Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

[SJ318]

Hi, thanks for reading.
I need to make a wood bridge (1"high,2"long). On to top of the legs will be a 4X2" slab of now illegal India horn bone, from a now endangered species of deer or Indian elk. You cannot get 'em anymore and Sitar bridges are now made from acetol. That is bad.
The wood needs to go from the bone to the sitar. The body is made from a giant gourd, the top is made from tune wood. It looks and feels like light weight mahogany. The Indian sitar forums are very few in America. Also a very very tight lipped community. The legs on the bridge now are crumbling, and I can't buy an original any more. When I asked Ali Akbar School I got cold shouldered. From every one I can find. Including a Sitar teacher close to me in the northwest.
What would be the best wood to transfer bone vibration to the surface of this Sitar. It is 100 years old, give or take. Maple, basswood, mahogany? There are no forums, and the Sitar community remains a closed one.
Thank you,
SJ318

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

i dont know what is in my sitar, but just for laughs i would say....
Indian rosewood?
it works for archtop guitars

who is going to shape the bridge for you?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

a very very tight lipped community.

To paraphrase slightly, "the first rule of bridge club is, you DO NOT talk about bridge club."

Posit #1 - There is still a reserve of the now-banned blank material in existence. Those in the know wish to keep such supplies as remain to themselves.

Posit #2 - Illegal trading could be occurring. Those in receipt of poached materials have a vested interest in keeping silent about it.


If you know the correct dimensions and shaping for a replacement bridge, it ought to be possible to form one from a synthetic bone blank.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Gibson175-
I have already shaped it. I studied Sitar with a "guru" for 2 years. Remembering I am 62 tears old, I have been listening to many Sitar players since Mr Shankar's first record came out on world records, it was called "In Concert" around 1965 or so. He signed his autobiography for me.
I will do the "tarif" bridge also. Both take considerable time and experience. Look up "javari". some pictures, but not nearly enough to learn by yourself, so I have seen many bridges, and tarif bridges had the shape (javari) done by a professional, and have seen how it is done. I watched him do mine a couple times, but he is now long gone! There is one guy left but he is a terrible teacher, has an attitude, wouldn't help me with ANYTHING, especially Javari. Every one in the community dislikes him very much. All the way to southern California.
Just need wood advice so I can make new legs or feet. Thank you for reading.
Funkfingers-
I DO have the bone, it's the "feet" I need to replace. Also I have (seemingly) the last real bridge (original Indian Style) that has the special Bone, which does sound better that synthetic bone, by a very long shot, and the "mystery" wooden feet. You are right on about "Do not talk about Fight Club", Man it is a steel wall. So, you folks know way more about substituting wood that would transfer vibration best in this situation. Also, thanks to you also for chiming in. Question still stands, gentleman.
Thank You very, very much!
SJ

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

62 tears

Here's hoping that you make it to 96.

 

[autologic]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

I would think you would just want a very light, but stiff wood. Wouldn't that (in theory) transfer the vibrations the best? You don't really need it to be a tonewood, as its not enough wood to actually be able to hear by itself... I'm not sure what would work best, just spitballing.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Thanks autologic,
What would someone typically use for the bridge wood that a bone, or synthetic bone, saddle sits on. The wood that would sit on the top of an acoustic guitar. String saddle> X? > Spruce top.
Funkfingers-
Where in God's name did you find that "62 tears" quote? I can't think of a single time in my life where I would have used that in a sentence.
Or even in a joke.
Thank you guys as always,
SJ

 

[autologic]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

In your post where you meant "62 years", it was misspelled "62 tears". A lot of acoustic guitars use rosewood of some variety.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

I would assume the same sort of materials that are used around acoustic guitar bridges would suffice, though I don't know what is traditional for a sitar. In my limited knowledge I would suggest perhaps rosewood or ebony.

 

[autologic]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

From:
http://www.sitarfactory.be/maintenance/jawari/

The legs are made of tun, teak or even sheeshum but also mahogany, ahorn, rosewood or almost any other fine quality wooden leftover piece can be used. The harder the wood, the clearer and louder the sound that will come out.

Also, this site seemed to have some great information as well:

http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/sitar/sitar_making.html

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

sosomething-
Thanks, I do have spare mahogany, maple, ebony. Damn, Rosewood sounds like the best suggestion, as it seems when I see anything about acoustic guitars, the word rosewood always comes up. That may be for necks, backs, sides, whatever, it seems always connected. I am an acoustic virgin. Would love a 12 string.
autologic-
Wow, that site chandrkantha is unbelievable! Never seen it before. It is packed with good stuff. For all that time I've spent looking - that is the best site I have ever seen. I can't tell you how grateful I am. I thought I'd seen em all. Is it new, did I miss something in all my searches? I have searched for everything-,forums, parts external site etc.
Also, thanks for the clear up on 62 Tears. In my defense (not that I care) T is next to Y. So yanks a lot!
Big Thanks youse guys!
SJ

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

By the sounds of them they use a pickup made from a cats voice box.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Koto, it's a basically a type of Asian pine, extremely resonant & light, it's also about as easy to work with as balsa wood?

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Nostalgic Distortion-
The wood that rotted off was very soft as I had to move it a couple times and when sanded, went down so fast w/400 grit, I was glad I was paying close attention or I could've sanded it out of existents in a couple minutes.
Is Koto easily purchased here in the USA, or is it more widely known as Asian Pine? There are no wood/carpenters store around where I live and I can't drive (leg might give out). Is any of the above as soft as Koto? Not maple or ebony. Is redwood soft, or even mahogany? Never tried rosewood, and not much hand work with mahogany itself.
OT: Fun fact: I have 2 custom snow white strats, like the one on the left, with white (1.5 mm) pick guard and std. trem, w/all maple neck, the other has a JBeck roller nut rosewood neck. I love them, and play 1 in bed every night before I sleep. Gotta make up lost time for the trem. Just started using one a couple of years ago or so. Need to sound like me (always the mighty struggle) not J.B. or God forbid rip off a Hendrix lick by accident. J.B. I could get away with, maybe, but Hendrix, man you are cruising' for a bruisin'! SO-is this the kind of thing that would make me a "Fanboy?" Never new what that meant.
Thank you for the info,
SJ

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Kramersteen-
You got that right. A bad sitar player, like the background sitar used on many films, they all sound exactly like a cat's voice box. Good call, similar to first day with violin before 1st lesson.
I think if you heard a really good sitar player, and I mean GOOD, they sound similar to Derek Trucks, with a nice clean, and very slight gain sound, think of any booster pedal with volume on 3-4, and gain around 2, mixed low, not equal, and you can, on one fret, fret #7 - bend from D to A cleanly and also, a good sitar player can start on D and with fanatic practice, bend to hit any of those notes between, by pulling, then hitting the string, dead stop, no bend to it if they don't feel like it. Also under any note that is hit, the same note plus the third, and the fifth ring out. There are 13 "Sympathetic" Strings under the four main playing strings. I'll shut up now.
Tremendous Thanks everyone,
SJ

 

[Demanic]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Sounds almost like balsa wood, like what you make gliders out of.

 

[SJ318]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Demanic-
Which wood were you referring to? Koto, or one of the others I mentioned. Pretty sure you meant Koto, just want to be extra clear.
Thanks Demanic,
SJ

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Best wood vibration transfer for Sitar.

Sounds almost like balsa wood, like what you make gliders out of.

wood oxymoron is that ****s a hardwoo0d haha. I tried to explain that to my dad and he wouldn't have it. He honestly thought it just meant ono was hard while the other soft.