Calcutta Standard Sitar (Mahogany)

Purchased this as a gift and it was well received. Quality workmanship and good sound for an entry level instrument. Staff were friendly and helpful. I would recommend this shop.

My brother bought this sitar last week. I don't know if my brother got a 'special' sample but when I look at the build quality I'm impressed. FYI -- I built harpsichords for 15 years so I'm familiar with some aspects of instrument building. I am so impressed with my brother's sample that I ordered one for myself, but in my case, it will come with the maker's badge, for a $100 premium. Even if you are an intermediate player, this is a very fine instrument with a lovely, resonant tone. Five note meends are definitely possible. My brother's sample had a 13 mm action between the last fret and Ma string which is a bit high. I reduced the action to 11-1/2 mm. Using a Peterson StroboPlus HD tuner, set to the Sitar just-intonation program, I re-positioned a few frets and tuned the sitar. All I can say is wow! Beautiful action, perfect intonation and the tarafs sing out whilst playing. Don't let the setup scare you. Some sitars need a bit of fine tuning, some don't. These instruments are truly 100% handmade and each has its own personality. In any case, the gurus at Kala Kendar know these instruments and can address any question you have. This is why I have dealt with Kala Kendar since 2007...

Great sounding, looks beautiful. I will be back.

I fulfilled myself a dream and bought this wonderful sitar . The instrument is more than I hoped for and in top condition . It was a pleasure to meet the friendly and most helpful staff at Kala Kendar.I can only recommend their expertise .

Yes, everything is alright, I think the shipping was successful. The only things that have happened is that some sympathetic tuning pegs needed more chalk in order to not slip, and when i tried doing it myself, I've broken 3 sympathetic strings. But the instrument still sounds magical.