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Alan-new-2-sitar
buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 16, 2003 07:09 p.m.

Hi all i modified my name a little from new-B-sitarist to this name . so at least you know my first name now , an now my question im looking at 2 sitars , 1 is the manoj kumar sardar #3 from aacm $600+sh and the shristi standard from lars of sitars etc , $795+sh which in your opinion would give me the most insturment for the money ? or should i save more and buy a higher end instrument so i dont have to up grade later on ? thanks for your opinions alan
johnnysitarwhatson
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 17, 2003 09:02 a.m.

Judging form far away only having photos of the instruments is impossible. Both seem to be decent and might do the job for you. Even one brand & same model may sound different as there is a lot of handwork involved. Which one looks better for you? The better looking, the more it will keep you practising:-)
Get you one of these cheaper (a relative term, as sitars seem to be very expensive in the US) sitars, practise 24 hours a day, get your fingers bleeding, learn for some time, possibly with good teachers - then with lots more of experience decide on getting a better wood - so you better save money in the future to go to India, instead of saving now and getting nowhere, as you don't have an instrument for developping your skills.
Time is more important than an inflatable great name sitar (if you want a Rikhi Ram, you only need to change the name plate on your Sardar/Shrishti:-) - uuups, now Gibson and Fender will kill me . .)
jan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 17, 2003 10:01 a.m.

There has been loads of talk around this in the forun. Trawel back in time and get loads of input on this. If you have the time i would recomend you to read most of the posts in the forum. (some off-topic and nasty comments around, but youll soon figure it out)

You can really pick up loads of usefull info on everything from growing your own pumpkins and seed quality to tuning, strings, jawari and loads of usefull links in there aswell.

I would have to agree with JohnnySitar, get what you can afford for now. And save some cash and go to India to buy a nother in the future, if needed.

both the Sitars (or their makers) you are talking about have been on the agenda in this forum. If you plan to bring your sitar on the road, train, buss, etc. i would go for the one that includes a fiberglass case. They are both as far as i know great for there price.

Good luck

Jan
Billy
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 17, 2003 10:27 a.m.

. .
rg
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 17, 2003 12:50 p.m.

Speaking from experience, buying the sitar is less of a problem then learning how to play it. I play the banjo, the mandolin and a little guitar - they are bush league compared to the sitar. Before you spend good money on something you may never learn to play find out if there is someone in town who can give you lessons - if not - don't bother.
Jaym
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 18, 2003 11:59 a.m.

I have a shrishti standard and i really like the instrument. the jawari is a little too open for my liking but the consistency of the instruments sound, construction and ornamentation are excellent.

i recommend buying through Lars at http://www.sirtarsetc.com
Alan-new-2-sitar
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 18, 2003 04:21 p.m.

rg (Nov 17, 2003 12:50 p.m.):
Speaking from experience, buying the sitar is less of a problem then learning how to play it. I play the banjo, the mandolin and a little guitar - they are bush league compared to the sitar. Before you spend good money on something you may never learn to play find out if there is someone in town who can give you lessons - if not - don't bother.

i was recomended a teacher from maine david pontbriand , ive been in email contact witth him , seems very nice he said buy an instrument first , and then we can do some lessons , also bought a book he recomended to read in the mean time ,
Neal
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 18, 2003 09:12 p.m.

Message� Hi Alan, David is my teacher and also Jaym's. He is great. I may have a 2 year old Teak Mangla Prasad Sharma for sale that was handpicked by Indrajit Banerjee. It was one of the early sitars that Peter Cutchey had Indrajit handpick from the maker, meaning it is one of the best Mangla Prasad Sharma made. I am getting my dream sitar (a 20 year old Rikhi Ram) and might consider parting with the Teak for the right price. .

Neal

PS Alan, where do you live?
Jeff
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 18, 2003 10:09 p.m.

Neal, give me an e-mail.

strdap@webtv.net
Stephen
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 07:42 a.m.

