Monoj Kumar Sardar GP
The vilayat khani sitar of Monoj Kumar Sardar offers professional concert standard at the price of a beginner's instrument. It is a marvellous instrument for lovers of the Vilayat Khan style.
The Monoj Kumar Sardar Vilayat Khani sitar is also the perfect choice for demanding musicians with little money who look for affordable high-end quality and do not need the low bass octave of the Ravi Shankar style. Last but not least it is also interesting for people who are fed up with the extensive decoration of most modern sitars, because it has clear lines and tasteful, reduced ornamentation. The sound of the Monoj Kumar vilayat khani sitars is slender, compact and rich with good sustain and a great dynamic range. This idea of sound has become generally accepted in India when microphones and amplifiers became common on concert stages. The slightly thicker sound board (tabli) which is particularly important for this kind of sound, however, initially also dims the sound somewhat, requiring a longer break in time before its tone begins to fully unfold.
Sound sample played on one of our Monoj Kumar Sardar Vilayat Khani.
Stained medium brown toon wood, mirror-finished shellac surfaces, 6 playing strings (tonal range of three octaves, no bass octave), 7 playing pegs, 12 to 13 sympathetic strings, inlay work of celluloid and mother of pearl imitation, plain base of neck, plastic bridges, no upper sound box. The sympathetic strings are guided into the neck at an obtuse angle over tear-proof mini-bridges, reducing the tendency of the strings to break.
The angle at which the bridge surface (jowari) has been sanded down has great influence on the sound of every sitar. If the curvature of the surface permits strong partial vibrations of the string on the bridge, a buzzing sound rich in overtones is created, which is called an open jowari. Ravi Shankar made this sound popular and Westerners often feel that this is the typical sound of a sitar.
A so-called closed jowari creates less overtones, however, its sound is more clear, concise and singing. Most Indian sitarist prefer this sound today. As a standard feature our branded sitars therefore have a somewhat closed jowari.
If played regularly and intensely, the strings dig grooves into the surface of traditional horn or bone bridges in course of time due to abrasion and thus change the relative openness or closedness of the jowaris. If sanded down later in a specific manner, the original sound can be restored or the instrument can be adjusted to a different sound. Since approximately the turn of the millennium Monoj Kumar Sardar sitars feature modern plastic bridges as standard. Their tone quality is at least equally good as traditional horn bridges. However, they show considerably less signs of abrasion and therefore don't require legg sanded down so often.
MONOJ KUMAR SARDAR & BROTHERS is a relatively large-scale manufacturer in the heart of Calcutta looking back on a rich tradition of three generations. It is run by four brothers, all of them trained craftsmen specialising in different aspects of instrument making. They mainly make sitars, tanpuras, esrajs, dilrubas, harmoniums and shrutiboxes. But the eldest brother and manager Monoj Kumar will get you every other instrument that is manufactured in India as well. Due to our long-term co-operation with Monoj Kumar Sardar since 1994, we receive instruments with a high quality level in terms of sound, workmanship and materials. Today Monoj Kumar Sardar's quality can well compete with other renowned brands like Hemen and Hiren Roy for string instruments or Pakrashi, Paul and Bina for harmoniums.
Measure: length 126 cm, width 36 cm, depth 30 cm, weight: ca. 2.6 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.