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 excellent sustain and a rich spectrum of overtones.
The Laraj and Kharaj strings are polished roundwound brass strings made by Pyramid. They are remarkably comfortable to play, producing a deep yet clear sound with a beautiful harmonic balance. One of their strongest qualities is their tuning stability, which makes them particularly suitable for a demanding instrument such as the surbahar.
Installing this pickup provided an excellent opportunity to explore the work of Ashok Nair, whose handmade pickup systems have earned a reputation among sitar and surbahar players. The first stage consisted of finding the ideal position for the pickup. Because these pickups are extremely sensitive, even small positional changes can have a noticeable effect on the amplified sound. This requires patience and careful listening, but after a series of tests the optimal location quickly became apparent.
Permanent Installation and Jack Socket Placement
Since this Skydiver pickup is specifically designed and tuned to the frequency characteristics of a surbahar, I decided to leave it permanently installed on the instrument. For a reliable and practical setup, a fixed 6.3 mm jack socket was therefore essential. My surbahar has an unusually large and heavy string holder, which provided a logical and hidden location for the jack connection.
The first step was drilling a 12mm hole and fitting a sturdy oval metal jack plate. Care was taken to position it in a way that would be both functional and visually discreet.
One of the advantages of working on a surbahar is that there is often already an opening in the tabli. In this case, that existing hole allowed the pickup cable to pass through without the need to drill into the soundboard itself. This not only preserves the integrity of the instrument but also makes it possible to create a neat and elegant installation. An additional benefit is that the pickup position can still be adjusted in the future should further fine-tuning prove desirable.
Sound Test and Results
With the mechanical installation completed, only a small amount of soldering remained. After connecting the pickup to the jack socket and carefully securing the wiring, the surbahar was ready for its first amplified test.
The result is impressive. The pickup captures the depth of the bass strings, the complexity of the harmonics and the characteristic resonance of the instrument with remarkable clarity. It provides a natural amplified sound while preserving the unique tonal character of this surbahar.
The audio recording consists of a mix of two signals. The signal coming directly from the Skydiver pickup via the Buddha Systems DI box is mixed at 50% with the same signal played back live through an AER Combo 60 Acoustic Amplifier and recorded using a Neumann KM183 omnidirectional microphone. All of this is connected to a Zoom H4n Pro Handy Recorder. The minimal noise you hear comes from the AER Combo 60 amplifier…
Listen to the result below:
Buddha Systems Skydiver on my SurbaharString Setup and Tuning Specifications
Surbahar tuned to G#, scale = 98cms
Baj tar: steel 0,36mm (N°5)
Jora tar: bronze 0,56mm (N°24)
Laraj: brass roundwound polished 0,78mm (WND)
Kharaj: brass roundwound polished 0,96mm (WND)
Gandhar: steel 0,36mm (N°5)
Pancham: steel 0,36mm (N°5)
Cikari’s & taravs: steel 0,29mm (N°2)
This pickup is for sale @ www.sitarfactory.be* (Belgium) or @ buddha-systems.com (Germany)
* SiTAR FAcToRY is Authorised Dealer for Belgium
