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Tag Archives: guitar

Sarod Guitar / mod II

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Wednesday, 5 February 2025 by AnandaTuesday, 1 April 2025

Ever fallen in love with a sarod but you couldn’t find one? Personally I love the sound of sarod very much but can’t play it. That’s pretty the same problem. Here’s a way out:

A simple solution is to convert an existing old guitar into a Sarod guitar. In other words, the best of both worlds. The idea is not new. I did it back in 2007 (read article here) but it got very quiet about that project. I don’t know why. Now there is a new attempt..:

Frederik VdB brought me his Morgan guitar on which he decided not to play anymore. One of the reasons was a solid crack in the soundboard. That had to be repaired first.

Then all the frets had to be removed and the empty slots filled with homemade wood dust paste. The surface was scraped and sanded firmly and finely. All pores were filled and it became smooth, almost like a mirror.

In place of the guitar’s E & A strings will be 2 cikari strings. These are tuned high (D4 & D5) and need a shorter scale. Therefore, by analogy with a sitar, I have integrated cikari pins on the fretboard. One at half spacing and one at 3/4th spacing. A small eye is mounted behind the pin at half distance that pulls the string down enough so that it stays well on the pin.

Because the cikari strings are always struck together, they are also shorter together. This is easy to see from the bridge. The D4 string makes a small bend. 😉

Sarod Guitar specifications & tuning chart:

Scale = 65cm

1. steel wire 0.36mm / N°5 tuned to MA (= G 3)
2. bronze wire 0.46mm / N°26 tuned to SA (= D 3)
3. bronze wire 0.75mm / N° 22 tuned to lower PA (= A 2)
4. nickel flatwound string 1,27mm / tuned to lower SA (= D 2)
5. steel wire 0.23mm / N° 0 tuned to SA (= D 4)
6. steel wire 0.21mm / N° 00 tuned to higher SA (= D 5)

Read here about another Sarod Guitar modification (2007).

Posted in lutherie, making, varia | Tagged guitar, Sarod, SitarMods | Leave a reply

Hybrid Sitar mod

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Wednesday, 3 August 2016 by AnandaSaturday, 1 May 2021

… the ultimate guitar for sitarists …

Frédéric t’Serstevens is a young and talented sitarist and disciple of Shubhendra Rao and Kushal Das. Since in the beginning he was a dedicated (bass) guitarplayer, he came up with this rather common idea to convert a sitar into a guitar. But now in a suitable and really original way: why not make the accompanying strings, jora, laraj & kharaj, entirely playable on the full neck area?
On traditional sitars, it is common that these strings only can be played (without meend) up to the 4th, 5th, … 7th parda. From then onwards, very frequently, intonation problems occur due to a continuously and significantly increasing strings action. This means that the distance between the string and the frets (pardas) increases too much, and thus the played notes become higher… until unplayable.

The solution is very simple: reduce the strings action by changing the shape of the pardas.

original shape (Rikhi Ram)

hybrid shape (Sitar Factory)

With this kind of new hybrid pardas, mounted on a raised parda lane, the action on the strings is higly reduced. And as such coming very close to a near perfect intonation, comparable to a guitar:

Now even chords can be played perfectly on this instrument… making it the extreme sitar for guitarists, or,… reverse ?? Or just: the ultimate hybrid sitar… 🙂

For more details, please read (on this site): The modification of an acoustic travel sitar into an electric hybrid guitar-sitar.

Posted in varia | Tagged fusion, guitar, Hybrid, parda, SitarMaking, SitarMods, varisitari | 1 Reply

Hybrid Sitar, a real Guitar Sitar

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Wednesday, 3 August 2016 by AnandaMonday, 9 June 2025

The modification of an acoustic travel sitar into an electric hybrid guitar-sitar.

Specifications   Materials   Drawings   The modification process

This instrument has been made on demand
The original idea comes from Frédéric t’Serstevens (March 2016)
Design & drawings by Klaas Janssens @ Sitar Factory (April 2016)
Completion by Klaas Janssens @ Sitar Factory (June 2016)

Specifications

Dimensions: 1060mm x 300mm x 130mm (L x W x H)
Neck width: 89mm
Scale: 831mm
Strings action: String configuration: custom sitar (Baj, Jora, Laraj & Kharaj), tuned as guitar
Pardas: 24 custom hybrid shaped
Taravs: 11 traditional with wooden kuntis
No cikaris installed

Back

Materials

Body: teak wood
Parts: white fiber & metal
Pardas: Nickel Silver wire 5,0mm diameter
Machine heads: M6 Mini / Schaller
Pickup: Neck & Bridge single coil Telecaster™ guitar pickup / Seymour Duncan
Strings: Silver plated steel N°3 (0,30mm) & N°0 (0,23mm) / Pyramid
Nickel flatwound Jora N°26 (0,46mm) / Pyramid
Nickel flatwound Laraj N°24 (0,56mm) / Pyramid
Nickel flatwound Kharaj N°22 (0,76mm) / Pyramid

Back

Drawings

1 Parda lane raised

2 Parda custom shaped

original shape (Rikhi Ram)

hybrid shape (Sitar Factory)

Back

The modification process

1 The original body, removing the original pardas

2 Fitting a raised parda lane, made out of maple & celluloïd

3 Creating a new shaped parda: the hybrid parda

1 = Hybrid parda   2 = Rikhi Ram parda   3 = Traditional parda

4 Mounting a full set (24 pcs) of hybrid pardas

5 Fitting compact electronics control & pickups

Back

6 Replies

Belgisk – Dansk Veena Guitar

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Monday, 11 February 2013 by AnandaSaturday, 1 May 2021

Here is another unique combination: a fusion between a guitar and a veena. The concept has been developed and build by Shintai who was born in Belgium and now lives in Denmark. He frequently plays meditative concerts on this remarkable instrument.

