Two sitars with identical specifications can sound like different instruments, because the sound is made by the maker. Seasoning, gourd choice and jawari filing never appear on a spec sheet.
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Two sitars with identical specifications can sound like different instruments, because the sound is made by the maker.
The seasoning of the wood, the choice of gourd, and above all the filing of the jawari bridge are hand skills, and none of them appear on a spec sheet. That is why experienced buyers shop by name, and why this page puts our makers side by side.
Kanai Lal & Sons of Kolkata is among the most storied names a sitar can carry. Rikhi Ram carries the Delhi lineage and its associations with the players who took the instrument west. Jayanta Sengupta and Hiren Roy through Barun Ray occupy the top of the range. MKS build across the catalogue. Our own workshop covers student and intermediate instruments and electric sitars.
Which maker for a first sitar? Ours or MKS. Step up to the named Kolkata workshops when the instrument becomes your concert companion, not before.
Can you help me choose between two? Yes, gladly. Message us on WhatsApp with your budget and what you play and we will give you a straight answer.
Questions we get asked
Why buy by maker instead of by spec sheet?
Because the spec sheet cannot hear. The jawari work and wood choices are the sound, and the maker's name is the only reliable proxy for them.
Does carving change the sound?
No. Carving and celluloid work are for the eyes. Tone lives in the wood, the construction and the jawari. Buy the look you love at the sound grade you need.
Can you help me choose between two sitars?
Yes, gladly. Message us on WhatsApp with your budget and your music and we will give you a straight answer.