Dieter Zarnitz surbahar repair – Part 2
With the new neck joint in place, the Dieter Zarnitz surbahar can be closed and rebuilt. Part 2 covers additional reinforcement, reassembly, stringing and the instrument’s first sounds after restoration.
Dieter Zarnitz surbahar repair – Part 1
A unique Dieter Zarnitz surbahar had become almost unplayable due to a failed neck joint. In Part 1 of this restoration, I open the instrument, investigate the damage and rebuild this crucial connection.
Meet the Maker #5 – Sitar Makers Series – Chris Doddridge
Meet the Maker: Chris Doddridge, Sitar maker from East Anglia A good instrument often reflects the character of its maker. For the latest Meet the Maker, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Doddridge, a quiet and modest craftsman from the UK whose instruments reveal far more than…
Saraswati Veena bridge repair
When Archana Kumar contacted me from Germany, she was worried about her beloved Saraswati Veena. A student of Smt. Sujana Vadlamani in Chennai, she regularly performs at local Tyagaraja and Dikshitar concerts. But recently something had changed. “The notes are not exactly right and I really need help to…
Mirajkar sitar repair & K&K transducer inside
I had never heard of a luthier called I.S. Mirajkar from Pune before. But a little research did turn up some information: I.S. Mirajkar is one of Pune’s oldest instrument-making houses, based in Budhwar Peth, and was not only a luthier but also a dealer and repairer of sitars,…
Meet the Maker #4 – Sitar Makers Series – Alan Arthur Suits
Meet the Maker: Alan Arthur Suits, Sitar maker from Santa Fe If you want to explore the full conversation with Alan Arthur Suits, this interview offers a detailed look into his path as an instrument maker working across different musical traditions. He reflects on his early encounters with both…
Fitting a Buddha Systems Skydiver Pickup to my Surbahar
Why I Chose the Buddha Systems Skydiver I recently fitted a new Buddha Systems Skydiver sitar pickup system to my surbahar. The instrument itself was built by Waseem Maner in Miraj, India, and has everything I look for in a surbahar: a warm, deep and highly resonant voice with…
Surbahar head repair
A hiding fracture One day, a problem arose with Kees Verbeek’s Hiren Roy surbahar. The instrument had previously been repaired at the headstock. It had probably been dropped or suffered transport damage at some point, but had been repaired very neatly. The instrument had always remained stable, but suddenly…
Meet the Maker #3 – Sitar Makers Series – Kees Verbeek
Meet the Maker: Kees Verbeek, Sitar maker from Eindhoven In our latest blog feature, we take a closer look at the work of Kees Verbeek, a Netherlands-based maker focusing on surbahar and rudra veena — two instruments that sit at the deeper, more introspective end of North Indian classical…
Meet the Maker #2 – Sitar Makers Series – David Keustermans
Meet the Maker: David Keustermans, Sitar maker from Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors A new interview is live in the Meet the Maker series. In this conversation, I spoke with David Keustermans, whose work moves between European lute building and Indian classical instruments. What interested me from the start was not only what…
How to Tie Frets
How to Tie Sitar Frets – A Practical Guide for Makers and Players Properly binding sitar frets (pardas) is an essential yet often underestimated aspect of the instrument. The position and fit of the pardas determine not only the playability but also the intonation and tone of the sitar.…
Meet the Maker #1 – Sitar Makers Series – Ivan Rügen
Meet the Maker: Ivan Rügen, Sitar maker from Saint Petersburg In a studio in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ivan Rügen works on instruments and art objects that blur the boundaries between craft, music and visual art. His work stems from a deep fascination with sound, form and material. Combining traditional…