Tag Archives: tabli

K&K Big Twin external mount

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I mounted a K&K sound Big Twin internal transducer on a Raj Musicals sitar by Joël Van Roode (Alpacas Collective – Flugzeug Music Art Design). Since it is not always obvious to open a tabli, we chose to do an external mount. That is, the transducers are mounted on the outside (top) of the tabli. An advantage of this installation is that it is easy to look for an optimal positioning of the elements to obtain a good and balanced sound.

The disadvantage with this kind of rather simple set-up is that the jack connector connection is usually very sloppy and not very reliable. Therefore, I gave it some thought and opted to mount the jack connector on the taardaan (tailmount). This way, it is very firmly attached and there is also a very good grounding with the strings, which greatly reduces possible interference signals. The complete assembly is therefore relatively easy to do with this.


First, I drilled a hole in the taardaan and then drilled through into the tumba accordingly. Then a small hole was drilled in the tabli to route the wires to the connector.


Finally, the two transducers were glued in place, the retaining wires routed through the holes and soldered to the connector, the taardaan put back in place and the strings put back on. Done!


Here is the result. Joël is very happy with it!

Tabli info

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Dear friends, please hereby find some info about different styles of tabli. Clicking on the pictures will show up a drawing presenting the thickness (in mm) on different locations of the tabli and a zoom showing details of the surface finishing on the backside. Notice the increased thickness at the jawaris section to prevent indent on the surface.

1. Kartar Chand RS style 1980’s Tun wood

2. Naskar RS style Teak wood

3. Hari Chand RS style 2005 Tun wood RAW tabli

4. Rikhi Ram VK style 1970’s Tun wood

5. Unknown 1980 RS style Tun wood

6. Ud. Ilyas Khan’s Hiren Roy RS style 1960’s Tun wood

7. SAS-02 New style 2008 Walnut wood

Mayur sitar with K&K transducer

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This new Mayur sitar, made by Waseem Maner, Miraj 2022, belongs to Visjal Auwerx.

K&K Sound make natural-sounding acoustic amplification products and affordable pickups.

Their Pure Pickup for acoustic guitars, installed on the guitar’s bridge plate, is a very good choice for achieving a rich, natural guitar sound — even without a preamp. It’s one of the best passive pickup on the market, for the musician who wants a warm, full-range signal without worrying about cluttering up their instrument, adjusting onboard electronics, or having to remember to change the battery.

I chose the Pure 12-String: 3-head transducer for 12-string acoustic guitar. The larger pickup heads produce an extra strong bass response and pronounced midrange that sounds great in 12-string guitars. I installed it befor inside a surbahar, which sounds perfect!

The work begins by removing the tabli.
First, the celluloid decorations are removed and then the tumba is separated from the tabli.
A wooden reinforcement with a hole in it is then glued to the inside of the tumba. The jack connector is later mounted there.

Then the transducers are glued to the tabli just below where the legs of the bridge are. That is the most efficient place (according to K&K’s instructions) and it is quite convenient that there are 3 separate transducers.

Finally the jack connector is mounted and the tabli is glued back onto the tumba.
Because the original fragile decorations were damaged too much during removal, I place a new binding of celluloid plastic mother-of-pearl imitation. It fits best with the rest of the sitar’s copious decorations.

Done!

Sound samples played by Visjal Auwerx:

Play K&K transducer only

Play K&K transducer + EQ

Play K&K transducer + external mic mix

Play K&K transducer + external mic + tanpura mix

K&K transducer = Pure Pickup™ 12-String
external mic = AKG C2000B

Tabli Info

SiTAR FAcToRY Posted on by

Dear friends, please hereby find some info about different styles of tabli. Clicking on the pictures will show up a drawing presenting the thickness (in mm) on different locations of the tabli and a zoom showing details of the surface finishing on the backside. Notice the increased thickness at the jawaris section to prevent indent on the surface.

1. Kartar Chand RS style 1980 Tun wood

2. Naskar RS style Teak wood

3. Hari Chand RS style 2005 Tun wood

4. Rikhi Ram VK style 1970 Tun wood

More tablis can be found on the Tabli Info page (click here).