Same thing here fellows. I have serial #001 of the Mangla Prasad Sharma "Rose Petal" w/fiberglass case and roto-molded case for upper toomba + 2 sets of Pyramid strings that I am offering for sale. The photos on the Buckingham site of Rose Petals are of this actual instrument. And if you're in the market for a starter surbahar, I will be offering an RKS "Pro model" in April. Shafaatullah Khan has played this instrument and said it was a very sound example that will be playable for many years. No I'm not getting out, just lightening the load in preparation for heading off to India where I will pick up the replacement surbahar. E-mail is acting up again, so if it bounces back to you, keep trying or call in the evenings, 502-418-5459.
Matt
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Dec 11, 2003 10:56 p.m.

Alan,
Which instrument did you end up buying?
alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Dec 11, 2003 11:53 p.m.

[quote]Neal (Dec 11, 2003 07:16 p.m.):
Hi Alan,

Were you able to get a lesson from either David or Usha ?

Neal

nope david said i need to get a sitar first , an ive got a few things to button up before i can pursue some lessons , but in time i will david is coming to play at a friends tea shop on valentines day i believe so i shall go an listen , should be a good time
alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Dec 11, 2003 11:58 p.m.

Matt (Dec 11, 2003 10:56 p.m.):
Alan,
Which instrument did you end up buying?

am trying to pick up a teak MPS will let you know how it turns out , if this falls through i might try and buy the manipur teak from lars when it comes in , will let you know what the results are , i decided on teak , because it will out last me ,
Jeff
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 09:50 a.m.

Neal, I'm interested in your Teak how can I contact you?
Jeff
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 09:50 a.m.

Neal, I'm interested in your Teak how can I contact you?
rg
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 03:50 p.m.

Alan-new-2-sitar (Nov 18, 2003 04:21 p.m.):
rg (Nov 17, 2003 12:50 p.m.):
Speaking from experience, buying the sitar is less of a problem then learning how to play it. I play the banjo, the mandolin and a little guitar - they are bush league compared to the sitar. Before you spend good money on something you may never learn to play find out if there is someone in town who can give you lessons - if not - don't bother.

i was recomended a teacher from maine david pontbriand , ive been in email contact witth him , seems very nice he said buy an instrument first , and then we can do some lessons , also bought a book he recomended to read in the mean time ,

Whats the name of the book allen - RG
Alan-new-2-sitar
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 04:02 p.m.

rg (Nov 19, 2003 03:50 p.m.):
Alan-new-2-sitar (Nov 18, 2003 04:21 p.m.):
rg (Nov 17, 2003 12:50 p.m.):
Speaking from experience, buying the sitar is less of a problem then learning how to play it. I play the banjo, the mandolin and a little guitar - they are bush league compared to the sitar. Before you spend good money on something you may never learn to play find out if there is someone in town who can give you lessons - if not - don't bother.

i was recomended a teacher from maine david pontbriand , ive been in email contact witth him , seems very nice he said buy an instrument first , and then we can do some lessons , also bought a book he recomended to read in the mean time ,

Whats the name of the book allen - RG

The sitar. The instrument and its technique, By Manfred Junius, can be bought from sitars Etc, for $16 & $2.50 Sh
AJ
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 05:48 p.m.

The Junius book's a good one, alrighty. . . . .

See if you can find yerself a decent copy of Ravi Shakar's "My Music, My Life", too (out of print)
It's helped me a great deal this year, lots of good stuff in it. . . . . . . .1st part is autobiographical, 2nd part a sitar playing manuel

See you round like a hula hoop
AJ
Alan-new-2-sitar
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 09:17 p.m.

AJ (Nov 19, 2003 05:48 p.m.):
the Junius book's a good one, alrighty. . . . .

See if you can find yerself a decent copy of Ravi Shakar's "My Music, My Life", too (out of print)
It's helped me a great deal this year, lots of good stuff in it. . . . . . . .1st part is autobiographical, 2nd part a sitar playing manuel

See you round like a hula hoop
AJ


AJ i found a copy of Ravi shankars book you recomended on amazon .com but it was $85.00 more than i want to spend at this time , will keep looking though.
Matt
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 09:44 p.m.

