While learning the art of Raag music my fascination for the music grew alongside an admiration for the sound of sitars and for their making. Since many years I have my own workshop in Jena where I am constantly optimizing my instruments and restore old sitars for a new life. If your instrument needs service like jawari, peg, fret or bridge adjustments, a new bridge, complete restringing or crack repairs you are always welcome to visit my workshop in Jena. Please do get in touch. Instruments with heavy internal issues like warped necks etc. I pass on to my friend Klaas of sitarfactory in Belgium -a highly skilled expert. A bunch of very unique instruments will be documented here for future reference. Some are offered for sale. All the sitars sound samples in the respective videos have been recorded under the exact same circumstances (same room, same microphone, same mic distance, same processing). Instruments that have a fibre-case can be shipped, but I do prefer personal pickup in Jena or Berlin. If you are interested in purchasing any instrument on offer please do get in touch.
This sitar might be from the first generation of sitars with a full set of taraf strings and it is certainly one of the oldest sitars on the planet in playable condition.
A rather huge kharaj -pancham sitar from the Hemen workshop made during the 1960ies presumably.
A full decoration kharaj-pancham sitar made presumably in the late 1970ies by Hemen himself.
A Hiren Roy Sitar from the collection of luthier and sitar enthusiast late Dieter Zarnitz. According to Dieter it was made in 1954.
A Hiren Roy Surbahar ordered around 1988 by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for his North-American disciple sitar player late James Pomerantz.
A Kanailal & Brother kachhua (flatback) sitar or kachhapi vina from the 1920ies appr.
This vintage sitar from Punjab has a huge resonator and was supposedly made in the seventies or earlier.
This sitar comes from the shop of Naskar & Co in Kolkata and was made in the 1980ies supposedly.
A 1970ies Kharaj-Pancham sitar by Radha Krishna Sharma.
This sitar comes from a lesser known sitar maker from Kolkata.