Kharaj-pancham Sitar

:: © J. R. Mortimer and E. C. Y. Foo October 2011 ::

I purchased this Sitar from a music shop in Sydney, NSW, as they are hard to come by in Perth. This is an 18 string double gourd model, with 7 playable strings, and 11 sympathetic strings, making it a Kharaj-pancham sitar. The two bridges are made of deer horn, and the movable frets are a standard metal braced with string. The top (secondary) gourd is removable, and the hollow back provides a resonance for the player to hear the instrument - removing it via the screw makes the instrument project more towards the front, and would be ideal in an electrified situation. I bought a piezo pickup for this instrument, but it hasn't been fitted yet. The neck and facia is likely made from mahogany (tun wood), and it's decorated with bird inlays, as well as what appears to be the standard red, white and black markings around the instrument.