Alan, keep an eye on eBay. I got my copy for about $20 - it was a "decommissioned" hard cover library edition, but in excellent shape.
Jeff
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 10:11 p.m.

I just ordered that book for $12 from aeolian books, I found some kind of book sellers web site,there was about 70 ICM books for sale there, from book dealers from all over the world. Another one I'm gonna get is "The History of the Sitar and Sarode" I think that was the title?:-):-)??

HOW YA DOIN AJ? Havent heard from ya in awhle! :-)
Lars
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 10:16 p.m.

Alan, go to http://www.abebooks.com to look for a copy, they come up from time to time at various prices, the one Jeff got was listed there too. . . .
Lars
AJ
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 19, 2003 10:28 p.m.

yep, got my copy from Abebooks, too. . . . .!

Doin' ok Jeff, other than my kid brought home a whopper cold/flu thing and now my nose feels just like Rudoph's. . . . . . . . .wah!

See ya round like a kunti! heehee
AJ : )
Alan-new-2-sitar
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 20, 2003 11:40 p.m.

Lars (Nov 19, 2003 10:16 p.m.):
Alan, go to http://www.abebooks.com to look for a copy, they come up from time to time at various prices, the one Jeff got was listed there too. . . .

used books , this could be a bad spot to go to also , i like to read to . thanks lars
Jeff
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Nov 21, 2003 08:27 a.m.

Alan-new-2-sitar (Nov 20, 2003 11:40 p.m.):
Lars (Nov 19, 2003 10:16 p.m.):
Alan, go to http://www.abebooks.com to look for a copy, they come up from time to time at various prices, the one Jeff got was listed there too. . . .

used books , this could be a bad spot to go to also , i like to read to . thanks lars

Hey Alan, Yep! Reading is good, I have a large collection of books. I like reading on history, science, UFO's and some philosophy (Nietzsche is my favorite, but he can be a sleeping pill) some times.

I tried to read James Joyce "Ulysses" about a half dozen times but I just cant get through it.

I'm also gonna try to find all the books I can on indian instruments, about their history and origins. If anyone can make recommendations, let me know about them.
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Dec 15, 2003 11:26 p.m.

alan (Dec 11, 2003 11:58 p.m.):
[quote]Matt (Dec 11, 2003 10:56 p.m.):
Alan,
Which instrument did you end up buying?

am trying to pick up a teak MPS ( update } made a down payment on the MPS teak , was told its a nice instrument , has open jawari , an if i work tons of overtime i think i can pay it off quick ,
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 20, 2004 10:28 p.m.

[quote][b]Alan (Dec 15, 2003 11:26 p.m.):[/b
well i made the last payment on the teak mangla , i received some photos of it before it is shipped , all i can say is its beautiful , i am told its sounds as good also , cannot wait to hear it , maybe david pontbriand will play it for me when he is in shelburne falls ma on feb 14 th , as i imagine i will not be able to do it justice without a lot of practice ,
pb
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 02:23 p.m.

Congrats Alan,
you chose a nice sitar. Let us know what you and your instructor thinks of it when you get it.

Pb
K.K.
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 06:45 p.m.

Hey Alan:
I have Mangla Prasad Sharma Culture Club membership cards - if you want one, email me your name and address.
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 07:17 p.m.

K.K. (Jan 21, 2004 06:45 p.m.):
Hey Alan:
I have Mangla Prasad Sharma Culture Club membership cards - if you want one, email me your name and address.

no offense but im new to the sitar , what is the mps culture club ? K.K.
Neal
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 08:55 p.m.

Hi Alan,

Well, unless it's a lefty sitar, David wont be able to play it.

Where did you get it from Alan?

Maybe sometime we can get together or I will see you in Amesbury when David is teaching. .as I have a Teak MPS and would love to play another one to compare. .

Neal
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 09:31 p.m.

Neal (Jan 21, 2004 08:55 p.m.):
Hi Alan,

Well, unless it's a lefty sitar, David wont be able to play it.

Where did you get it from Alan?

