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 music.
Both instruments are defined by scale and resonance. The surbahar, often described as a “bass sitar,” is built larger and tuned lower, allowing for slow, expansive playing and long, sustained phrases.
The rudra veena goes even further in this direction, with its long tubular body and dual gourds, demanding a high level of precision in alignment and construction. These are not forgiving instruments — small structural differences immediately affect response and playability.
In this article, we explore how Kees Verbeek approaches these challenges: working with larger proportions, longer string lengths, and carefully balanced resonance. His instruments reflect a focus on clarity, stability, and a controlled response, rather than decorative excess.
We also reflect on what it means to build such rare and demanding instruments outside of their traditional context. In that sense, his work feels less like reproduction and more like a process of careful understanding — translating an instrument’s logic into a different environment, without losing its essence.
This interview with Kees Verbeek is part of the Meet the Maker series on SiTAR FAcToRY, where instrument makers from around the world share their work, ideas and inspiration.
