Calcutta Pre,ium small C3
Our shrutibox Calcutta Premium small C3 is a great all-purpose box with a balanced, warm, full sound and attractive solid wood design.
The compact design provides for low weight and small dimensions, so that this instrument can be taken everywhere without difficulties. Due to the relatively small bellows, you will need some practice in order to keep the sound steady, especially when several notes should sound at the same time
Can be played with Bowring foot pedal.
Sound sample Calcutta Premium small C3
- octave in the C major scale
- three-note chord C-G-C
13 chromatically tuned notes from c to c' (C3 to C4 in scientific terms); frame made of solid teak wood; surfaces with silk mat synthetic varnish; side parts made of laminated wood; feet, handle and latch made of metall; valves made of plastic; bellows made of cardboard with leather blockings; including sturdy bag.
Our Calcutta Premium shrutiboxes are crafted in small, artisanal workshops in the Kolkata area. Since 1994, we have established high quality standards and have continuously refined them in close collaboration with our partner Monoj Kumar Sardar (MKS). Following the death of Monoj Kumar Sardar in 2025, the musical instrument wholesaler Naresh Bhargava took over on-site quality control and export operations for us.
This shrutibox model has 13 chromatic notes from c to c' (C3 to C4 in scientific terms). Each of the twelve halftones occurs at least once in this range. To achieve a full sound, an additional fifth or fourth up or down can be played together with each note, offering multiple possibilities of tonics and harmonies.
In India, this shrutibox model is tuned in equal temperament to Western standard pitch with a = 440 hertz. However, due to lower average air temperatures, it may sound slightly higher at a = 441 to 442 hertz in Europe. The difference is so small, that even trained ears do not necessarily notice it. Nevertheless the difference may create problems in studio productions or when playing together with instruments with a tuning that can not easily be adjusted. Therefore we offer manual tuning to a = 440 hertz (or any other reference pitch close to that) on request. We can also supply custom-made shrutiboxes with considerably different tunings (e.g. a = 432 hertz) and ranges. Please contact us if you're interested in that.
Measure: 33 x 25 x 8 cm, weight: 2.4 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.