Maybe sometime we can get together or I will see you in Amesbury when David is teaching. .as I have a Teak MPS and would love to play another one to compare. .

Neal


oh well at least david can look it over for me , as he will be in shelburne falls ma , feb 14 for a show at Lapis mountain tea shop . Sitars Etc , are selling MPS .now and this is the first teak one lars got in to sell ,pictures should be up soon at the site i would think , as i said it is beautiful ,
Matt
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 21, 2004 11:03 p.m.

Hey K.K. ~

I have an MPS tanpura - does that qualify me for membership? :-)
pb
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 22, 2004 03:38 p.m.

Hey Matt,
perhaps we have to start a "Srishti Culture Club" :-)

Pb

Matt (Jan 21, 2004 11:03 p.m.):
Hey K.K. ~

I have an MPS tanpura - does that qualify me for membership? :-)
K.K.
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 22, 2004 06:18 p.m.

Alan (Jan 21, 2004 07:17 p.m.):

no offense but im new to the sitar , what is the mps culture club ? K.K.

Hi Alan:
The term "MPS Culture Club" was coined by Sitar Forum member Russ, a couple of years ago. At the time, it seemed that most of the Sitar Forum members owned MPS sitars. I created the MPS Culture Club membership cards in honor of Buckingham Music's owner/founder, Peter Cutchy, when he passed away in 2002. If you've been to the Buckingham website, you know that Peter's vision was to offer a sitar that was built "the way they used to be built."
Peter was having the sitars built to his specs and each instrument was inspected by Sri Indrajit Banerjee before it left the shop.
The membership cards read "Specially made in India for Buckingham Music." Maybe, with Lars' permision, I can modify the cards to include Sitars Etc. on them. :-)
Matt
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 22, 2004 06:41 p.m.

[quote]pb (Jan 22, 2004 03:38 p.m.):
Hey Matt,
perhaps we have to start a "Srishti Culture Club" :-)

Pb

Paul, did you end up buying a Srishti? I must have missed that.
pb
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 22, 2004 08:08 p.m.

Hi Matt,
I am in the process now. I am afraid to ship it here because we are going through a cold spell, around -20-30C most days. I might wait until next month. The CAN$ is doing well so now is the time!

I'm getting a Calcutta Traditional. Lars has one that is slightly larger, so that is the one I'm going for. I thought about the jaipur and the manipur, but the Calcutta looks a lot like the Nodu Mullick style, which I like so much, so it has my name on it.

The bottom line is sound and size for me, and of course I want a really freakin' big upper tomba (even if I don't play with it on most of the time). I didn't want to spring for the Grand teak of Sanjay's yet, so this one will do me fine for many years to come.

Pb
Matt
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 22, 2004 10:49 p.m.

Congrats Paul - that's very cool! The upper toomba on my Manipur is huge too, as you saw in the pics. Be sure to let everyone know how you like it, once it warms up in Canada. (It was -3 F here in Iowa this morning. .brrrr.)
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 23, 2004 04:40 a.m.

K.K. (Jan 22, 2004 06:18 p.m.):
Alan (Jan 21, 2004 07:17 p.m.):

no offense but im new to the sitar , what is the mps culture club ? K.K.

Hi Alan:
The term "MPS Culture Club" was coined by Sitar Forum member Russ, a couple of years ago. At the time, it seemed that most of the Sitar Forum members owned MPS sitars. I created the MPS Culture Club membership cards in honor of Buckingham Music's owner/founder, Peter Cutchy, when he passed away in 2002. If you've been to the Buckingham website, you know that Peter's vision was to offer a sitar that was built "the way they used to be built."
Peter was having the sitars built to his specs and each instrument was inspected by Sri Indrajit Banerjee before it left the shop.
The membership cards read "Specially made in India for Buckingham Music." Maybe, with Lars' permision, I can modify the cards to include Sitars Etc. on them. :-)


yes Lars said Indrajit Banerjee picked this one out also an inspected it.
Ken
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 30, 2004 01:41 p.m.

