Here is an introduction to the Fosse Electric Sitar. This instrument replicates the sound of the classic indian sitar. It is a new solid body electric instrument made out of carbon fibre by Gregg Fosse.
More info on www.fossesitar.com (soon ??).
Category Archives: curiosity
Sarod Kartar Chand
This beautiful sarod was made by late Kartar Chand in the 80’s. Pictures made by Luc De Gezelle.
His shop still exists and is now run by his brother Hari Chand. It is located in Paharganj, New Delhi.
Adapted Multichannel Sitar
Another weirdie… to whom it may concern???…
… the Adapted Multichannel Sitar.
Specialized Multichannel pickups zither module, and resonator modification by Leo Knapp. Strumpad, keyboard, MIDI sliders, MIDI switches, and electronics constructed and installed by Graham Bruce.
To be seen on this site.
Extended Sitar
Really, what’s up next…? The USB Sitar…? The Sitar Over IP…?
This is the Extended Sitar… read more? Website is here.
Stormcase for SAS & SBS sitars
After a long time looking around I found a very suitable case for the SAS & SBS sitars. The “StormCase™ “, model iM3300. This is a professional safe and secure, lightweight (8,6 kg) but very tough and rugged fiber case. It is dent-resistant, shatter-resistant, virtually unbreakable and also watertight and airtight… and it has rubber handles and wheels!! It is originally made for transport of arms and riffles, but I am a little proud to be able to give at least three of them a more peaceful and non-violent destination.
With this stormcase the project of making these 3 new style sitars came to an end. I compiled some info about these instruments on a new page under “projects”. You can also download the new style sitars pdf brochure.
Double Neck Electric Sitar
Where will it end ??? “We need a sitar … a double neck actually … with humbucking pickups … and a Floyd Rose bridge … and it all has to function properly. We need some mock-up renderings by tomorrow and the finished product completed in the next couple of weeks” This is the phone call that David Hill received some months ago from the production company of Mike Myers’ new movie “Love Guru”.
Read the rest of the story and see some unique photos about the making of this extravagant sitar by David Hill & Brady Milloy at the “12 fret” website …
The electric sitar, by Coral
If you google “electric sitar” then you ‘ll find over 200.000 hits referring to the Coral “electric sitar” which actually is an early solid body guitar that sounds like a sitar. Vincent Bell invented a number of electric guitar models for Danelectro and Coral. He designed perhaps the first electric 12-string guitar, and invented the electric sitar in 1967, using it on such hits as “Green Tambourine” by the Lemon Pipers, “Band of Gold” by Freda Payne, and “Heartbreaker” by Gene Pitney. See this funny early ad:
Also wikipedia writes this, but it is and remains a guitar, made for guitarists. It is not a sitar, isn’t it…?
Read also an interesting article “West meets East” by Frederick W. Harrison about how the sitar came to be heard in the western pop music.
Dieter Zarnitz
A very special and most beautiful series of sitars and surbahars made by Dieter Zarnitz.
The tumba is replaced by a wooden construction as used in traditional western lute making. Neck and body are made from flamed maple, with old air-dried pine soundboard. The head and curl are made of rosewood, the tuning pegs are made from ebony.
But, all I’ve ever heard about the man who builds these beauties is this flyer, taken by my friend Bert Cornelis at a concert in Aachen (Germany).
Sitar, Surbahar & Tanpura
Dieter Zarnitz
Gutenbergstr. 40
31139 Hildesheim
Tel: 05121/2043815
dieter.zarnitz@htp-tel.de
Electric Zeetar
Anyone ever seen this one in real ?
The Rajah Zeetar is an instrument made in the 1960’s in the likeness of a sitar. Supplied with an electronic amplifier. Made in Japan. It comes with 2 eye-catching big magnetic pickups and the body is made of papier-mache with a wooden soundboard, lenght is 112 cm.
Hiren Roy Compact Sitar
Towards the end of last year Hiren Roy company came with their version of the “compact sitar”.
At first sight a regular sitar with an original slotted head, but …
…they simply cut the tumba by half.
It looks very similar to Sanjay’s “studio travel model“, which has a full wooden body. This very successful concept has been copied and sold by many other sitar makers.
Further pics and details of the Hiren Roy Compact sitar are available at http://www.india-instruments.de/pag/stringinst/sitar/hr_full_com_e.html. Pictures courtesy of www.india-instruments.de.