 

 

Play Shintai on his Veena Guitar

Basically the instrument consists of a bass guitar-neck fitted on an acoustic guitar body. It has 7 main strings, 12 taravs & 23 specially shaped pardas. The 5 highest notes, located on the soundboard, are fixed while the remaining 18 are moveable. The instrument’s impressive head accommodates 17 tuning keys. Amongst them are 4 banjo-type tuners pointing to the backside and 2 extra machine heads are mounted on the neck for tuning the cikari strings.

 

On Shintai’s request I’ve added a regular sitar jawari (Elforyn™) and an extra wide tarav jawari (bone) and also 6 moveable tarav moghara (Elforyn™)

Posted in curiosity, listen, lutherie | Tagged fusion, guitar, varisitari, veena | 2 Replies

Gibson EB-3L

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Monday, 9 November 2009 by AnandaMonday, 16 November 2020

During my learning school at Centrum voor MuziekinstrumentenBouw, CMB, at Puurs, Belgium, in 2000 I made a Gibson EB-3L replica. I’ve choosen this electric bass because of the unique and original “slotted head” construction which I applied later to my new style sitars SAS-01 etc…

This guitar has a Honduras mahogany body and neck with Indian rosewood fretboard and head top plate.
Because the original instruments sound wasn’t very inspiring I decided to replace the pickups with some modern and better performing types made by Di Marzio. Their DP145 Will Power™ neck model is very deep-sounding with great low-end definition. Its dimensions are the same as the original replacement Model One™, but it’s a little louder and fatter-sounding, and pole piece spacing is slightly wider for better string alignment with long-scale basses.

  • neck
  • back
  • joint
  • head
  • body

pictures made by Luc De Gezelle 2009

Posted in lutherie, making | Tagged electric, guitar, lutherie, steelstring | 4 Replies

Sarod Guitar / modification

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Sunday, 16 September 2007 by AnandaMonday, 21 October 2024

Here’s the renewed fretless fingerboard.

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The first step was to pull out the frets. This precise job was securely done by my colleague Frans Ieven. Many thanks to him !!!
Then I filled up the gaps with some plain veneer.

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The new fretless surface, after sanding and some layers of danish oil, can be seen in front of Lord Buddha.
Then follows the mounting of the cikari strings.
Since the high pitched cikari string needs to be only half the overall length, a mini cikari pin is mounted on the fingerboard at the 12th fret, followed by a cikari ring slot. All are made of bone.

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The low pitch cikari pin is located at the 2nd fret position. Both cikari strings are close to each other.

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Finally, here’s this sarod-guitar’s strings & tuning chart:

1. steel wire 0.23mm / N°0 tuned to MA (= F# 3)
2. steel wire 0.28mm / N°2 tuned to SA (= C# 3)
3. bronze wire 0.37mm / N° 28 tuned to lower PA (= G# 2)
4. bronze wire 0.46mm / N° 26 tuned to lower SA (= C# 2)
5. steel wire 0.23mm / N° 0 tuned to SA (= C# 4)
6. steel wire 0.20mm / N° 00 tuned to higher SA (= C# 5)

Now I’m waiting for Nik to come and play this new instrument…

Posted in repair | Tagged guitar, Sarod, SitarMods | 7 Replies

Sarod Guitar / repair

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Sunday, 16 September 2007 by AnandaMonday, 21 October 2024

Some time ago Nik G. asked me to modify this Simon & Patrick guitar into a sarod…

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but first a little damage had to be repaired…

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I noticed that also the bracing became loose from the soundboard. Since I couldn’t find any long clamp, I had to do it like this :

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After that, a nice triangled puzzle started.

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The inner triangle contains the original piece of soundboard wood.

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Now the triangles fit properly and after some sanding the finishing polish is applied.

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Unfortunately, some decolouration appeared. I guess the sun needs also some job to do…?

Posted in lutherie, repair | Tagged fusion, guitar, Sarod, SitarMods | 1 Reply

Martin 01

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Sunday, 31 December 2006 by AnandaMonday, 16 November 2020

Found some pictures of my Martin 01, which I made at CMB, Puurs, 1998 – 2000.

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The guitar has a beautiful head of walnutroot-veneer.

  • side
  • head back
  • rosette
  • edge
  • comb
  • heel side
  • heel back
  • devil's head
  • body side
  • neck side

As it was my first own built acoustic instrument, it took me 2 years to finish it. Body made out of rosewood, cedar top plate, Honduras mahogany neck and fretboard in ebony. Rosette with abalone…

Posted in lutherie, making | Tagged guitar, lutherie, steelstring | 2 Replies

The guitarboat

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on Thursday, 30 November 2006 by AnandaThursday, 30 November 2006

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Next step: let it dry for a very very long time, then most probably open it up and glue again…?

Posted in lutherie, varia | Tagged guitar | Leave a reply

Vishwakarma

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A photo report about the making of...

A Hybrid Sitar

... the ultimate guitar for sitarists

The See-Tar

... a sitar in plexiglass

The Solid Body Sitar

... a unique combination of ancient and modern know-how.


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