Hiya all,
Right now no one has to worry too much about getting the expensive RR Tanpura from Lars as I snapped it up as soon as I saw it. I have played the MPS Tanpura and like them as well (I own a MPS AAA Tun) but the RR is about double in tone and volume not to mention fit and finish. The Bad Ustad is on the money with "you get what you pay for" as well as many other of his comments.
I am a Mangla Culture Club member and, though fairly meaningless in the overall scheme of life, the membership cards KK makes are very professional looking all the way around. It was a very nice thing for you to do KK and much appreciated and I am honored to be a member. By the way when is the next meeting and where (I vote for North Carolina for no real reason, heh heh)?
Pb as far as the Shristi Calcutta Traditional is concerned I have played Sangeeta's (here on the board), great sound and sustain. I think you will play this instrument a long, long time before you outgrow it as a player, I like the Om too and almost bought a Calcutta myself but opted out for the more expensive Garland Teak since I had a Tun, maybe Lars could be talked into a Teak Calcutta? . . . Uncle Ken
pb
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 30, 2004 02:24 p.m.

Hey Uncle Ken,
that RR sounded great over the phone. It growled like a pack of dogs, great drone. I think it is well worth the money!

Re: calcutta model
I am glad to hear that it is a good model. I think it was the right one for me. I'm told Indrajit liked that one, which is a bonus in my book. Besides, the CAN$ is doing well, so now is the time.

I like the bigger gourd and tabli. I can't wait to get it. It should be safe to ship now that the severe cold snap is mostly over. I like that OM on the top too. I hope it lasts a long time. The only other sitar I will get later is a teak, and maybe a few old ones to fix up :-)

take care,
Pb

Ken (Jan 30, 2004 01:41 p.m.):
Hiya all,
Right now no one has to worry too much about getting the expensive RR Tanpura from Lars as I snapped it up as soon as I saw it. I have played the MPS Tanpura and like them as well (I own a MPS AAA Tun) but the RR is about double in tone and volume not to mention fit and finish. The Bad Ustad is on the money with "you get what you pay for" as well as many other of his comments.
I am a Mangla Culture Club member and, though fairly meaningless in the overall scheme of life, the membership cards KK makes are very professional looking all the way around. It was a very nice thing for you to do KK and much appreciated and I am honored to be a member. By the way when is the next meeting and where (I vote for North Carolina for no real reason, heh heh)?
Pb as far as the Shristi Calcutta Traditional is concerned I have played Sangeeta's (here on the board), great sound and sustain. I think you will play this instrument a long, long time before you outgrow it as a player, I like the Om too and almost bought a Calcutta myself but opted out for the more expensive Garland Teak since I had a Tun, maybe Lars could be talked into a Teak Calcutta? . . . Uncle Ken
Alan
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 31, 2004 04:00 p.m.

K.K. (Jan 22, 2004 06:18 p.m.):
Alan (Jan 21, 2004 07:17 p.m.):

no offense but im new to the sitar , what is the mps culture club ? K.K.

Hi Alan:
The term "MPS Culture Club" was coined by Sitar Forum member Russ, a couple of years ago. At the time, it seemed that most of the Sitar Forum members owned MPS sitars. I created the MPS Culture Club membership cards in honor of Buckingham Music's owner/founder, Peter Cutchy, when he passed away in 2002. If you've been to the Buckingham website, you know that Peter's vision was to offer a sitar that was built "the way they used to be built."
Peter was having the sitars built to his specs and each instrument was inspected by Sri Indrajit Banerjee before it left the shop.
The membership cards read "Specially made in India for Buckingham Music." Maybe, with Lars' permision, I can modify the cards to include Sitars Etc. on them. :-)

hi K.K. when i recieve the MPS i will send you the info for a card , it seems my last payment is in limbo in the us mail system if it doesnt show up soon i will void it an use the CC then i will have a date of final purchase for the sitar , thank you , Al
Ken
Re:buying my first sitar advice ? Jan 31, 2004 06:50 p.m.

Hmmmm, growled like a pack of dogs, I like it. .uncle ken
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