Monoj Kumar Sardar / Musician's Mall large G 432
The shrutibox Monoj Kumar Sardar / Musician's Mall (MKS / MM) large G 432 has a deep, warm and balanced tone with long sustain, wide dynamic range and easy playability. Its tuning to 432 hertz is said to be particularly relaxing and healing.
The low G fundamental makes the shrutibox MKS / MM large G 432 particularly suitable for accompaniment of lower voices, such as mezzo-soprano, alto, baritone and bass. For many instrumentalists, the low pitch and the warm sound offer attractive possibilities, too. Some people find the tuning to 432 hertz softer and more relaxing or consider it generally more natural, harmonious and healing than the standard tuning to 440 hertz. Since shrutiboxes cannot be re-tuned at will, however, the 432 tuning makes it impossible to play this model together with instruments in standard 440 hertz tuning.
The large frame provides a much larger bellows volume as compared to smaller models, which permits an accurate dosing of air supply. In this way, the sound can be kept constant effortlessly even when three notes are played simultaneously. Additionally, the volume can be varied considerably wider and finer from evenly tender and low to constantly powerful loud. The larger resonating chamber provides moreover for a somewhat fuller overall sound. Despite its larger dimensions and heaviness, the MKS / MM shrutibox large G 432 can still be taken around without any difficulty. Only if you have to carry a lot of other stuff and if you are travelling by public transport or by foot, the shape and weight might become inconvenient.
Can be played with Bowring foot pedal.
13 chromatically tuned notes from G to g (G2 to G3 in scientific terms); all notes tuned equally tempered to pitch a' (A4) = 432 hertz; 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 sealing; including sturdy bag.
Our Monoj Kumar Sardar (MKS) / Musician's Mall (MM) shrutiboxes come from a manufactory in the rural surroundings of Kolkata. Monoj Kumar Sardar and Musician's Mall are two instrument dealers who put their respective brand labels on the shrutiboxes and then deliver them to us.
MONOJ KUMAR SARDAR & BROTHERS is a third generation manufactory-like instrument making and trading business in the old city of Kolkata. The four namesake brothers are all skilled instrument makers, each specialising in different instruments. At Monoj Kumar Sardar, you can get almost everything that is made in India - partly from their own production, partly from suppliers. We have been working with Monoj Kumar Sardar since India Instruments was founded in 1994.
MUSICIAN'S MALL is a brand of the far-flung Bhargava family of Indian instrument dealers. In 2014, the Bhargavas took over the instrument shop of the Ali Akbar College of Music in California and gave it the new name Musician's Mall. Since then, they have been selling commissioned instruments under this name. Since 2023, we have also been sourcing the shrutiboxes formerly supplied exclusively by MKS from Musician's Mall.
This shrutibox model has 13 chromatic notes from G to g (G2 to G3 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 a' = 432 hertz. However, due to lower average air temperatures, it may sound slightly higher 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' = 432 hertz (or any other reference pitch close to that) on request. We can also supply custom-made shrutiboxes with considerably different tunings and ranges. Please contact us if you're interested in that.
Measure: 41 x 33 x 9 cm, weight: 4.4 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.