Vijay Vhatkar

The other half of the Vhatkar workshop, and the drums our customers reorder most.

Vijay Vhatkar builds in the Bombay tradition alongside his brother Haridas, and supplies leading players including Ustad Zakir Hussain. Where Haridas instruments are rare and sit at the top of our concert range, Vijay's are the ones a working player can actually buy: professional shell and skin work at a price musicians respect.

He also builds beyond tabla, which is unusual. Alongside sets and single dayans we carry his pakhawaj and his dhol, which means one workshop covering the classical drum, the dhrupad drum and the folk drum.

Why Bombay drums. The Mumbai tradition builds for durability and projection, using seasoned wood from the region, and the drums are known for standing up to touring in a way the more tonally celebrated Kolkata drums are not always credited with. If you gig regularly, that matters more than it sounds.

See Vijay Vhatkar Tablas, Professional Tabla Sets, Pakhawaj and Bombay Tabla Sets.