via Google Streetview, starting at the main entrance of the town, you'll eventually come across the man himself, taking a stroll up the road. I think the cam car must have been there about the same time we were as the image has been there ever since. When you see the guy wearing the red and white windbreaker, that'd be Andy.*

P.S. anyone who's fortunate enough to visit Granada really does owe themselves a drive into the Alpujarras. There are also bus tours that can be taken. Well worth the effort.

*I'd give the specific address, but that'd take the fun out of it....



constructordeguitarras -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 28 2026 1:06:27)

quote:

Hi guys. How are you?


OMG, even here people are asking me how I am. I'm having a bad hair day.



hxwhf72752003 -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 28 2026 6:19:16)

[:D][:D][:D]



Richard Jernigan -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Feb. 28 2026 23:26:32)

quote:

I don't know much about Marvi's guitars except that they are good enough for Gerardo.

What I do know is that the last time we were in Spain (2012) we stayed in a small village in the hills south of Granada, and discovered that his workshop was just around the corner. Had a nice chat with Andy but didn't need to try any guitars.

Andy had a very nice dog who we would see every day as we went up to the village taps; here's a portrait.


I was in Granada at the time. Saw on the Foro that you and your wife were at Ferreirola and drove down for lunch.

On the main highway south from Granada you pass through "El Suspiro del Moro."
The story is that in 1492, Boabdil, the Emir, was granted safe passage to Malaga after surrendering Granada to the siege of Los Reyes Católicos. He paused at the height of the pass to take a last view of the city, and wept. His mother upbraided him, saying, "If you had fought like a man instead of weeping like a woman, you would still possess the city."

Turning off into the mountains I felt a connection to the landscape, though it was new to me. Instead of continuing to Malaga some of Boabdil's retinue peeled off into the Alpujarras and established themselves in the remote mountainous hinterland. My first true love was a descendant. She was 18, I was 22. Her ancestry was evident in her mother's maiden name, in her Berber blonde hair, her light complexion and green eyes. She died very young. I still dream of her a few times a year.

Ferreirola is indeed remote. Driving, you reach it only after traversing miles and miles of narrow, twisty mountain roads.

Returning from lunch in the next village, we walked down the hill from the parked car to your apartment, passing Marvi's house and workshop. Through an open window we could hear him at work. The dog took a bit too much interest in the leftover steak your wife was carrying, until I hissed at him like an annoyed cat. He returned promptly to his shady spot and laid down like a good boy.

RNJ



RobF -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Mar. 1 2026 1:40:33)

I was also there in the same timeframe, but later, in October of 2012. Small world.

The picture of the donkey was taken in Ferreirola. The chestnut tree in the mist was taken somewhere else in the Alpujarras*, at the entrance to one of the other Moorish styled towns.





* turns out I took this one in 2015 and the town is Capileira, which is quite a bit higher up in the mountains. The mist is not fog, it's the top of a cloud. I remember that day, it was overcast and we kept driving until we broke through the clouds into a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at the side of the road and watched the clouds billowing and rolling off the sides of the hills below and a little dog ran up to us out of nowhere, tail wagging, and hung out with us until it was time to go. Good memories, those.

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rombsix -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Mar. 2 2026 12:35:42)

quote:

The dog took a bit too much interest in the leftover steak your wife was carrying, until I hissed at him like an annoyed cat. He returned promptly to his shady spot and laid down like a good boy.


[:D][8D]



Estevan -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Mar. 15 2026 3:34:40)

Rob, we were there in late June.
Yes that looks like Andy in the car park. It got pretty crowded there (being the actual end of the road into the mountains), and I scraped the side of the car on one of those trees; luckily the rental company didn't seem to mind.

The street view was taken in 2008 - the construction site next to the fuente was a proper building by the time we were there.

I was going to mention that a highlight of the trip was a visit from RNJ - one of the several connections for which I'm grateful to foroflamenco - but he beat me to it. Great conversation overlooking the valley in front of La Cueva de Mora Luna.

On the way through the dining room I met the owner, an argentino who, I noticed, had included a photo of his compatriot Che Comandante amongst the many celebrities adorning the walls. I was inspired to tell him "Soy marxista", at which he took interest. Then I added "de la tendencia Hermanos", gesturing towards a photo of the Marx Brothers. That took him by surprise, and made him laugh.

Before going south we had spent some days in Granada. Amongst other things we visited the house and archives of Manuel de Falla, where I was able to procure a copy of the manuscripts (both the guitar original, and the subsequent piano version) of the famous 'Homenaje'. We hung out with Juan Miguel Carmona in his workshop and in the cafe on the corner. I had a couple of lessons with Rafalín, and when I told him we were going to the Alpujarra, he said "You'll love it, it's a beautiful area" and - Spanish priorities - "they have good ham, and good wine!".

The landscape is wonderful, and we did a lot of walking up and down the hills to other villages in the area. And, as Richard suggested, the driving on the way to and from can feel quite adventurous.
Maybe I'll dig out some more photos.



Ricardo -> RE: Andres Marvi's string height (Mar. 16 2026 13:13:52)

quote:

I have found many Andres on the internet, but most of the heights of the saddle are very low, from 6mm to 7.5mm, and the heights on the 12th fret are about 2.7mm.


this is Gerardo, the guitar used in the Encuentro video. Looks pretty high to me:



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